en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3585615 Comments by __Nikki http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-87/#IDComment232897350 There are many things I have learned about race through taking sociology 119. My points of view before the class where shaped by my parents and friends opinions. The town where I lived also shaped my ideas on different races. Taking soc 119 I got the chance not only to hear Sam’s opinions but other students as well. Depending on their experiences everyone had a different story of how they felt. I find it difficult to believe all the students views in our class did not change at least to a minimum stand after this class. I view races very differently now. At first when I would hear Black people say “it is because I am black” I would looked at them like yeah alright. After this class I learned that sometimes this is the case. It might not be that people are trying to be racist but they just rather hire or work with white people. It was shocking to hear this, it is also sad. I went to a high school that was mostly Black and Hispanics and I never thought we were treated much differently than everyone else. It was interesting to realize that even though we think racism is over, it is not. Another thing that made me view other races differently was talking about stereotypes. I do not think I stereotype people much but after Soc 119 I have noticed I do it but it is more subconsciously. I am less likely to stereotype a person because of their race or the way they look now. I stop myself before finishing any thoughts on a person I do not know anything about and think it through. I realized even people from the same race do not fit into the same category all the time. Learning about how every other race in the United States is put down if they are not white was a little sad. I want to believe that we live in a country where we are trying to strive for equality, not keeping people down. Being Hispanic it scares me for the future I have. I do not want to get turn down or go unnoticed just because of my background. There are other races that have it worse than Hispanics and I feel for them. It would be terrible to get a job and be denied because of race and there be nothing to do about it. We live in a world where race is very important. Even though I want to believe that one day we will reach equality among races I know we are very far away from this. Mon, 5 Dec 2011 03:34:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-87/#IDComment232897350 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment224201428 If Sandusky was Black or Latino this probably would have been settled years ago. I think some of the kids would have said something. Based on everything we have learned in class, the sociological perspective leads me to believe this. I think the kids would have been less scared because they feel they would have more support since the molester would be of a minority race. They would be more confident that people will believe their accusations. If the victims would not have said something I’m sure the people involved would have. As sad as it sounds I think these people would have been quicker to run to the police and let them know what was occurring. As much as we do not want to admit it there is still racism in the United States and if not there are at least A LOT of stereotypes. From a sociological perspective Sandusky being white is probably what is best for Penn State because things would be more out of hand if he was Black or Latino. Right now Penn State does not have the best name and even though we do not think about, Sandusky’s race does matter in the name not being worse. It is sad to think that our society cares so much about race, but it is the truth. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:40:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment224201428 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment224201372 What if Sandusky was Black or Latino? I feel that if Sandusky was Black or Latino he would be judge way more than he is now. I feel that people would hate him more and blame everything that happened to Joe Paterno on him. I do not think a person’s race has anything to do with them being more or less likely to molest children but I believe people would just assume Black or Latinos are more likely to do it. This scandal has become very big on the media, everyone knows about it but I feel that it would even be worse if Sandusky was a different race. The media would make it sound a lot worse than it already sounds. Right now everyone at Penn State I being blamed for what Sandusky did but I feel that if he was Black or Latino only those students would be blamed. I guess it is like this because white people are the majority at Penn State. I believe that maybe even some of the White people at Penn State would be judgmental towards the Black or Latino community. Instead of being a part of it like Black and Latino students are doing since they are part of this university, some people would say it is not their fault but only the Black or Latino community. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:39:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment224201372 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-71/#IDComment220677391 Do I think the riots would have happened without the help of social Medias such as Facebook and Twitter? I do think the riots would have still happen but I think they would not have been as big they would have been because of social networks. The only reason I heard about the riots was because of social networks but a lot of people got text messages talking about the riot that was going on. I think it wouldn’t of even been half the people if it wasn’t for social networks, which probably then it would not be considered a riot. I feel that the reason things got so out of hand to begin with was because of social networks. Everyone was talking on Facebook and Twitter about how bad the situation was and how angry they were and a lot of people got a lot of misinformation. People just went off of what others said on these social medias instead of just reading the grand jury report. The news also added to all of this craziness that is going on at Penn State. I feel that many people just read the newspaper which is not very valid and went off of what was said on Facebook and Twitter instead of finding out the right information. There is a lot of misinformation going around which is what’s adding to the riots that have been going on. I know people could have still used texting to get the word out about the riots but that would not have had such a big effect as something much bigger such as Facebook. When we check our Facebook or Twitter we have people that we are not really close to and that we might have only met once. When it comes to texting is different. I feel that we only text people that we are comfortable with; texting people that we do not really know would be awkward. I saw events made on Facebook talking about the riot and when they were supposed to happen. I just want to say that this whole rioting thing is really sad, whether we use social networks or not to get people to show up. Right now the whole world has their eyes on us and it’s sad that instead of showing them that we can get through this we are flipping cars over. Everything that we do is on the news at the moment and I do not understand what the point is of going to Beaver to riot. I understand that a lot of people see it as chanting for Penn State and showing we are proud but that’s not what the media sees it us. As educated individuals we should not be rioting and giving Penn State a bad name. Lastly I pray that those poor kids that went through that terrible thing when they were younger can get through everything that is happening right now. Sat, 12 Nov 2011 02:04:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-71/#IDComment220677391 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217131094 I do not understand how anyone at Penn State can feel uncomfortable with people speaking another language. There are so many different ethnicities and languages at Penn State that feeling uncomfortable with people speaking another language seems foolish. I feel that as I get older stereotypes and small little things that bothered me when I was younger just seem stupid now. As a student gaining an education at Penn State, a diverse community I do not feel uncomfortable with people speaking another language around me. Sat, 5 Nov 2011 03:51:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217131094 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217131061 I had many experiences where people felt uncomfortable with me speaking Spanish. I remember in middle school I would be talking to my friends in Spanish because that’s the language I knew and girls would come up to us and tell us to speak English because we are in America. They felt very uncomfortable with us speaking another language that they did not understand. People always have this perception that if you are talking in another language than you must be talking about them, this is not usually the case; most people just speak the language they feel more comfortable with. The times that I did feel uncomfortable about not knowing the language mainly came from not understanding my teachers or my friends; this only pushed me to want to learn the language. I do understand the feeling of having people speak another language around you and being completely lost. When I go to the Dominican Republic I hear Haitians speaking Creole and there are times when this does make me feel uncomfortable. We have the need to fit in and if people are speaking another language around us then we feel like outsiders. Sat, 5 Nov 2011 03:51:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217131061 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217130749 Would I feel uncomfortable if someone was speaking another language around me? For the majority of the time no, but yes there are times when people speaking a different language around me does make me feel uncomfortable. Moving to the United States at the age of ten I did not know any English at all. I did not always feel uncomfortable when people spoke English around me even though I did not understand the language. There were times when it did get frustrating, not because I thought people were talking about me, but because I could not understand my teachers. I was used to being a smart student and then I come here and I can’t even understand my teachers, it was difficult. The reason I was not as uncomfortable when people spoke English, an unknown language to me at the time was because I knew it was the United States first language. It was the language I had to learn in order to be able to do well in school and find a good job when I got older. Sat, 5 Nov 2011 03:50:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217130749 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-55/#IDComment213694479 How do I feel about legal or illegal immigrants coming to the United States? I do not see anything wrong with immigrants coming to the United States. Most of the people that immigrate here are just trying to have a better life and who am I to judge them for going after their dreams. As an immigrant myself I feel as though no one has the right to think less of me because I was not born here. My parents brought me to this country so I could have the education and job opportunities they did not in the Dominican Republic. I find it funny that many citizens want to show hatred towards legal/illegal immigrants coming to the United States as if their ancestors did not steal the land from the Native people. Coming from a family where everyone migrated to the United States I understand what it is like to be an immigrant. I will never know what it feels to be an illegal immigrant but I could imagine how much more difficult it is, especially for a child. The TA Eric talked about how scared he was crossing the border when he was five I imagine even after he came here the fear did not vanish. Immigrants have a very hard time adjusting to the new culture and do not need citizens to add more discomfort by mistreating them. One thing I want to say that I kept being in shown in the lectures is that not all immigrants are from Mexico. Though that’s what the media mainly focuses on, immigrants come from all over the world. American citizens have to come to the realization that this land is not just ours but belongs to everybody. Most people that are judging others have a grandpa or great grandparent who migrated to the United States years before. It is very ironic and ignorant to try to kick immigrants whether they are legal or illegal out. In my opinion our government takes advantage of immigrants. Whenever an immigrant person that is not a citizen, legal or not does something wrong they are threaten with being sent back to their country. Sometimes the immigrant does not commit a serious crime which is unfair but when they do why let the person free and go do damage in another country. The United States needs help understanding that this land belongs to all of us, and if we did want to give it an owner it should be the Native Americans. We all come to this country to have better opportunities, opportunities we did not have in our countries so why hate? At the end of the day we are all just trying to be successful. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:17:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-55/#IDComment213694479 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210716091 Does hanging out with people of a different race than your own make you a poser? No, I do not think that just because you hang out with a group of people that are different from you race wise it makes you a poser. If you act a certain way just to fit into what they are doing, not because it is your personality than yes, you are posing. It has nothing to do with race. Though every race has certain traits in their personality not everyone is the same. I believe that the people that would think of these people as being posers would be people that are closed minded and too into stereotypes. Being Hispanic we are considered to be loud and blast loud music so if there is a white person that always hangs out with Hispanics and likes loud music he might be considered a poser when in reality maybe he just likes his music loud. We cannot say that a person is a poser if we do not know about their personality. I went to a primarily Black and Latino high school, there was only a small amount of white people. The few white people that hung out with primarily black people were considered posers by most of the school. I do believe that some acted in ways they would not have acted if those weren’t theirs friends but I don’t think it deals with race. We tend to just put every race in a circle of stereotypes and if anyone else from another race tries to act in a way that is not “typical” for their race then they are a “poser.” We all have heard this, a black person speaking proper is just trying to act white; of course this is not true. If we see a black person with a large group of white friends and he is speaking properly than we would assume that he is being a poser when in fact maybe he is just a well-educated individual. I feel that most of us love our race and when we see someone who does not want to embrace their race we want to bring them down in any way we can. Personally, as a Dominican if there are other Dominicans that rather hang out with Blacks, Whites, or maybe Asians than that is up to them and I do not think I should be judging their decision. I love being Dominican but I do not choose my friends based on their race but rather on their personalities. To wrap this up, there are people who hang out with different races and are posers but only because they are not showing their real personalities, but if that is you are showing your personality than I consider you to just be an open-minded person. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:41:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210716091 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-27/#IDComment204586478 How would I feel if my child was gay? Hmmm, this is a very interesting question. I honestly find it hard to answer; I really do not know how I would feel. To be honest at first I would kind of just be in shock and not want to accept it but with time I think I would get used to it. I feel like at first I would not accept it because of how society views gays and lesbians. In our society to like someone of the same sex is mainly viewed as something that is wrong but again that’s how we felt about interracial marriage couples. Years ago to marry someone out of your race used to be illegal and here we are now, even though it is still not accept it everywhere, it is legal. When same sex marriage is legal I believe it will become easier for gays and lesbians to come out. If my child does say he or she is gay or lesbian I would be a little worried and maybe even unaccepting at first but I would let it go after some time. It’s just difficult because it’s not something that I am used to and I wouldn’t want my child to go through the discrimination that most homosexuals go through. At the end of the day that is my child and I do not want him or her going through any difficulties because of his/her sexuality. I think it is a shame when parents deny their children because of something as unimportant as their sexual preference. I do believe what Sam said that this is something you are born with. What person would actually choose to go through all the discrimination and difficulties that come with being a homosexual, that’s ridiculous. Many parents say they can tell their child is gay from when they are young, I do not know if this is true but it does make sense to me. Parents that do not know how to accept their child’s sexuality should sit down with them and get educated on the issue instead of believing everything society says. Though the majority of society agrees that being homosexual is not acceptable it does not mean that this is true; society is not always right. I am not going to deny that at first I would be a little freaked out about my child being a homosexual but at the end of the day that is my child and I would learn to accept him/her as he/she is. Sat, 8 Oct 2011 01:04:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-27/#IDComment204586478 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-18/#IDComment201545280 My first reaction to this video was to laugh. The way they showed it was more like a small comedy show. Even though the video showed a very important problem in our society, I think it was meant to be funny, I guess because it was saying the truth. Things are funny when we know things like this happen and we know we have no control over it. We learn to live with these types of problems so we feel as if we can’t do anything about it and we feel we are not in control of something we just rather laugh about it. Talking to my individual group about it they all believed it was funny too but when the question that was left unanswered was how far it would have to go before it is NOT funny anymore? I believe this question depends on the individual himself/herself. I don’t know how far it will have to go for until I’m just like, “Wow! This is really racist!” I do not believe that all the people on the video were racist, sometimes we just stereotype. We have a perception that a Black person is more likely to steal something than a White person and therefore we are more likely to let the White person go. It doesn’t mean that the Black people that stopped the Black guy are racist against their own kind; it means that all these stereotypes have been embedded in our heads. I wish all these stereotypes did not exist amongst all the different race groups but that is something impossible. This video lets you see that yes, things like this happen all the time and even though some of us are saying we never do this, we all do. It is sad to see how much different a person can get treated because of their skin color. The part of the video with the girl was also funny to me. I am a girl and yes, girls do get off the hook easier than guys. I think this is because we are stereotyped to being more innocent and less likely to do wrong. Even though we have it easier in this part of life men usually get the better end of the stick with everything else. It’s different with race because minorities are always seen as the bad ones but with gender men are usually the ones to get the best jobs and such. Yes, a woman can get out of a ticket or stealing a bike but we also have to live in a world that is dominated by men. Sat, 1 Oct 2011 01:02:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-18/#IDComment201545280 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197752583 When I first read in the syllabus about the Haiti Project I was extremely excited. To me it seems like a great experience to get us college students to help and give us a new perspective on things. I think a lot of us say we want to help but don’t have any idea how to and with this project we have the ability to do something. I feel that many of the people after finishing this project will be interested in continuing to help; I think I will. Looking at the videos I am very thrilled to start this project and lend my help to someone in need. I like that we get to work in groups to make a difference in people’s lives. Watching the videos I am inspired to make a difference and find it amazing how some people put their all into helping this people without expecting anything in return. In one of the projects I was reading about how some Haitians donate money for this project hardly having money for their self. I can’t even describe the feeling I got when I read this; I find it a little bit ironic. Many of us here want to complain about not having enough and wanting more, some of this people hardly have anything and they are still helping others in need. I think it all depends on what you grow up around. One of the projects that interested me the most was the Hospital Project. Illnesses are much higher in developing countries and having some assistance would greatly be helpful to those that are sick. It was sad to read how some of the people that went to the hospitals had no food or even clothes. It would truly interest me to help this people be able to be taken care of in the way that they need. I have no idea of how I would go about it but I think reading more on it will give me that perspective. Another one of the projects that really interested me was the project that was partnered with Pastor Richard Hileur. Helping kids get out of the streets and into school is one of the best ways to improve the life in the community. I think many of these kids would be excited to start school and like the information said to learn about computers. I think doing fundraisers to help get money would be a good way to start. I am very excited to start the Haiti Project and I hope it works out how I want it to and that my group and I get to make a difference in at least one person’s life. Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:37:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197752583 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/07/questions-from-the-classroom-2/#IDComment191716477 This is a question that cannot be easily answered; we are classified in numerous ways. To start of I think people can classify us into categories that we didn’t have the choice to choose. I did not choose to be a female or to be Dominican or a Roman Catholic yet I am. I, myself can choose if I want to classify myself as these things though. By other people I can easily be classified as a female but I am the one that chooses to classify myself as a Dominican person and a Roman Catholic. If I did not say these things to people they would not be able to classify me, they would just have to assume from what they see and hear. When people ask me, “what are you?” I usually answer Dominican certain that they are asking me about my nationality. In reality, that question is very broad; it could mean anything. I could give many different answers but that’s what I first thing I think of when asked such a question. We are taught to care so much about our race that it’s just what I choose to classify myself as. I also classify myself as a Catholic because that’s what my parents raised me as. Not to say I don’t believe in my religion but if my parents would have been Atheist I might have classified myself as one too. As college students I think we are all at the age where we want to make our own decisions and be classified into our own groups so having people tell you what you are based on your parents can be upsetting. Nevertheless we are all always going to classify one another into groups. There are limitless things I can classify myself as. I am a Penn State student, an employee, a daughter, a sister, and so much more. There is no way that we can’t classify ourselves, it’s just in us to separate ourselves and others into groups. As much as we want to say we don’t classify people and label them into groups, we all do it. As soon as we meet a person even if we are not prejudice towards them we put them in some type of category. “She’s probably emotional because she’s a female” or “He’s probably a player like every other guy” are the kind of thoughts that always go through most of our heads when we meet someone new. In my opinion, I think it’s in-born we just know to do it. I like that we are classified though because it makes us different but so alike at the same time. As different as we all might be from each other there is always at least one group we can find where we are classified the same. At the end of the day we are all classified as humans. Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:37:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/07/questions-from-the-classroom-2/#IDComment191716477 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment189139272 Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with dating outside of my race. I don’t understand why some people find it so shocking; The United Sates is a country that’s filled with many different cultures and ethnicities and therefore interracial dating should not be that unusual. I guess it all depends on where you live; I was raised around people from all different backgrounds and never thought it was a big deal to date outside of my race. I guess if you are only used to being around people of your own race you would find it a little out of the ordinary. I feel that people are just more comfortable dating within their race or a race they can relate to. A black and Latino couple may not get as many dirty looks as a black and white couple. I have Hispanic friends tell me all the time that they would date someone black but not someone white. I think it all depends on your personal preference. To me, it doesn’t really matter; I would date any man of any race as long as I am attracted to him and feel a connection. I think problems can sometimes arise because of the families. I am Hispanic and my parents do not speak English so if I date a man outside my race especially one that doesn’t speak Spanish it would be hard for them to communicate with him. When I was younger they would probably be very hesitant about me dating outside of our race but I don’t think they would care now as long as the man is hard working and cares about me. All that should matter is that there is a connection between you and the person. I believe that for people to be in an interracial relationship they have to be very open-minded and willing to accept the challenges that will come along. Even if my parents are accepting of me dating a person outside my race I’m sure I will have family members find this to be “wrong.” If I truly cared about that person I would ignore all the comments from my family members and anyone else. People will always have something bad to say about the things you do and you shouldn’t let that get to you, if you want to date someone outside of your race go ahead! I would love to date someone outside my race; I like the idea of having two different cultures come together and share their different beliefs and customs. We are all privilege to live in a time where we can be with whoever we want and we should appreciate this. Interracial couples are beautiful and you shouldn’t listen to what anyone else has to say. Fri, 2 Sep 2011 20:55:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment189139272