en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2453787 Comments by aengle44 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/would-you-help-out-or-turn-away-immigrants-in-the-poor-situations-we-saw-them-in-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145274265 The topic of illegal immigrants in the U.S. seems to be one I can never stop hearing about or get away from. Everyone is either really opinionated about the issue, or really just does not care. I would put myself right dab in the middle. Personally, I am one of those people who really has no right to debate because I am not well educated on the matter itself. I have not really followed the issues of illegal immigration or the years and years of work and documentation created to stop it from happening. If anyone were to ask me what my opinion on the matter was, I would, before anything, say that it is illegal. If it is against the law, it is not okay; however, there is a loop hole. How many of us citizens of the U.S. abuse our power and commit illegal crimes every day? We are all human, and all the immigrants are trying to do is make a better life for themselves. We are all aware of the pursuit of happiness, and we all strive for the best. Illegal immigrants are doing just that, and they are handling jobs that Americans will not ever consider. They are great workers and they're not harming anyone. I really do not understand why the process of becoming an American citizen is so ridiculously long and difficult. Now, going back to the issue of an illegal matter. Would I help the immigrants if I were put in that kind of a situation? I honestly cannot say for sure. I have a lot of empathy for people, and I am always trying to find ways to help and change peoples lives for the better. If i could, I would adopt a million children just so that I could show them a world they have never known. I love to let those less unfortunate than I, in a variety of ways, that there is more to life than what they know. There are two problems to my big heart. 1. I would never being to afford to help them out at this given moment. I am a poor college student, trying to make way the best that I can right now. If I were financially stable, and were able to spare, I would consider helping, but problem number two would probably get in the way. 2. I am a big chicken. I always follow the rules because I am afraid of getting caught or in trouble. Helping these illegal immigrants would also put me in danger, and to risk it? I don't know if I have it in me. I would love to say that I do, but when it comes down to it, I don't know if I could. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:33:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/would-you-help-out-or-turn-away-immigrants-in-the-poor-situations-we-saw-them-in-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145274265 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/has-the-class-on-the-needy-penis-made-you-uncomfortable-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139276351 This class was definitely one of the best we have had yet. Hands down. I was expecting to have a good time and laugh, but I really did not expect to learn any more than I had already known. Sam said in the previous class that we needed to fill all the seats, so we should bring friends that would be interested. My first thought was to ask my neighbor. He was down the minute I mentioned the word penis. The funny thing is, I have been seeing this guy since a month after I moved in. I met him one night and we instantly clicked. Yes, there was a minor hook up involved, which has continued throughout the school year. Our relationship is not exactly based on a sexual relationship but we are working our way into a more intimate relationship. At first, I was glad that he came and was able to hear the lecture. We have been put in situations before, where his needy penis has definitely has accused me of being a tease. We are working on how to compromise what we want out of our fling, which actually ended up making some of the topics covered in class a little uncomfortable. I was not aware that the sexual urges that males have were much more than the sexual urges of women. Situations I have had with my neighbor in the past were flying through my mind. It made me extremely uncomfortable when Sam started talking about woman starting things and then not finishing them. He was sitting right next to me, while we were discussing things we are currently working through. To be honest, it almost felt like couples counseling, or some sort of sex seminar, which also made me uncomfortable, because we're not on that level yet. All in all, I am glad we were there together for this discussion. We were both able to learn more about each others needs and wants and I think it will help us in the long run. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 02:58:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/has-the-class-on-the-needy-penis-made-you-uncomfortable-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139276351 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-is-your-opinion-of-the-video-119-blog/#IDComment135924697 This video was not only really disturbing to me, but also confused me. I am a white female, but I grew up in an extremely culturally diverse neighborhood. Although I am white, and not exactly sure if this would even make sense, I was never told about the attractiveness of a skin color, nor which was "bad" or "good." My parents never raised me to judge appearance or the color of ones skin. I was actually blown away when I heard the girls in "A Girl Like Me" talking about how as a child they were told that lighter skin was always better to have. They were using products to lighten the color of their skin, and most of them were persuaded or even forced by their mothers. That actually baffled me. I was completely oblivious to it all. Never in my 18 years, living around and having close friends that were of color, was I ever informed of this "insecurity." My black friends never spoke of lighter skin being more attractive. We actually always cracked jokes about loving dark chocolate. I had no idea that this was an issue brought up in homes in other areas. Aside from it all, I was raised with the impression from the media that black was always looked at as being "dark and evil," while white was always looked at as being "angelic." When we were younger we were warned about "stranger danger," which was always a mysterious character in a black trench coat. As much as Sam wants to say that everyone blames everything on the media, it's because it has a great deal to do with our understandings of ideas around the world. As a child, I watched television, which was a world full of right and wrong. Right was always displayed as a lighter character, perhaps a white bunny rabbit, and wrong was always darker shades, like Spiderman turns into Venom. I never even considered racial undertones as a possibility. The reason the children may have picked the white doll over the black doll may just be because the media shows that white characters are more angelic. Perhaps they have no other reason as to why they called the black doll bad then evil characters being displayed in darker colors. I cannot actually remember if the question as to why that specific doll was considered "bad" was asked, but I think it should have been considered. They cannot really know the true reasoning behind the child's decision without further studies or questioning. As of now, I think it is primarily the effects of the media. The real question should be, why do you think the media decided to display good and evil that way? That is something I would like to know. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:36:10 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-is-your-opinion-of-the-video-119-blog/#IDComment135924697 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134340708 This article really stood out to me seeing as it hits close to home. I feel rather ignorant when it comes to the matter because I am one of those people who still use the word. Don't get me wrong, it's not intentional, I just comes out. I'm stuck on the line when it comes to this issue. First of all, I know a ton of people who major or minor in special education, that basically tear me to pieces whenever the word comes out of my mouth. I never really understood why. It is kind of like the issue of the word "nigga," which I brought up in a previous blog response. Everyone that I grew up with used the word as if it really was no big deal. Even my parents use the word without realizing the effect it may have on certain people. I never really understood why it would offend those that are disabled because it was never used as an insult towards them. A lot of people I know say it about things that have nothing to do with a mentally retarded person. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 02:15:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134340708 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-live-like-the-monkeys-119-blog/#IDComment126006767 "Why don't we live like the monkeys?" HA! What a ridiculous question. That's absurd! Okay, so I lied. This question is actually not very easy for me to answer. The video that Sam showed us in class on Thursday about the extreme similarity between humans and monkeys caught my attention, made me giggle, and even kind of irritated me. Although I am pro creation, and I stick behind that belief, I am also very open to others ideas and beliefs as well. I also feel like creation and evolution are linked. So, I knew the video was going to show me a few things I really did not want to hear. I was actually interested to find out that humans are more similar to chimps than chimps are to gorillas. Yes, I can admit that we are alike, in many ways, it's actually scary, but we're not the same, in many ways. Monkeys "live just for the sake of living." Well what fun is that? Humans are separate from animals because of our advanced brain development. I was actually just having this discussion with my roommate today. I am fascinated by the difference in our development and the development of animals. The world we created, the tools we invent, our mentality and the emotions we express, they all are solid examples of the separation between man and animal. I will admit, I cannot enter a Monkeys world and understand its actions. Maybe they do create war. Perhaps another monkey entered their territory and stole a banana. Monkeys have the ability to be defensive; however, Monkeys do not care about what they're going to wear that day, or if the guy at work is going to ask for their number. Maybe everything would be so much easier if we didn't have to worry about all of those silly things that some would say doesn't even matter anyways, but then why are we here? What is the point? To survive? Ever since I was little I was told to live in the moment, live life to it's fullest. "We're all going to die anyway" (or so Sam would say)..yeah, but why would we be given all of these amazing things in life such as love, laughter, suffering, compassion, if we were here just to live. These are the things that make us so unique, and I would never want to throw that away, even if it would take away some of the pain. The video mentioned that we're the only animals that actually strive to be happy. I found that very interesting, and i would defend it to the end. Happiness is something worth fighting for. How do we know that the animals aren't completely miserable with the way they live and their environment? Fighting for survival each day...although it's habitual, it must be exhausting. I would never want to live like that. You ask...do I think the world would be a different place if we all just lived for the sake of living like the monkeys? Well, I wouldn't call that living at all. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 22:34:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-live-like-the-monkeys-119-blog/#IDComment126006767 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/why-do-we-need-to-be-politically-correct-119-blog/#IDComment124426321 I cannot really say whether or not people should be politically correct, because I am not even sure what it means to be politically correct. I feel like this would be a very touchy subject, and sometimes very awkward to cover. My roommate is always telling me that when I speak, it is not politically correct, and I never really understand what she means. I think it may have to do with where you grew up and the people you grew up with. In my situation, I grew up in a small city, which people called "the ghetto." It was normal to throw around the word "nigga" (and I apologize if my being blunt offends anyone, it's just something I grew up saying). Everyone in my hometown referred to one another as their "nigga." Blacks, Whites, Asians, and Hispanics; we all used the term every day. No one was offended by the title, it was just something you called one of your buddies or acquaintances. I heard it in the music we listened to; kids would say it walking down the halls; it was all over the internet; but no one ever looked at it in a bad way. One of my best friends from Puerto Rico called me her nigga every day, and I was just this little white girl. This was just normal. My mind was blown when I came to state college. I knew that I was going to be meeting a lot of different people, and be in a completely different environment from which I grew up, but I never realized that something that little, as in one little word that I used daily, would actually offend others. The first time I said it in front of my roommate she looked at me with disgust and flat out told me, "I don't like that word." I was baffled. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of words I hear used that make me sick to my stomach, but it never really hit me before that certain things I was used to could actually be wrong in other parts of the world. Personally, I don't know if it's important to be politically correct, because most people do not even know what the correct term is for a specific race. I know I don't, but I would never just go around saying whatever I felt might be okay, because I would never want to offend anyone. And yet, It's kind of hard for me to think of that word as a bad thing, when I was so used to saying it before. All in all, I think it really depends on the opinion of the people you're around. One person may take offense to a racial slur, when others really just don't give a shit. So it is hard to say what is right and what is wrong. If we all learn the appropriate terminology, I think everyone could live a little more peaceful and not have to worry about walking around on eggshells trying not to offend anyone of another race. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:53:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/why-do-we-need-to-be-politically-correct-119-blog/#IDComment124426321 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122826158 I was completely baffled by this class activity. Going into this class I had known that I would be introduced to topics such as stereotyping and racial profiling, but I had no idea that I would be this uncomfortable when it came to actually applying it in class. I see myself as a very open minded person, but I also tend to be very naive when it comes to other cultures. I felt embarrassed for the two students who actually had to divide them into groups of race. I also felt embarrassed for the line of students who were being divided into groups. I would have never been able to categorize people like that. For one, I would have been completely off in most cases. Apparently I am neither stereotypical nor politically correct. It was so hard for me to watch the two students have about 6 students left that they had absolutely no idea where they were going to place them. They continued to say "we have no idea what they are," as if they were some sort of other species. What most upset me; however, is that I had absolutely no idea where I would have placed them either. It really opened my eyes to how sheltered I am when it comes to certain cultures and their physical characteristics. I definitely have to give the two students props for their efforts, because they actually did a really good job in the end. It took a lot of guts and courage to get up there and label people, especially in front of them. I was actually surprised by the comment one of the two girls made about Arabs. She made a comment about the girl, who was actually Mexican, and said that they thought she was Arab because of her big eyes. I had actually never heard of such a stereotype before, but it just really shocked me that she felt so open to say that, right in front of her face, and the faces of other Arabic students in the line. It just seemed a little out of line and inappropriate. The students who were to be divided also had a lot of courage. They're basically signing up to stand in the front and be judged and labeled in front of the entire soc 119 class. All of their facial features, body image, hair style, everything is being taken into consideration and being used as a tool to possibly correctly group them or offend them in the end. Then one also has to take into consideration the fact that we were throwing all equality in humanity or "the same in God's eyes" out the window. The students were placing them into groups of their "own kind," giving people a reason to actually stereotype, rather than dismiss it. Do not get me wrong, I think it was a great exercise, and that Dr. Richards had great intentions in mind. It really got me thinking about my views on other races and my attitude towards their characteristics. It especially had me thinking about my guilty stereotype of "all orientals look alike." I was never able to tell the difference until we watched the video in class, and until the selection of Asian students in the line told all of us where they were from. There was a difference, and it really changed my attitude. I think I have a lot more to learn and to open my mind to, but this class is definitely where I need to be, and I'm looking forward to our next eye-opening activity. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:03:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122826158 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ce%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122814893 soc 119 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:00:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ce%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122814893