en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2401786 Comments by alliecat3064 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145247182 In my eyes, there is absolutely no excuse for what those soldiers did. They were both highly ranked, and had an idea about what they would be facing in Afghanistan. Most importantly, they know better. Killing another person just for bragging rights is disgusting. The entire United States promotes peace not war (or so they say) and what these soldiers did is absolutely corrupt. Taking another human life in the way that they did, is murder. One of the soldiers involved in the murder of the little boy, even admitted that the boy was not a threat. If foreign soldiers came into our country and did the same thing to an American boy, it would be a huge problem. It bothers me that a soldier would even consider doing something like that. They’re trained to kill only if they have to. It sounds like they were on a “high” and were excited to be finally facing a dangerous situation. There are so many little boys that play “Army’ when they’re little and wearing digital camo suit, combat boots and carrying a gun can be a little overwhelming. I can’t begin to imagine how distraught the boy’s father was. Not only was he there, but all the military personal he talked to treated him like dirt. I feel like Americans place a stigma on all people from the Middle East. It’s assumed that just because they live in the region where there’s a lot of conflict and danger, ALL the people from that region are a threat. The entire way we conduct war is ugly. Like bombings…. Obviously you’ll be killing thousands of people, and not all of them are dangerous. It kills moms and dads and families that have nothing to do with the fighting. I feel like in terms of Iraq, we make a big deal out of it. Instead of just taking Sadam out and creating a democracy, we’ve spend more time and money necessary to keep our troops there. No real reason… just money. And after reading this article about what soldiers do, keeping troops over there doesn’t sit well with me. I know not everyone in the military acts this way, but it makes me angry that incidents like this can happen in the first place. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 23:55:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145247182 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/war-vets-and-ptsd/#IDComment143236688 The video we watched about PTSD really scared me. My boyfriend is in the Army, and I have been against his decision from the beginning. Since the beginning of the war, I’ve seen on the news or read about soldiers that come home and are psychologically or physically wounded and some don’t come home at all. I feel horrible for not supporting his career choice, but I’m scared to death to see him deploy. All it takes is for me to see him in his uniform or catch a glimpse of his dog tags to start crying. I’ve seen nothing but the bad side of the war, and I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him. Even seeing the death tolls of the war from various periods of time stops me in my tracks. War kills people, and does more damage than good. I know from experience that soldiers are taught to be tough. I hear the words “Army strong” all the time. When he puts on his uniform I see him as a different person, and he acts like it as well. He’s not the same sensitive, caring, and loving person he usually is. Before he left for training last summer, I had no idea who he was. He was making careless, hurtful decisions that weren’t rational and hurt the people that loved him the most. I was scared. He said that he was told before he left that he would have to sign his own will. I felt like signing his contract signed his life away. He became government property and would do whatever they told him to. It know the Army does a lot of good and that not everyone that joins the service gets hurt ( mentally or physically),but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I hate knowing he’s putting his life on the line for something as stupid as resources. Iraq isn’t much of a war anymore, it’s just waisting time and money and getting more people killed. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:29:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/war-vets-and-ptsd/#IDComment143236688 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment140772880 The guy who wrote the blog is a real man. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a happy, stable relationship doesn’t rely on money and sex. He makes a good point when he mentions the music videos that are out there. They portray girls as objects and only exist to fulfill men’s fantasies. The dream world is nothing but nice cars, hot girls, and tons and tons of money. Reality doesn’t work that way, and I’m glad that he can realize what makes a healthy relationship. The way the media shows a relationship is starting to rub off on teenagers today. Most guys my age treat women in the same degrading, disrespectful way. I’m not saying sex and money are wrong to have, but they should enhance a relationship, not make it. In my experiences, it does take a guy a lot of time to figure out what really makes girls happy. My boyfriend went away to the army, and when he came home he learned to have more respect for me. Sometimes it takes loosing something you care about the most to realize how much it really means to you. Being without a loved one for so long makes you appreciate them a lot more. I feel like being sentenced to life would defiantly give you a lot of time to think about the life you’re missing out on. And when loved ones visit, I’m sure it means a lot. Everything this man described about being a man is everything I would want out of a relationship. It shouldn’t be hard to care about your significant other, but for some reason, the men in this generation fail at doing so. Emotions make healthy relationships last. Thu, 7 Apr 2011 16:43:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment140772880 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139161466 I believe being isolated from your friends and family is one of the hardest challenges in life. I can somewhat relate to what he is feeling, because I have a boyfriend who’s in the Army. He spent most of his summer in Georgia and Mississippi. The prisoner hit the nail right on the head. When he first went away, I got a letter in the mail almost daily. As time went on, I got fewer and fewer. If I was lucky, I would get 1 every 2 weeks. It makes you feel bad and forgotten. Because you can’t see them every day or pick up the phone and call them, you don’t exist anymore. And that “out of the loop” feeling is horrible. It’s all you can think about all day, every day. From the sounds of his story, this guy doesn’t seem like he’s a horrible person. He’s human, and he made a mistake. It’s enough to be sentenced to life behind bars, and I’m sure he could use the love and support of the people he cares about the most. Everyone needs to feel accepted and loved. It’s human nature, and without it, he’ll have a hard time getting through prison sane. Getting a “thinking of you” card occasionally is even worse. It’s just when they get the effort to sign a card and mail it to you. If it was me, I would prefer letters, they can be personalized and overall mean more. That would show that the person is ACTUALLY thinking about you, not just feeling sympathetic. I’m sure there are times when he gets upset and depressed. Everyone does, but after being in jail for a few years, you make friends and strong bonds with people that help keep you positive. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 17:52:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139161466 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment137048895 What “M” wrote is very intriguing. It takes a lot of courage to be able to share a story like that to strangers who are obviously bias. We’re taught from when we’re young that prisoners are scary and mean, but I don’t feel like that is the case. This man is showing remorse and feels horrible about his actions. Nothing can change what he did, but he is doing his best by serving his time and trying to be a better man. It’s hard to control your actions when you’re working with a group. Although he knew that the other men involved were going to kill someone that has played an important role in his life, he did nothing. It sounds almost like he was in shock that what he was doing was real. It’s hard to believe that it was so easy for him to just stand by and let it happen. I used to work as a volunteer in a girls group home, and the every member of the staff goes out of their way to give the girls a happy life. Letting someone like that die would haunt me for the rest of my life. The way he told his story shows how he really feels about his decision. Again, he committed his crime at such a young age and spending the rest of his life behind bars sounds terrible. He didn’t actually murder anyone, but being there and standing by as it happened was enough to send him to jail. Life is all about decisions. I understand that children living in group homes sometimes have mental disorders, and are monitored all the time, sent through therapy and watched after with extreme care. It sounded like the life he had before prison wasn’t so bad after all. He gave up his freedom because of a decision he chose not to make. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:53:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment137048895 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/13/japans-disaster/#IDComment135874838 It’s so hard for me to even imagine that much water destroying a city. I spent my entire life growing up around the water. My Father and I are hardcore sailors and compete all over the United States. From my experience of racing in the Bay and the Ocean, I have a sense of how powerful those waters are. It doesn’t take much to lose control. I’ve spent a week on a 200 foot oil responder observing drills and procedures. Seeing the boats in the video being thrown around like toys scares me. The size and weight of those boats is incredible; I can’t imagine the damage they’ve done along with the water. When we drove through a thunderstorm, even that was enough power to toss the boat around, and it weighs tons…. I also kayak on the ocean in the summer, and it’s terrifying to have the currents of the ocean have complete control of your boat. There is absolutely nothing you can do to get control. Disasters like this are scary. I had a friend who has a son and his family living over in Japan. He was stationed over there 5 years ago. When the disaster hit, no one could get in contact with him. I’m close friends with his Mother and for days, she had no idea if they were alive. It’s stressful and difficult to function with the constant fear. She couldn’t eat, sleep, or talk; she just cried and stayed by the phone. Luckily, they left the country before it hit, and they were all safe, but they lost everything they owned because they lived on the coast. That’s a lot of stress for just one family to go through, but there thousands of other people going through the same situation. I think it’s important that everyone sees these pictures. I feel like the majority of the population doesn’t realize the seriousness of a situation like this unless they’re directly affected. Hurricane Katrina was similar in the destruction, and more Americans were aware and helping out because it was our own country. Seeing the before and after pictures puts it into perspective ( at least for me it does) and the damage shown will obviously take years and millions of dollars to fix it. The pictures only show the physical damage, and doesn’t get into the emotional destruction that people don’t always get to see… Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:54:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/13/japans-disaster/#IDComment135874838 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/fear/#IDComment134199953 Hearing a prisioner talk about fear puts it into perspective for me. I tend to worry about everything. I can't help it and I'm always afraid of the consequences, that I forgot something, or that I made a mistake. After reading about fear in the eyes of a lifer, I feel a little better. The piece of his blog that really hit home with me was " fear is what helps keep you alive." Especially in the case of a lifer, fear plays a huge role in their everyday life. They actually have a reason to be fearful. The list of fears the inmate listed suprised me. I thought it would be a lot longer or have fears that are different than mine. My biggest fears in jail would being scared of being killed, getting beat up, never seeing my family again, and being alone. I can't stand being by myself. Mentally, I'm not sure I would be able to handle being isolated for the rest of my life. Sacrificing my freedom to kill a man doesn't seem logical. Like Sam said in class, when you're sentenced to life you either go crazy or gain a lot of faith. I give a lot of credit to who ever wrote this article. They're actually incredibly wise, and optimistic. Although the prisioner will never life outside of bars, they try to put a positive spin on their situation. Life is made up of choices, and in his writing, he recognizes that when he says fear could be good or bad. It all depends on how you deal with it. It's a drive. Without it, we wouldn't consider the consequences of our actions. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:08:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/fear/#IDComment134199953 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130654455 It's incredible to believe that someone would try to abduct a child. Even from my experience as a child, I've always been taught if I got lost, to stay where I was and to wait for an adult to find me. Talking to a stranger was unheard of. I remember watching all the "stranger danger" movies and was taught that if I ever talked to someone I didn't know, I would be kidnapped. Looking back, it's kind of crazy to even imagine something like that happening in my hometown. I grew up in a one horse town out in the country. Everyone knew each other, and we all looked after one another. No one would even think of taking a child in that town. It was just something that no one would ever want to do. Every time I went somewhere with my parents as a child, I had to hold their hand and never leave their sight until I was old enough to know the possible consequences of my actions. Even though, the chances of me being kidnaped were slim, my parents still taught me all about strangers. For the most part, parents are protective. It's human nature to be. Sam wrote about this video that 99.9% of strangers are willing to help a lost child. I have a hard time believing that because of the way the media publicizes kidnappings. They blow absolutely everything out of proportion. Even for me, I would have a hard time telling my child if they ever got lost they should find a stranger and ask for help. I instantly associate strangers with harm, fear and danger, because I wouldn't know how they would be treating my child. Just because I'm a protective person, I wouldn't trust very many people with my child. I wouldn't be alright with putting one of the most valuable people in my life at risk. In today's society, what are lost children supposed to do? Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:43:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130654455 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment129003768 mThe entire purpose of Valentine's Day, is to show your significant other how much you love them and care for them. To me, this holiday seems pointless. There shouldn't be one day out of the year that you show your partner you love them.... if that's the case, there aren't many happy relationships out there. If I was the girl that the man wrote the song about, I'd be pretty upset. It doesn't sound like he's satified with his relationship. He started the song by setting the mood as if he really apperciated her, and that he's happy to have someone that cares so much about him. Then he goes on to say that If he didn't have her someone else would do... He obviously doesn't love the woman he's married to. I'm sure she's really offended to know her husband thinks like this. It's perfectly find to think about finding other fish in the sea if you're single, but if you're married it's a whole other ball game. if you're not ready to get married and settle down, then don't. I do think the concept behind what he's saying makes sense thou. If he didn't marry the woman that he did, most likely, he'd be with someone else. He doesn't really think his wife is anything extraordanry. The whole song just disses his wife. Of course there are invisible strings involved in this song. The strings would do the obvious, and think that it's wrong that he's even considering singing about this. But because he is, he's rebeling against the strings to express his true feelings.an that he did, most likely, he'd be with someone else. He doesn't really think his wife is anything extraordanry. The whole song just disses his wife. Of course there are invisible strings involved in this song. The strings would do the obvious, and think that it's wrong that he's even considering singing about this. But because he is, he's rebeling against the strings to express his true feelings.didn't marry the woman that he did, most likely, he'd be with someone else. He doesn't really think his wife is anything extraordanry. The whole song just disses his wife. Of course there are invisible strings involved in this song. The strings would do the obvious, and think that it's wrong that he's even considering singing about this. But because he is, he's rebeling against the strings to express his true feelings. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:52:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment129003768 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127383560 This reminds me of group think, where when you’re together with people that feel the same way you do, you’ll function differently because you want to belong. Just like the famous line test, no one wants to be separated from a group when you have a chance to fit in. When we’re growing up, we’re not taught about empathy, it’s just something that’s acquired. If everyone lived like the video is suggesting, if would change the entire meaning of being human. Everything would change. It would be a huge challenge, and I’m not sure if would work out entirely. There’s already so much conflict in the world that getting everyone to make peace and care about each other seems nearly impossible. If you look at the history of wars/conflicts there has not been a day where fighting hasn’t gone on. It would be nice to imagine a world where there’s no hate, but to completely eliminate it is impossible Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:56:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127383560 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127383547 I looked up empathy in the dictionary, and this is what I found “the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing the feelings, thoughts, or attributes of another.” What the man in the video is suggesting makes complete sense to me. I feel like I have lived my whole life this way. Its human nature to feel bad when you know someone else is hurting or excited when you hear someone else’s good news. It would make sense that humans are wired to be aggressive and violent, but I think people get that way when they’re lacking something in their life, like attention affection or a place where they belong. He mentioned in the video that human’s number one drive is to know where we belong. I can honestly say that I have had that experience. Coming to Penn State definitely put me in my place, and made me realize how important it was to be to belong somewhere. It gives you purpose, and makes the situations you’re experiencing less painful when you have a group of people or a loyal friend you can count on. . Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:56:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127383547 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/americans-gone-wild/#IDComment125773214 I spend a lot of time working with young children, and I know for a fact they don’t know how serious it is for them to take a gun to school. Most little boys enjoy dressing up in camouflage and playing “Army” but very few of them know the difference between a fake gun and a real one. They look similar, and to a five year old, it would be hard to tell them apart. The gun had to be pretty small, or the boy had to be pretty big in order for no one to notice he had a gun in his pocket. There’s not much you can do to punish the child either. Arresting a five year old boy is completely absurd, even though his actions were dangerous. I think teaching him about gun safety, and making his parents face the consequences, would be a much better route to take. He is completely unaware about the seriousness of his actions, and to be completely honest, I don’t think he’s to blame. It makes me angry that they put all the blame on the boy in this situation. The parents of the child in this story are at fault for their son’s actions. He should not have even had access to a gun, and I’m sure someone would have noticed if it “magically disappeared” one day. It’s an extremely dangerous weapon just to be lying around. To make the situation worse, the gun was loaded. The owner of the gun (assuming it’s the Father) has proven himself irresponsible and should have to face the consequences for leaving a loaded weapon in a child’s reach. From my understanding, the child didn’t have intentions of hurting anyone. He was just carrying it in his pocket. He probably thought it was cool, and wanted to show his friends. But if he planned on hurting someone, I feel the parents would still be at fault. So what would happen if the gun went off when the child took it? You couldn’t blame the boy, because he didn’t know what he was doing. Like I mentioned earlier, real guns and fake guns look alike, and to him, he probably thought it was just a toy and wanted to show his friends. What would happen if the boy accidently shot someone? It’s unethical to arrest a kindergartener for murder. If it was planned or intentional that’s another story, but in this situation, the parents are 100% at fault for their son’s actions. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 22:13:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/americans-gone-wild/#IDComment125773214 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124388340 The high school I went to was 4 times bigger than the one in this video. My graduating class had 700+ seniors. Although it was a large school, it was still ranked within the top 40 schools in the state. No matter what school it is, there is still a chance that girls will end up pregnant. I remember having to take health class in our freshman and junior year, and they put a strong emphasis on waiting until marriage to have sex. In my graduating class, there were at least 10 girls I knew of that were expecting or already had a baby. Schools can preach about abstinence all four years of high school, but having sex is a free choice that two individuals make together. The video did not mention any rapes, so I’m assuming in most of the pregnancies, the decision was mutual. Teaching sex education or having after school activities may promote abstinence, but ultimately, it’s the teenagers that make the final decision. It doesn’t matter if the school has after school activities and classes to teach responsibility. Having sex is a choice made between two people. There may be other factors contributing to their actions, and one of the biggest would be family life. The video mentioned that 100% of students that go to this high school qualify for free or reduced lunches. Most of the teenagers that attend that school seem to be in the same social class. This may be a common factor, and might be the influence on the student’s behavior. For example, if you compared a girl who is poor but still has a loving family that pays attention to her, to a girl that is the same social class but has parents that neglect her... which one would be more likely to get pregnant? Their behavior could be just to get attention, because they may not be getting enough at home. I absolutely believe the girls in this video are free. They all made the decision to have unprotected sex. No one forced them to, and they were all well aware of the consequences. This would change in the case of rape, and then it wouldn’t be the girl’s fault. Having 11% of the student body being pregnant is significant, but the school shouldn’t try to take responsibility for their student’s actions. Teachers and staff should be seeing a trend with the kinds of girls that get pregnant and all the contributing factors that go into making such a risky decision. The faculty need to realize that all they can do is educate their students about making smart choices, and encourage good behavior. Maybe even give out free condoms to students. You can’t stop teenagers from having sex, but schools can teach them how to be safer about it. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:01:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124388340 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/blog-1-freedom-and-toddlers-in-tiaras/#IDComment122543298 I’m not sure what I think about this video or toddler pageants in general. I feel that it’s wrong to have little girls competing against each other just to prove that they’re prettier, smarter or more talented than another. I’ve worked as a nanny for 4 years for 2 little girls and just from experience; I know how much they love to play dress up. Wearing pretty dresses, painting their nails, doing their hair and putting on makeup makes them feel like princesses. They don’t have to compete against anyone else to feel happy. I don’t understand what is accomplished in beauty pageant. I would understand if the competitors were a little older, because scholarships could be granted, but not for 2 year olds. What happens if a girl looses? Not only would her parents be heartbroken, but the girl’s self-esteem would plummet. This story reminded me of the Dove campaign they have called True Beauty, where they recognize you don’t have to be skinny or flawless to be beautiful. I’ve heard stories about this issue before, where the media puts too much pressure on women and girls to have the “perfect” body and flawless facial features to be considered pretty. Pageants do essentially the same thing. When you’re 2 years old you shouldn’t have to worry about getting your eyebrows waxed. The competition is more about the Mother, not the daughter. To me, the Madonna skit was completely inappropriate. I would be mortified if that was my child. Her performance in only sexualizing her…. And she’s only two years old! In the interview with CNN, the mother said people who think it’s inappropriate have dirty minds. She does the dances, wears the costumes, and sings because it’s fun. Adding the cone bra into the mix was a bad idea from the beginning. Something had to be going through the Mother’s head when she picked up a costume like that. It wasn’t innocent, and I’m sure it offended a lot of people. I didn’t think it was cute, and I’m not sure why the mother did. Most two year olds don’t know what boobs are. If you say that word in front of a toddler, they think it’s funny, and don’t understand. Mia had no idea what she was doing. She was performing because she enjoys doing it. I honestly think it’s the mother’s fault for turning it sexual. Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:53:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/blog-1-freedom-and-toddlers-in-tiaras/#IDComment122543298 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122132829 SOC 001 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:39:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122132829