gdp's Comments

World In Conversation : Were you surprised to find that business is the factor that shapes immigration policies?- 119 Blog

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:39:34 +0000

And also I forget what exactly sam was saying about the picture he showed of one person standing by a bunch of unharvested crops, but if their were immigrants willing to do the job that wouldn’t have happened and that food would not have gone to waste. Why is it that american’s feel they are too good to get dirty and have a “not so prestigious” job ? What makes us all think we are better than that? Money is money right? … I may have gotten alittle off topic of the question, but I just started typing and its what came to mind

World In Conversation : Were you surprised to find that business is the factor that shapes immigration policies?- 119 Blog

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:39:25 +0000

But there are stories behind these people. They are not all drug traffickers or criminals (besides the fact of it being illegal to cross the boarder) many of them just want to make a better life for their family. I don’t see the harm in letting people come work for a year to earn money for their family and then leave. Like sam said many of them don’t even want to stay in the United States they just want to make money and then go back home. And why should it really matter, I mean work would be getting done a lot cheaper and probably at a better quality. Americans are lazy for a lot of the part and I think having hard workers come and work for cheap would make people here in the US work harder and try to keep their positions. (not saying that the immigrants would take high up positions). Just in some cases.

World In Conversation : Were you surprised to find that business is the factor that shapes immigration policies?- 119 Blog

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:39:11 +0000

I’m sure they didn’t have a green card. But then we claimed it as our land and just start making up rules and regulations. Granted rules are necessary. Sam always finds a way to open my eyes to things I never saw before or even took a moment to think about. Humans are bizarre creatures. I don’t know why but I keep thinking about that video he showed us earlier in the semester about how we are all just a bunch of monkeys. A lot of the times we don’t even ask why we are doing things that we do In our everyday lives we just do it. I wonder how much people really think about illegal immigrants more than just “Mexican trying to jump the boarder”. I mean I suppose, before this class, if I were to think about immigrants I would think about it as many people probably do… just poor ‘mexican’ trying to get into our country

World In Conversation : Were you surprised to find that business is the factor that shapes immigration policies?- 119 Blog

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:38:59 +0000

I guess the thing is, is that I haven’t really even thought that much about illegal immigrants. I don’t think I am shocked that it is businesses that have so much influence on the illegal immigrant situations, I mean obviously if the immigrants are looking for work and will do it cheap it only makes sense that the business world has a hand in it. I do find it interesting though, after talking about imiigrants as much as we have in class this past week, that it’s almost silly. What I mean by that is, I never really stopped to think about what it is that makes it illegal. Like we talked about in class we are here because somewhere along the line our ancestors were immigrants. When the Europeans came over and pushed the inidians out of their land.

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

Fri, 8 Apr 2011 22:03:41 +0000

I think it was a great way of showing how it is to be in someone else's shoes. Throug hout his lecture I could actually feel myself getting tense because of how things seems to upset me. I would never have thought to think about the Middle Eastern people in this way if it wasn't for Sam. I also realized during this particular lecture how much I don’t pay attention enough to the news and what is actually going on. I had no idea that the war was based so much on oil. I assumed a lot of it had to do with the incidents of 9/11. Also another thing that really got to me was at the very beginning of class when Sam talked about a hypothetical event. He flipped the switch on us before we even knew what he was doing. When he asked how we would feel if China just started to come over here to get coal because they NEEDED it. How would we feel if they said it was just the way they were used to living and had to have it. At that point I started to see where Sam was going. He then asked the class who we thought should be in charge of the coal if this situation was actually happening. The answer was the peoples whos land it was on. At least it should be under control of the country which it lays. I do understand that the US needs/wants more oil and we need to keep a good supply for how much it is used. But to be at war over it, it seems so crazy. When we were asked to be middle eastern people during the lecture it really opened my eyes, and im sure many other students eyes to what is really going on. For one, we only see what we want to see. Regardless of where we are from or what we believe, usually it is easiest to believe what is being presented on the news or to feel rage when a friend sends an email about our enemies. (in our case during class, it was the Americans) But most of the time what you see isn’t even all necessarily true. If you were to research more into what is being spread around you would probably find that it was a rare case that you just witnessed through video via email/tv or what have you. This also made me realize (which I have been more aware of lately) but just because we are at war with a country doesn’t mean that all of their people hate us or are out to get us. I feel that those people who do seem to still appreciate or have good feelings toward that US are better people than I am. If a country was at war with my homeland because of something they want to take away that is rightfully ours I really don’t think I would have a hard time coming to terms with them in any nice manner. I don’t know if I would say it was his BEST lecture there are quite a few lectures that I really enjoyed of sams this semester but it deffinetly was unique and really made me think. When people say put yourself in someone else’s shoes you can try and imagine but it is very rare to get the impact that sam made us experience in class on Tuesday.

World In Conversation : For the white females: would you ever date a black guy?- 119 Blog

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 02:48:51 +0000

I am going to have to say, I am not sure what other white girls may think about this subject. Some of the responses that I have read above seem mixed about it. I understand the whole some families wouldn’t accept it and some girls don’t want to be judged in their “small” town but if you are attracted to someone regardless of skin color I say go for it. I am a white female, grew up in a small town around state college, very “hick” town with very “hick” people. I don’t know how they would act if I brought home a black boy, I’m sure they wouldn’t say anything to my face it is one of those towns that they might not say anything directly to me but after I walked by with a “black boyfriend” I would guarantee smart remarks and disgust. I have never dated a black guy, and I think If I did it would take me some time to bring him around my family, my dad would throw a fit. But if I really liked him my family would just have to get use to it, and I’m sure they would. So my answer to this question is definitely YES. I would date a black guy. I actually have been finding myself very attracted to black guys when I pass by them or see them in classes. However I would never have the guts to every say anything to that person. I don’t think that it has anything to do with race, I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone that I found them attractive just randomly in a class or whatever. If I was in a party setting though I am sure I would flirt with a black guy if the opportunity would arise, and just see how it went. Pretty much the same thing I would do with a white guy. Also on this topic, this questions asks about dating a black guy. I have answered that and while thinking about it have come to the conclusion that I would date a black guy. But I think my thing lately is wanting to “experience” a black guy. Like I can’t deifier if I am attracted to black guys recently because I would want to date one or just “hang out” with one. I find something very intriguing about black guys. This has been a recent discovery within myself, but none the less it’s there. I will also add though, that I find black guys intimidating too. I don’t have very many black friends (not that I wouldn’t want black friends), but I’m just not around them enough to not be intimidated or uncomfortable. People tend to stay in their comfort zones, and it just isn’t one of mine yet. However if a black dude would approach me and I found him attractive I’d be all about getting to know him and hang out with him. I think it comes down to preference for every person with any relationship. But as a white female answering this question I would say, girls like guys approaching them regardless of color, and you don’t know if she is against dating outside her race. So I say, if you find a white girl attractive tell her, my bet is she may be just as interested but doesn’t have the balls to say anything. (clearly, that is the man’s department anyways regardless of color :)

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

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:29:09 +0000

The video that we watched about the black and white babydolls was extremely upsetting. I mean racial issues can be upsetting to think about at all. But to see such small children think of color of skin as bad or good the way we saw, was so shocking and just the feeling I got when watching it was,well i dont even have words for. I am white and as sam said white people usually dont even realize they are white till later in their lives. I cant imagine feeling so horrible about my skin color at such an early age. What do they think they will be able to amount to if they are already thinking so lowly of themselves. It is just a terrible sad thing to see. I was thinking the same thing about parenting when the girl said about it coming down to how the parents are with their kids. But after sam said that it doesn’t matter how much a parent says their child is beautiful and perfect and special etc. the girls are still usually never happy with themselves. I agree that it is deeper than just the parenting for sure. Also thinking about cartoons, when it was brought up that kids really don’t see black cartoon characters that has to obviously play a role as well. How can something like this be helped? If parents are telling their daughters they are beautiful, and we put black cartoon characters on tv and give them multi cultural dolls to play with etc. and that still isn’t helping where does the issue start? In a blog I wrote about previous in the semester I am not sure which one it was but I mentioned that I have heard that black women tend to be more accepting of their body and have a better body image than white girls on average. (I am not saying I agree with this it is just something I have heard before in HDFS classes that I have taken here at PSU)… and I guess after seeing these thing in this class I don’t understand how that can be true. I really don’t know how I want to say what Im thinking but…if color is such a strong factor in somethings like (bad and good in the dolls) how can anyone learn to look past it enough? Is it always on a black persons mind that they are black. I cant imagine having something like that always being on my mind. Like its unfair that they have to be burdened with something that seems to effect them so much. Before this class I also really truelly did believe that there really wasn’t much racism anymore but after seeing how businesses, banks, and housing changes just due to peoples skin color it really shocked me. It is just sickening.

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

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:41:44 +0000

3) If we consciously were to choice a seat and know we are thinking about who we want to sit by and why, then we are more likely to chose the “politically correct” seat. This is going to sound ridiculous but, I am not sure who it is that I would rather sit by or not sit by… but I do know that if I was consciously thinking about it and knowing that we choose to sit by certain people because of the way we may feel about them or their race etc. then I would probably pick to sit by someone that I would actually not sit by at all. It would make me feel like I was doing the “right” thing.

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

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:41:22 +0000

2. If someone were to ask me if I was prejudice or felt that I discriminated against others, before this class, I would most deffinietly say that I don’t discriminate at all. But after listening to some of Sam’s lectures it is hard to say. Consciously I still do not think that I hold any discrimination or prejudice towards anyone or group in particular. However I am sure that there has been times that I didn’t realize I was judging someone, or treating them differently when I actually was. It is kind of scary to think that our minds may be playing “tricks” on us. When we are consciously thinking we usually try to come up with the “right” answers all the time and do the “right” or “accepted” thing. We have all been hypocrites when answering questions others may ask us, but maybe we are just the same hypocrites to ourselves. Sometimes it is easier to lie to ourselves about the way we may feel, which is where these subliminal subtle thoughts and feeling come into play. It is the only way to actually be truthful about some things

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

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:40:57 +0000

1. Before Sam’s lecture Tuesday I have to say that I do not think I ever thought about who I was sitting next to. Most of the time when I come into class I am a little late so I find an open seat or have my one friend save me a seat so I pretty much just go wherever. After his lecture I started to really think about what kind of subliminal feelings or things I may do without ever even knowing it . I suppose it is something that someone else would really have to point out to you about yourself. It is really hard to analyze what you do on your own. However even though I found myself thinking about why I may or may not sit next to someone right after his lecture, later I noticed that it still didn’t cross my mind prior to sitting in a seat. It just seems like it is the natural thing we do we just pick a seat and sit there. It is very interesting to think that we are making choices without even realizing that we are doing so. Like how many times have a chosen to sit by someone because I was “judging” another person with an open seat by them without even knowing I was doing it.

World In Conversation : How does the statement in the video from class make you feel?- 119 Blog

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:31:11 +0000

3) We as Americans get very set in our ways and we take so much for granted. We probably have some of the worst habits and a bad habit is one of the worst to break. My whole life until Thursday I was completely unaware of what I have been consuming, and then thought the movie would change how I felt about what I was consuming, and when I am actually thinking about it, it does affect me and how I see things but in the moment of it all and when it isn’t the center of my attention it is almost like I never was exposed to it at all, and I’m right back at my “bad habit”

World In Conversation : How does the statement in the video from class make you feel?- 119 Blog

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:30:58 +0000

2) So essentially, by not eating the second piece I wouldn’t be making any statement at all, except that may I would feel the people around me would think I was a better person for not eating it. Even being aware of the slavery that goes on, I’m not sure I can really say that I am going to change my life because of it. I most definitely will be more aware and may be more conscious that I am probably buying something produced by a slave. Just being aware of it doesn’t seem enough, and I also feel that I will feel more guilty about what I’m buying (which Sam said was not his point) But once you are aware of something it is hard to make yourself unaware of it. To be honest (even after saying that I will make myself more conscious of what I may be consuming) thinking about it now, I ate M&Ms today and a chocolate chip cookie and did not think once about what I was eating. I really thought that the next time I ate chocolate all I would be able to see is that movie we watched in class, but it didn’t. Now that I realized that it didn’t affect me earlier today eating chocolate, I am lost for words.

World In Conversation : How does the statement in the video from class make you feel?- 119 Blog

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:30:43 +0000

1) To start I have to say that it has never occurred to me how much slavery still exists in the world. I mean I remember Sam saying something in an earlier class about his friend buying two slaves (to obviously free) but non-the-less when he first mentioned that I was shocked but it didn’t hit me like the video in class on Friday did. Watching those boys and listening to their story was absolutely heart breaking. And to get to the question about how I felt when the one boy said when we eat chocolate we are eating his flesh, it gave me chills. It is sickening thinking about the torture that people (slaves) go through just so we can have our luxuries, and have them at a cheaper price. When Sam then said to eat the second piece, at first I didn’t eat it, but then as he went on about how it is crazy to believe that we are going to be able to absolutely give up buying and using things in our lives that are made by slaves.

World In Conversation : What did you get out of King Of the Mountain?- 119 Blog

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:48:22 +0000

Another thing that we have been talking about alot is the color of skin and the privilages and disadvantages it brings. I have never thought so much about the color of my skin as I do now. I am white, and well I guess I just took that for granted. In an HDFS class I took a few semesters ago the color of skin came up and I cant remember exactly how it came up or if it was about a study we were talking about, but there was something about how black or colored people think of the color of their sking multiple times throughout the day, and how white people alomst never think of their color. It is sad to think that just because of physical biology we are so so different.

World In Conversation : What did you get out of King Of the Mountain?- 119 Blog

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:48:16 +0000

There is nothing that is really going to knock him down. Someone (or a group of people) may work hard enough to get really really close, but with him being able to make the rules he can always have something to keep them from actually gettting the whole way to the top. With a set up like this, things really dont have the chance to change all that much. Different things and 'rights' can be pushed for but that takes time and its still ultimatly up to 'Sam' to say what he will let happen and not let happen. Its a never ending visious cycle with a setup like king of the mountain.

World In Conversation : What did you get out of King Of the Mountain?- 119 Blog

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:47:34 +0000

I have never thought so much about why things are the way they are until this class (race wise) It is ignorant to say, but I, like many others I'm sure, just figured it was the way it was because well its just how it's suppose to be. I never stopped to look at all the different variables that make things be the way they are. When Sam was standing on the table and then picked and chose who went where and how close they could each individually get to the mountain it really opened up my eyes. It's almost like a sugar coated dictatorship. Without uncovering what is really going on we just accept it all to be the way that it is. Once Sam is on top of the mountain he is pretty secure in staying there

World In Conversation : What did you get out of King Of the Mountain?- 119 Blog

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:45:46 +0000

I really liked sam's king of the mountain demonstration in class yesterday. It was an awesome way to give a visual of what actually goes on, and how much we really don't think about enough, or grasp what is really going on. To think that we just conform to what we are "made" to believe is crazy. Sam talked about how so many people say that the America is the "best" country and that everyone is "free" to do what they want here. I was one to believe and go along with this assumption made by so many. It is what we are taught and what we come to believe. But what do we really know? All we know is what we are used to and really just what we have subconciously accepted and let be.

World In Conversation : Do You Think Race Can Stop Being an Issue in the Future?- 119 Blog

Sat, 5 Feb 2011 04:02:12 +0000

I think many people would like to think we could do away with racism, however it is a task that I feel could never really be accomplished. It is sad to say that physical features make people think differently of others, but it is the truth. Sam said in class about how the difference between a black person and a white person is merely .01% and that is mostly what we see on the outside. If we were able to take away that .01% then what would really be the difference. I mean clearly people are different and come from different back grounds and cultures, but if color and physical features are the first thing people recognize then it is also the first thing they are most likely judged by. However, if we COULD take color and physical features out of the mix I still feel that race would still be an issue. It is human that people judge other people. It is disgusting and sad that we are the way we are, but people will always find something to judge another person by. People are always trying to one-up the next person, the movie we were showed about "we are all just monkeys" captured it well..... we make out own problems. People can't just be happy and accept everyone. If it wasn't race it'd be religion, if it wasn't religion it'd be money, if it wasn't money it would be something else. There is always going to be something we make up to separate us from another "group" of people. As long as humans think and act the way we do we will always have "race" differences. Although as I am sitting here typing that I feel race will always be around, my friends mom is talking about how she thinks differences in race will be stopped in the near future, and it was an interesting point. She talked about how far we have come in such a short time, slavery really wasn't that long ago and today races are treated sooo much better and more equal then ever before so just to think about the future she feels it can only get better. all 100's 1000's of years from now if if people continue to breed out of their own race and it continues to become more acceptable eventually everyone will be some type of multiracial, and the world could potential end up being all "brown" It is kind of far fetched but I thought she had a good point. If Everyone was multiracial, would race be as much of an issue, Now I started this blog off on the complete other side and I still think that it would be one of the most difficult tasks ever accomplished but the human race if we could do away with racial difference, however nothing is impossible and with some work and time we may eventually get there. I just thought of a story that deals with this topic quite well: The Star Bellied Sneetches By: Dr. Suess "Now, the Star-Bell Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars. Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small. You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all. But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.” With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort “We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!” And, whenever they met some, when they were out walking, They’d hike right on past them without even talking." ......... but eventually..... "I’m quite happy to say. That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day. The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches. And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches. That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether They had one, or not, upon thars." The full Dr.Suess story can be found at the following site.... I really think it is great when talking about race and for this class (if we want to get down to a little kid book reading kind of leavel, but it has an awesome point to it) http://tribes.tribe.net/star-belliedsneetches/thr...

World In Conversation : Body Image Issues- 119 Blog

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:56:48 +0000

I don’t think knowing my body was the way it was JUST because of heredity would lessen the way I feel. I mean regardless of why people look the way they look, there is still going to be the media that focuses on the most beautiful people of whatever be their ethnicity. There may be an actor who is the exact ethnicity/culture and who came from the exact area that you did but may have “lucked” into getting all the “pretty” genes. So really it is still going to be just has hard to not compare yourself to others as it is now. I give much credit to those who have a great body image and don’t focus on these petty things that most of us tend to. In today’s society even when you reach a weight goal for example, there is always going to be someone smaller than you, and you most likely will always compare yourself to that person. There are many people who may have obesity as heredity in their family. And it is probably nice to be able to say that it is not all their fault that they are the way they are, but at the same time, it also doesn’t mean they don’t wish they could be different. I think another aspect that needs to be looked at here is plastic surgery. In today’s world plastic surgery is relatively cheaper than it has ever been. Where I’m going with this is, even the body that you were born with can be changed rather easily. For example, the dorsal bump people get on their nose is very hereditary. At the same time nose jobs are one of the top 5 plastic surgeries performed in the US. So even if all of our body issues were hereditary, there are still going to be people around us fixing these “imperfections.” It is a very competitive world with a lot of pressures on how we look. Body image I’m sure, is also very much focused on differently by different ethnic groups. I heard once in a class I took that African American women tend to have the best body image about themselves compared to other women of different ethnic groups. I was not sure why this is the way it is, but whatever they have going on to create this positive body image of themselves I think the rest of us should try and embrace. Granted this is just something I heard from a study in an HDFS class I took here at PSU but ever since I heard this it just really stuck with me. If this is true, then what is the difference when it comes to how black women view themselves and white women view themselves? (white girls and women were said to have one of the lowest self-body images out of the ethnic groups in the same study) There is no such thing as perfect, but we all seem to be striving to reach this impossible goal.

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

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:23:34 +0000

I have to say it is easy to notice groups of certain ethnicity, culture, or background walking around campus together. However, even though I see this all the time I have never actually really thought about why it is that people stick together the way that they do. I always have just figured it was the way it was, never really questioned it much. Now presented with the question of WHY people stick with their “own people” I think it is pretty clear. I think the people we hang out with has a lot to do with familiarity and being comfortable with our environment. It is probably more comfortable for a person to hang out with people that they have always hung out with. For example, the only people I was ever around for the majority of my life were Caucasian. My entire high school was white, there was one black kid who came for about a month and then left and that was in a 6 year span, my high school started in 7th grade. I will say that even though I was raised around the majority being completely white, I have to say I don’t ever recall looking down upon any other racial group. Now when it comes to groups I wouldn’t want to have to say that I was uncomfortable being around a student or group of people of a different ethnicity, but to be honest I probably would. I would try to act as though I was comfortable and try to get along just as I would think I should, but deep down I am sure I would feel judged and wonder if I was acting the “right” way. Also, when I do see a group of black guys walking around campus or a group of Asians all together speaking their own language, or any other group just all bunched together, I definitely would never just think to walk over and try to fit in. For most people going out of there comfort zone is a frightening thing. So I would say that the main reason for people sticking to what they know is being comfortable. However I am sure there are other factors that may play a role in why we hang out with who we hang out with, or have preconceptions of different groups of people. These being, how we were raised, the people we were raised around and what those people may have told us as we were growing up. The one down fall to all of this is, how much of it is really our own thoughts and ideas of those who are different from us? Most ideas people have were once ideas of another person just passed on to them, word of mouth is a strong aspect of the human world. ( i did get a little of topic, but i just started thinking and kept typing)