en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/6179939 Comments by babybluehippos http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/18/voices-from-the-classroom-301/#IDComment624920113 I think that many people view 9/11 and the Boston incident similarly. It is heart breaking to see and hear about these kinds of things occurring and it is very hard for anyone to understand what is going on and how to deal with it. I remember when 9/11 happened I was in 3rd grade, probably around 8 years old. I did not know anything occurred that day until my mom came to school early and picked me up. She was crying and I did not really know what was wrong until she told my brothers and I that we have been bombed. When we got home my brothers turned on the TV and we saw the news. It was baffling, and I know at the age I was at the time I did not understand any of it. I remember that I kept asking my mom, how could this happen on such a nice day? It was very sunny that day, and the temperature was perfect. In my mind, only bad things could happen on ugly days, I felt that the terrorists ruined sunny days for me for awhile. It is interesting to see how differently I reacted to the Boston incident. When I heard what happened I tried to get as much information as I could about it and I wanted to find out who did it. But some parts of me acted like the little kid did 12 years ago. How could this happen, on a day like last Monday was, I just could not understand how it could happen. Both this time and last I got shivers thinking of the people who were injured and the families of those who died. It is all very tragic, and it seems that recently these kinds of incidents have been occurring more and more frequently. What worries me about these kinds of events occurring is who we decide to target. I was sickened when I started hearing everyone saying right away that it must have been the Middle East, or better yet North Korea. Instead of focusing on helping, or calling your friends and family to see if they are ok. I know about ten minutes after I found out what happened my friends were texting me asking if I had heard any news about our friends who were going to school in Boston. We all tried to check up on them and figure out if everyone was ok. I know there were many people out there that would rather blame anyone they could think of for the Boston bombing, and the New York attacks, instead of asking themselves, what can I do to help? Or even see if the people they know over there are ok. Nobody knows who could need being attacked, and what innocent person is going to be caught in the cross-fire. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:51:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/18/voices-from-the-classroom-301/#IDComment624920113 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/09/voices-from-the-classroom-296/#IDComment619476103 I think that there are some parallels to the white standard and the male standard. It is very obvious that the world is centered around and focused on men, how they accomplish things and what they believe the world should be like. It is rare to see a woman voicing her opinion in politics or even sports. Women seem to be meant to look pretty and stay silent, so they focus more on their appearance so that they can appeal to the men. They do this by exercising relentlessly, always watching what they eat, and making sure their clothes are revealing in a way that will appeal to men. I do not believe that men try this hard to get women’s attention, and I don’t know many guys that spend as much time in front of the mirror as most women do to make sure that they look good enough for men to like them. This is even present in a lot of clothing ads, where the men look relaxed and casual while the women are wearing hardly any clothes, and are basically being objectified. The parallel that I see between the white standard and the male standard is that men in society are supposed to be the dominant force that are strong and forceful and they are supposed to be the leaders, while the women fall behind them and are supposed to be the ones that take care of all the little things while the men go out and do the important stuff. This seems to be the same way with the white standard. The rich upper class usually white people are the ones that seem to accomplish the most while all the other social classes fall behind them and do not really have any choice but to pick up the slack after the white people have done what they have pleased first. It does not seem fair that this happens that there is one dominating group of people, usually one race such as white people, or one gender such as males. And throughout history these certain groups have always been the dominating ones. It is only recently that women have started to receive the same rights as men, but in the workplace many women are being paid a quarter less then their male counterparts for doing the exact same job. This is also true for different races, it is common for a white person to be paid a little more then another race. It is crazy to think that one group of people are favored over another, and when another group tries to get ahead it seems as though they are kicked down. There were so many protests against title IX, which purpose was to make women, in sports, equal to men. This did not mean make them have more rights then men,just equal, and this proved to be a huge issue for society to accept. It is hard to understand why people are so much against the equality of different groups, and can not accept the idea of everyone receiving equal opportunities. Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:56:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/09/voices-from-the-classroom-296/#IDComment619476103 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/05/voices-from-the-classroom-293/#IDComment614109881 I think I may feel worse for Tammy if she was Native American instead of white. When I think of Native American poverty, I don’t feel as though they have much control over their wealth and life because of what was done to the. They were placed on these reservations and have limited jobs, along with education. This sets them up to be poor and having fewer resources puts them in a difficult situation to get out of. I don’t know how Tammy found herself in the situation that she is in and I don’t want to say it is her fault because I don’t know her background. When I think about Native American poverty as opposed to a person who is white and poor, I feel that the white person may have more control over their lives. Tammy does not have the social stigma that a Native American woman would have when she looks for jobs, which could negatively affect a Native American. Same said something in class about how Tammy’s son could present himself better, if he wanted to move up in the world. These include behaviors, not looks such as the way he and his brother speak. The son kept saying that he did not want people to think he was in the same class as his mother, and that he did not want people to see the way she looked in dressed because it makes her look more poor the way she presents herself. I don’t think he realizes that the way he talks and the fact that he had a hickey on his neck during his interview makes him look like he is in the same class as his mother. He could easily change these things, and his mother could also change some things to present herself better. This could lead to her getting a better job than the one she has a burger king. This is not to say that she is not trying hard, I respect her for wanting to work instead of living off welfare. I think there are too many people in our country who decide to live off the government instead of trying to secure some sort of job. The problem with poverty is that it is cyclical. People who are very poor do not have the resources to help themselves get higher on the ladder. This includes higher education; if they cannot initially afford college then it would be hard for them to get a job that pays more then minimum wage. With this in mind, it must be harder for people like Tammy to be motivated to do well in school or try harder because they feel as though their dreams are unreachable. Even Tammy’s son knew that he could probably just get into community college, even though he thinks he is smart and talented. With an education at community college he might be able to get a better job then his mom but it still would not be a good enough job to get him out of the situation he is in, and he will probably just perpetuate his situation. Mon, 8 Apr 2013 01:38:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/05/voices-from-the-classroom-293/#IDComment614109881 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/21/voices-from-the-classroom-274/#IDComment603437259 I think that most people, in the end, have to look out for themselves. So people may say they are against affirmative action because it affects their chances of getting certain benefits, while they see other people receiving these benefits, but when they are given out freebies they don’t think anything of it and gladly accept. I do not think I know anyone who would turn down a job or scholarship that was given to them because of their race or the connections that they have, because they feel as though it is unfair to others that they received these benefits. I would like to go to physician assistant school, and one of the requirements that you need to have are one thousand hours of clinical experience in a hospital or other medical setting. I have had a very difficult time finding a hospital that is near me, who is willing to allow me to fulfill my hours. Saying this, I have a few friends who also want to be physician assistants, and their parents happen to be doctors or work in another way in the medical field. These kids have now have a place to go to fulfill their hours, but not because of their skill but because their parents got them these connections. I would like to think that I am on the same level as them academically, and am just as qualified for these jobs as those kids, but because I do not have the connections that would get me my much needed hours, I don’t even get considered for the position. I think many people feel this way too, that affirmative action is not fair, but then would gladly accept it if they were given an extra opportunity. If affirmative action was done away with completely, and no one had special treatment in regards to their race, gender, or family connections, and people achieved things solely on their ability; I think people would end up working a lot harder for their jobs and work. I also think a lot of people would be more inclined to work because they knew that they would not be given certain privileges, and needed to hold down a job and work hard to get extra benefits. Unfortunately I don’t believe we will ever see a world like this because humanity likes to single certain people out to give them extra benefits so that they can get ahead while others lag behind. Somehow this system would get corrupted and we would be back to the way it is now, some people getting benefits to get ahead while others get stuck wherever they land, with no hope in achieving a greater future. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:38:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/21/voices-from-the-classroom-274/#IDComment603437259 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/21/voices-from-the-classroom-274/#IDComment603437016 I think that most people, in the end, have to look out for themselves. So people may say they are against affirmative action because it affects their chances of getting certain benefits, while they see other people receiving these benefits, but when they are given out freebies they don’t think anything of it and gladly accept. I do not think I know anyone who would turn down a job or scholarship that was given to them because of their race or the connections that they have, because they feel as though it is unfair to others that they received these benefits. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:37:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/21/voices-from-the-classroom-274/#IDComment603437016 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/16/voices-from-the-classroom-273/#IDComment597952943 I think that the U.S. should continue giving aid to Haiti and other countries that face disasters. The way in which they give aid and handle other countries financial needs to be changed. I think that when other countries have natural disasters and economic trouble need the U.S. and other power countries to help them because we are able to and have the financial abilities to do so. It is unnecessary for us to exploit our power and make other countries pay outrageous interest and act as a dictator to the country because we offered aid to save them. In regards to aiding countries in need we also need to look at the reasons why they are third world countries, and why they may need this money. Since the U.S. imports tons of food to Haiti for low prices, essentially ruining their small farming businesses, it is no wonder that they are in economic turmoil. The problem here is that the U.S. and powerful other countries have created this problem for them. And when they are in trouble we say we will give them money, for a price they could never think of paying back. And in this way they are basically enslaved to us. They probably do not want our help because of this, but cannot refuse it or their country will go under. This sis a horrible cycle and is not fair to Haiti and other countries who face this. Unfortunately I don’t know what I think they should do about it. They are stuck with poverty, especially on farms because the U.S. has taken away all their abilities to sell certain cash crops. This is also occurring in India with cotton farms. In India, farmers are actually committing suicide because they are in debt and cannot ever hope to get out of it. They feel hopeless and without a way out they can never fix their problem. If the U.S. stopped importing goods to these countries, they could prosper on their own growing crops that are suited for that land. Rice grows abundantly in Haiti and if we allowed Haitians to grow their own rice instead of importing out cheap rice for them to sell, they could make an incredible profit and begin to come out of their economic disparage. Instead we kill their agricultural economies and then drown them some more when we give them aid for disasters. I think that this is counterproductive and makes Haiti and other countries like it trapped in their economic situations with no way out. It is hard to believe that a country that I feel is fair and equal does this to other countries who are weaker then us. Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:07:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/16/voices-from-the-classroom-273/#IDComment597952943 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/01/voices-from-the-classroom-265/#IDComment591942436 I’ve always felt a little limited because of my own fear of death. My first experience of death was when I was a bout five years old and my great-grandmother died. I remember the funeral was very grim and everyone was crying. This is when I first started to realize that people do not exist eternally and are limited in life. It is hard to imagine, especially when you are so young, that one day you will be gone, nothing but dust. This realization is also terrifying; it makes you question the reason for being on Earth and your role in life. For me, the fear is not just about death, but if anyone will remember me after I am gone. Living on Earth for 70-80 years and then leaving forever is terrifying in the sense that my existence was meaningless. It’s scary to think that whatever I accomplished here, which feels so big and important in the moment, is forgotten forever when I leave. I think that is the scariest part about dying, not necessarily the cessation of life but the cessation of the thought of me and my accomplishments in this world. I believe this fear is also limiting because everyday you make decisions to preserve your life, so that you can live longer. Some of these decisions may extend the years you have but limit the impact you create on the world. What if the Wright brothers never build their first airplanes because they were too afraid of dying, we would never have been able to create transportation in the skies, which has become such an important mode of transportation to quickly get people across the world. If everyone stopped making goals and working on risky things like flying for example, we would never have some of the inventions that we have today. On the other hand, if we weren’t afraid of dying there would be a lot of chaos in the world. This fear helps us create rules and organization to keep the majority safe and alive. This goes for driving regulations; speed limits and rules for which side of the rode you drive on are important to keep everyone on the road safe. If we didn’t have these kinds of rules the roads would be incredibly dangerous and people would die all the time. I think being afraid keep us safe in many ways which affects our existence and prolongs our life. In the same ways it also hinders our accomplishments and prevents us from reaching our full potential and leaving our presence on Earth forever. This creates a catch-22 where you try to extend your life but limit your potential, so that when you die nothing is left of you afterwards. Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:32:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/01/voices-from-the-classroom-265/#IDComment591942436 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/21/voices-from-the-classroom-257/#IDComment578679851 I am not an atheist nor do I believe in any one religion. My family is very religious and I sometimes I feel that I do not fit in with them because I do not definitively believe in God or a religion. My parents are both protestant and go to church every Sunday, but I started questioning God when I was 13 and ever since have not been able to believe in a greater being. If one day it was proven to me that God didn’t exist I think I would be relieved. Right now I feel like I’m always pressured to go to church and believe in God, my family is always telling me that I am going to hell, or I’m living a sinful life and it is very emotionally taxing. Even though I don’t believe in God at this moment, hearing that I will be forever damned is difficult, and not having my family backing me up on my beliefs is upsetting as well. So if it was actually proven that God doesn’t exist I don’t think I would have to feel the pressure about believing anymore. But, my family, I believe would be crushed. They need something to believe in. Some people need to believe in something to look forward to after death to get through life, and others need to feel as though something is looking down on them and protecting them at all times. My mother especially is like this, she has had a difficult life and believing in God has always helped her get through those hard moments, if that belief was taken away form her I don’t believe she would be able to get through the rest of her life. God is such a presence in my household, I think that a lot of my family members would have an extremely difficult time finding out someone that they believed in to take care of them, watch out for them, and give them an eternal home was just a myth. What else would there be to look forward to and keep trying if there is not something at the end of life to look forward to. But, my rationale for not believing in God was because a lot of bad things happen, and why should these things happen if a greater being is looking out for us. People starve, depressed, and die and God isn’t doing anything to help them out. I don’t understand how, if he loved everyone, he would allow that to happen. It would definitely be a relief for me to find out for sure that God didn’t exist but it would hurt me to see my family be crushed by the news. Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:35:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/21/voices-from-the-classroom-257/#IDComment578679851 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/8532/#IDComment573598950 I had a hard time figuring out my opinion on this topic about slavery, and the fact that most things that I use have had some hand in slavery to produce them. I just go about my life in a way that is easiest for me, and buy things that are cheap and convenient because my life would be more difficult if I did not do that. But, then to put in the idea that because I chose to buy certain clothes and other items, I am perpetuating slavery, as if it is my fault this slavery is continuing, seems hard to fathom. I certainly do not like the idea of myself to be the blame for others to live more harshly then I do, and on top of that, I would have to sacrifice my own convenience, money, and comfort if I did want to decide to do something about their current situation. I can’t imagine my life without, say my cell phone. I do not own an iphone, but I’m sure all electronics contain metals that Sam was talking about in the iphone, and I own a computer and LG cell phone. I also shop at similar stores that the girl in class said she got her shirt form, which would put me in the same category as her also. To try and get rid of these things in my life would be a drastic change, and because of the world I live in could be detrimental to myself. If I do not have a laptop I can not do the majority of homework I am assigned in my classes, which are all online. And if I did not have a cell phone it would be near impossible to get a hold of people at the same rate that calling or texting does. I understand also that the slaves lives are unimaginable and they live in such conditions that I could never even think about living in, so when I begin to think about the I feel like it is not fair. But I don’t know if me making these changes could change the world, and on top of it I do not know if I’d be committed enough to go through with such a drastic change. In relation to this I have not traveled a lot, and do not know the dynamics of the other countries and especially slavery, because I’ve only ever been on the East Coast of the US. I believe that if I traveled to these places I would gain some understanding in what a country that may still have slavery treats people. In this way my opinion would definitely change and it may lead me to try to make more lifestyle changes. Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:58:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/8532/#IDComment573598950 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/07/voices-from-the-classroom-243/#IDComment568311766 I have considered joining the military many times. A lot of people in my family served and my brother is currently a marine. I think it is important that we have people who are willing to fight for our country and would put their lives on the line to defend us. I also understand how people may think that us going to war and killing people in other countries is the worst thing possible and would never consider doing such a thing. My opinion on this is that it is not those who are in our military that are to blame for these actions, but our government who is sending the troops into areas that do not need or want our help is ridiculous, and killing our people and other country’s people is unfathomable. But if we did not have a military our country may be in more distress then we can imagine. This is why I support our troops and would definitely consider joining the military to help keep our country free and safe. Another reason I have for my willingness to join the military would be the amount of aid I would receive in return. I would like to go to medical school but it seems impossible when I look at the amount of money I would need to achieve that dream. I know this may not seem like an appropriate reason to risk my life, but it is an amazing thing that our country is willing to provide me with tens of thousands of dollars if I serve the country for a certain amount of time. I know I would be giving up my freedom for awhile and not be able to see my family but that is only a small amount of time in my life, and afterwards I will be living my dream of being a doctor for the rest of my life. My brother, who like I said is in the marines right now, has no debt at all and is even getting paid to go to school. When I look at his situation, where he is debt free and basically has a paying job while he is at school, while I am working hard at a part time job, while taking classes, and still in tons of debt, it is hard to ignore the idea that I could have this all for free if I joined the military and served for a few years. Unfortunately if the US went to war while I was enlisted, I could be stationed anywhere for years on end and not know when the end would be. That is an enormous risk, but still I believe I would do it anyway first to know that I am serving my country, and accepting the benefits afterwards would make it worth it. Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:22:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/07/voices-from-the-classroom-243/#IDComment568311766 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-236/#IDComment562156896 Sitting in class the other and thinking about how personal troubles can turn into public issues opened my eyes and made me look at my own life and how my struggles are connected to other peoples and that society has created these groups of people with the same issues. I struggled with an eating disorder when I was in 8th and 9th grade. I could not figure out the source of my problem and didn’t know why I was doing that to myself except for the idea of getting skinnier. People always asked why I would do that to myself, even my own brothers and dad couldn’t seem to comprehend the idea that I chose not to eat. When it grew out of hand I had to be taken to a hospital, and I thought how this issue was my and my family’s own personal problem and didn’t think that this could have any connection with other people. Now looking back and relating to others who had this same issue I realized that I am no different from everyone else who has fallen into the trap of an eating disorder. My parents are divorced and did not have a friendly, civil divorce, but fought all the time about us and custody. This caused a lot of stress for my brothers and I and in some ways caused us to put the blame on ourselves instead of seeing that our parent’s issues were not our fault. This seems to be a trend for those with eating disorders and addictions, that is a rough family life. These troubles that we create in ourselves feel like they are giving us control over our lives, which we can’t seem to control. It’s funny to think we are doing these things to give ourselves control when in reality society is still controlling us through these choices. Mine wasn’t as bad as others but it was hard to deal with when I was a kid, and I believe affected my decision to stop eating when I became a teenager. This shows the strings that society puts on us to shape our choices in life and how it is possible that we have no control at all on what is happening or will happen in our life, no matter what we think those bad things will still happen. It helps knowing that others go through this and we are not alone, it almost seems as though our personal issues are posted on a billboard for all to see, but instead of being ashamed we can relate and agree that we all are going through one or all of these things based on what has happened to us and these things shape us into what we will become. Mon, 4 Feb 2013 02:16:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-236/#IDComment562156896 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-233/#IDComment555796895 When the boy in class said that he thought black scholarships were racist I don’t know if I agreed with him or not. I know they don’t give out scholarships for just white people but some statistics have shown that white people are treated differently in classrooms and jobs than black people are, so it may make sense that they should have a little boost if they need it. This is true for women as well, there are female scholarships available but I have not heard of any male scholarships, this is because females are sometimes treated as inferior to men, especially in the workplace where they can make up to a quarter less of every dollar a male makes in their salaries. I believe this world is full of injustices not just from race but also gender and we are still far from creating an equal world where everyone, male/female or race is treated equally. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:14:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-233/#IDComment555796895 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-233/#IDComment555796463 I think racism is hard to define because there are so many forms of it that can be conscious or unconscious. When a comedian makes a racist remark, we feel that we should laugh because it’s against culture to make a big scene or a comedian and people think that you don’t have a sense of humor if you don’t take the joke. Also when comedians make remarks about people they don’t just pick one race, gender, or culture they usually make fun of everybody so it’s not as taboo to make a couple racial jokes because they come full circle and include everyone. On the other hand, when just speaking to friends or in a group, anything you say about another race can be twisted to sound racist if someone hears it wrong or out of context. I think that this makes it hard for people to speak about other races because they are always scared of offending people when in reality what they say shouldn’t be taken as offensive. This is not to say that some people do make racist remarks which is unacceptable but it seems to depend on the context of the situation whether or not a remark counts as racist. A comedian making a racist joke can be taken as funny, while a white man making a joke about black people to all his white friends could definitely be taken as racist. I believe some of the remarks that Sam makes in class, his generalizations about white people, black people, and Asians are definitely racist but then again he makes fun of everybody so a lot of people aren’t getting outrageously offended by them. He also doesn’t make abusive remarks, but does tend to single people out and makes jokes to them about their race. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:14:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-233/#IDComment555796463 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/18/voices-from-the-classroom-229/#IDComment549503410 I don't believe the girl was prepared to be told that she had black heritage. When you grow up thinking that you are one thing, and then have someone straight up tell you no you aren't this you are that then it can be a little frustrating. Especially if you try to support your claim by saying that your family are exactly like you are, and everyone you know in your family look simiiar. I can understand if the girl might have been surprised that Sam picked her out of the crowd and told her no you aren't what you think you are, you aren't white you are black. And then increasing his belief by asking other black people if they thought she was black, it could have been an eye opener for her that she was not prepared for. I know if someone had said to me, you aren't white you are black; I would have a lot of questions and probably want to look into my family history to see if yes, he was right. The ancestry test could be a cool thing to do because then you can see where some of your ancestors came from and might decrease the bias you have towards other races or help you understand some of your physical features that didn't show up in any of your living family members. This would also make me want question what my family had told me and see if there is some secret, as Sam pointed out in class, that changes what I always thought about my family and introduce something new that I never knew about. This different perspective could help me see that race isn’t that big of a deal if we all share some commonality. Of course, we all come from a common ancestor so it is weird to think that you would be offended by being told you are black instead of white, but this is a common concept everywhere. I know some of the black people seem offended when Sam went up to them and told them, you aren’t Cherokee you are white. This is similar to the white girl’s reaction to being told she is black. We are all comfortable with the race that we see ourselves, and the race that we see our parents and other family members. It is hard to be accepting of the idea that we could all have a mix of the same things and being told we have other races in our DNA can change our perspective, and make us question how we see our family. In the end this would hopefully make us relate more to each other and provide a common interest instead of targeting people who look or act differently then we do. Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:43:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/18/voices-from-the-classroom-229/#IDComment549503410