en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2442861 Comments by captainmo123 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/what-additional-question-would-you-ask-basum-if-you-could-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145230083 If I had to ask Basum another question other than the ones that he already answered would be about his feelings toward the war in Iraq and what he would change about it if he could. I am sure that a lot of people over in Iraq have a lot of feelings that we in America don’t know about and they may even be afraid to voice. Some people may be too afraid to voice their opinions about the war because they may be afraid of what the consequences may be about their opinions. I do think that they tell the truth about their feelings towards the war, including Basum and his feelings, but I feel like a lot of it may be held back or not talked about because they won’t go into a lot of detail. Also I would like for Basum to have elaborated more on his answers that he was giving in class. I understand that he was not a man of many words and that he probably didn’t know how to take some of the questions or answer them. But at the same time, this was an opportunity for people from America, especially students in college who are fully submerged in learning and hearing about the war, and we could have learned a lot more about what was going on. I would especially like more about his feelings towards the war and situations that are occurring over in Iraq. There may be some things that we don’t hear about when it comes to prisoners over in Iraq and their treatment. I know that Basum was asked about it and he did have some answers, but I feel like more could have been told. I do not know what the laws over in Iraq are and how much information they are going to be giving out on the situation, but I think that more information would be a huge help. I would also ask if he felt if the Americans are making any progress in Iraq or if the war is at a stand still and risking the lives of innocent people. When I say innocent people I mean people in both America and Iraq. Also I would ask what his opinion of the Iraqi government is in more detail and why he thinks it will change in the future and they way that he feels it is going to change. I feel that it would be interesting to hear a lot more about the government and his stand point, or the stand point of other Iraqi citizens. I do know that I would ask, like I previously said, for him to elaborate more on all of the questions that were asked in class so we can have more of an understanding of people and actions that are occurring in Iraq. It was a good experience to be able to communicate with someone from Iraq and even if it was a little bit of detail, we got to learn about more than we would have known or assumed before yesterday. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:21:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/what-additional-question-would-you-ask-basum-if-you-could-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145230083 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/14/what-do-you-think-about-the-telephone-game-and-why-does-information-travel-that-way-119-blog/#IDComment143254878 I think that the telephone game is an insufficient way to pass information from person to person. Everyone only focuses on the main information that is conveyed in a story or a message and leaves out the other insignificant facts that are told throughout the story. I know for a fact that when I am listening to a story or reading one, or anything for that matter, I focus on the general and main information that is given so I can understand the basic meaning that is told. In the game that we played in class, the first person was given such a long story at such a fast speed that she was only able to comprehend and understand the general and specific parts of the story. For example, she told the names and race of the people and the situation that they were in. I do not think that there was a difference in how different races told the story. I just think that each person picked out what they thought was important in the story and then told the next person. Also I noticed that the reason for the fight wasn’t understood toward the end of the line of people who participated, all they knew and could repeat was that there was a fight, or a “scuffle” as some people decided to call it. I have even seen in conversations between people who are trying to repeat a story that they previously heard will convey the important information and then add other things as the story goes on. By doing that the story is changing a little bit each time it is told. Specific information is the most important part of information that needed to be conveyed between the people. It was proven in this activity that people only do focus on the specific information. I feel like the story was a very long story so it was obvious that the information was going to be passed in different ways and it wasn’t going to be the same toward the end of the line. But if the story was a lot shorter than the point of the activity wouldn’t be proven. I feel like the telephone game is a great way to show people how information is sent between people and as it goes longer down the line, or is told to more people, than at some point, even if it is from the beginning, bits of information are going to be changed. Like I previously stated, that is just the way people transfer information by focusing on the specifics and adding more as they go along. This activity was very entertaining to see in class being outside of the line of participants to have a first hand look at how information can be changed or shortened. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:03:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/14/what-do-you-think-about-the-telephone-game-and-why-does-information-travel-that-way-119-blog/#IDComment143254878 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/what-was-more-enlightening-the-information-on-your-own-sex-or-the-opposite-sex-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139221396 During this lecture there was a lot of information about both sexes presented. I can’t say that I learned more about my own sex or the opposite sex through this lecture though because I learned a lot about both. When it comes to the female sex I always knew that our sex drive wasn’t always the same or equal to a mans sex drive. Women go through a lot of changes throughout the month and throughout their entire life that can throw off their sex drive. I think it is important for men to understand the changes that women go through monthly and throughout their entire life. I am not saying that men do not feel for the women or try to understand but I think that sometimes they should take a step outside of their own sex drive and make an effort to realize what women are going through and how much they do change. Looking at the sex drive of men and learning about how easy it is for them to have one thought or look at a girl and be completely ready to go was not that surprising. I think that it is obvious to people of both sexes, and I do not mean this is an offensive way, that men have a high sex drive and it is easier for them to become aroused than women. Another thing that stood out in the lecture for me about the male sex was how hard it is for them after a woman says no and that it actually may be painful at some point. I feel like women need to understand that if they are going to start something sexual with a man then they are the ones who may still be in control but they begin the sexual contact. It is not that easy for a man to just walk away when a woman doesn’t mind that much. I am not saying that all the time this is true though. Some women have higher sex drives at times and really want to be with a man but it may depend on the situation and their feelings toward the person. There are some stereotypes against women and men about sex and their own personal sex life which I do not agree with. I also find it interesting that only 1/3 of women have an orgasm from penetration and the other 2/3 may fake it or just not have an orgasm at all and may need other types of stimulation. I can’t really say that I found the learning about one sex was more interesting or enlightening that the other because all of the information that was presented taught me a lot through the entire class. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 23:19:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/what-was-more-enlightening-the-information-on-your-own-sex-or-the-opposite-sex-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139221396 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137571235 I do not see any problem in interracial relationships. There may be some people who like to stay in the own race or religion and not be involved in an interracial relationship. Some reasons for that may be because of their family situation and their views on interracial dating, their own personal prejudices, or maybe even their friend’s views on interracial dating. I have a very open relationship with my family and they do not have any opposition to interracial dating and my friends are the same way. Since my family does not have any problem with interracial dating I think that has taught me not to look at people by the color of their skin but for the person that they are. I like a person for who they are based on their personality, their goals in life, and also their family structure plays a huge role in if I would date them. Seeing someone for the color of their skin or their religion is not something that I notice when being attracted to a person. Right now I am currently dating a Persian guy and my family is very accepting of his religion, which is Muslim and we are Catholic, and of his family. I learn a lot about the Persian culture and the Muslim religion in my relationship. Before my current boyfriend, I was dating a black guy and it was very accepted in my family. I have dated white people too. There is never something in my mind or with my family that would make me not date someone of a different race or religion. I think that one day everyone is going to start dating interracially and we are going to become one huge melting pot in the world. I feel like that will be the best way to slowly make everyone in the country be acceptable of interracial relationships, including generations before us and those to come. I can not say that I have a personal preference for a certain race in dating but I am not opposed to dating someone who is black, white, Indian, Asian, or of any other color. Diversity is the key to the world. Being in an interracial relationship will teach both of the people involved in the relationship about different cultures and religions that they each grew up learning about and that their families have experienced. Being in an interracial relationship will spread knowledge around all of the cultures in this country and broaden everyone’s understanding of each other. I also think that interracial relationships are a good idea because it will start to bring generations after us more together. I think it will start to lessen the amount of racism that we all may experience in the world currently and help further the mixing of all cultures. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:08:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137571235 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-conscious-are-you-of-your-seat-in-class-before-and-after-todays-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment134318228 The lecture about where we pick our seat in class did not have any affect on me. I sit in class wherever there is an empty space at the time that I come into the room. Who I sit by never crosses my mind because I don’t think there is a need to worry about it. Class is for learning about new things. For example, if I sat next to an Asian girl I may be able to pick up on new things from her culture that I never knew about before hand. But, that is the same thing if I sat next to someone who was white and learned about where they came from and their family. Whoever is in the seat next to me never has an affect on if I would sit there or not. I personally don’t understand how some people would choose their seat in the classroom based off of someone else’s skin color or their ethnicity. We are all the same people but just may look a little bit different than someone else because of our skin color, hair color, height, weight, or anything else for that matter. There needs to be a point in time when no one thinks of where they are sitting or who they are sitting by or why it would even matter what people they are standing next to because everyone is the same and should be treated equally. The good thing about being next to someone in class from a different country, race, or ethnicity is that we would be able to learn more about other people and their cultures. I think of it now as more of a learning experience if anything after this class. I can say I won’t think about it the next time I walk into class to purposely sit next to someone of a different race or ethnicity just so I can learn something new or seem like I am not judging because it is just a seat and we are all just people so there is no reason to think about it. Just because I am a white female doesn’t mean that I purposely always sit next to other white females or not next to an Asian female. It all comes down to what seat is open and the most convenient for me. The example in class when the girls had to pick a seat next to someone in the front of the class I feel was really easy to read. It was obvious that all people would think that the white girl would sit next to the other white girl just because of the way society works, so on purpose she didn’t. We are all putting so much pressure on situations like that and it doesn’t need to be an issue truthfully. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:04:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-conscious-are-you-of-your-seat-in-class-before-and-after-todays-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment134318228 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/why-are-black-and-brown-people-more-expressive-of-their-problems-than-white-people-119-blog/#IDComment130669283 I do not know if I have a definite answer for why white people don’t express their problems as much as black or brown people. However, I do feel like a lot of it is about shame. People, no matter if you are black, brown, white, green, or orange do not want to walk outside and announce that they are poor or they are in the lowest class of society. I am white and I can not see myself being open and expressing about my poverty level if I was poor. Black and brown people do like to express themselves a lot through music and the lyrics of their songs to get their point across to the people who are listening so they can all understand where they are coming from and how they live everyday. I feel like everyone should be proud of where they come from and what they have, even if it little to nothing. At the same time though I do not see the point in why people would feel the need to announce it to the world. Letting other people in on the struggles that you go through daily and informing them of how hard it truthfully can be is one thing, but asking for pity is another. I do not feel like people who write music about it are asking for pity more than they are just getting their point across. I think that is another reason why poor white people don’t say a lot of the time that they are poor or low on money because they are not looking for pity from other people. For example, looking at the video on Tammy she worked so hard and walked 10 miles a day to burger king to bring in some type of income for her family. She didn’t want people to look down on her or feel bad for her because she knew she was trying and doing the best that she could for herself and her children. I do feel like there are other ways that she could have made more money but right now that was the best thing for her to do. I also thought it was sad that her son looked down on her and was embarrassed of her. What he doesn’t see though is that his mother is trying as hard as she could to keep their family together, while all he wants is for people to like him and that goes back to my point about shame. He is ashamed of what he has and he doesn’t want people to know about it so he tries to hide it in front of his friends at school. That is why I don’t think white people are as vocal because they are more shameful while black and brown people are trying to tell everyone what it is like through their music and lyrics. Neither of them is wrong and I don’t think that it truthfully depends on the color of our skin, just how each person handles their own situations. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:58:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/why-are-black-and-brown-people-more-expressive-of-their-problems-than-white-people-119-blog/#IDComment130669283 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-does-the-statement-in-the-video-from-class-make-you-feel-119-blog/#IDComment128974188 In the video that we watched in class, we were let into the lives of 19 slaves and shown, through their words, what they went through on the land the worked on. It was obvious how worn out and tired of all the people in the video were from the hard work that they were put through over the years. I was moved a lot by how much of their story they told to people that just asked about it for a documentary. It touched me to see how much they lost by going away and thinking they were going to make money for the work they did but weren’t giving anything in the end. They worked, were put through pain and suffering, just to make chocolate for us to consume on our own time without any type of compensation. I feel like that should touch everyone in a certain way. When the one boy in the video said that we are eating his flesh, I thought at first that it was a little too much at once to throw at some people who were viewing the video. I didn’t know how to understand the words he was saying and what type of message he was trying to get across. But then I thought about it more and figure it out. Technically we were not consuming his flesh and that made the concept of what he was working to do hit home and touch me more because that’s how much work and sweat he put into his work. Thinking about it more in depth though, obviously he wasn’t speaking from a literal sense. He put his time and his sweat into every minute that he spent working on the land to make the cocoa for consumers and that was the message he was trying to portray to all of us. That changes my opinion on what I purchase and what I consume everyday when I go to the store for food or the mall for clothes. When you think about it more, you are buying things that are made by people who aren’t paid for the amount of work they put in, and we sit here in luxury. It is hard to see how much time and effort the slaves in the video put in for us and weren’t given anything in return. It makes me look at the things I have and wonder how many of the items I have that were made by slaves, or have a part that were made by slaves. I do not want slavery to continue and watching this video is making me think that maybe one day it will never end since some of us didn’t even know that it still existed. The men in this video have showed me more about hard work and what they had put in every day just for us to be happy than a lot of people in my life. Although overall the comment was a little vulgar, it helped jog my mind and make me realize more about slavery and what goes into the making of products in the world. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:02:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-does-the-statement-in-the-video-from-class-make-you-feel-119-blog/#IDComment128974188 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/what-did-you-get-out-of-king-of-the-mountain-119-blog/#IDComment127381420 In class we talked about the King of the Mountain example and how the white people, or specifically white men are on top and hold the most power. Everyone else that is around, or lower on the mountain, can be easily controlled by the white man on top. Whether the other people that are lower on the mountain are African American, Asian, Native American, or of any other ethnicity they have some sort of control over them. This example showed me that as much as we say we are equal and will one day be completely equal, we aren’t. There is always going to be a leader or someone in charge of everyone else around them or “below” them. The white male at the top may make the rules and may make all of the laws in the country, but everyone else below still listens and abides by the rules and laws that are dictated. In this example some of the people who were lower on the mountain could have joined together to over throw the white man on the top, but they didn’t. In the world someone, no matter if they are white or not, is going to make rules and laws and dictate them to everyone else. And as much as people have the ability to rebel and go against the norm of the white male in power they don’t. One day I think that there will be some challenge of some sort, whether it be war or by chance, that another ethnic group can be close to taking over the power on the top of the mountain. The main question though is will anyone ever try to over throw the top power, or the “highest race in power”, and someday control and make the laws and rules for everyone else lower on the mountain? I do not see this happening any time soon because this has been all we have ever seen or understood for hundreds of years. Many people are living comfortable lives and don’t want to challenge for power because it is just easier to listen to the dictations from the higher power and go through life. An example in class was given about how black people were finally free, but they were still treated differently because of their skin color. Then they weren’t really free I think. They were made to believe that they were free but were still turned down from jobs and places to live. Unless another ethnicity takes of the white man in power on top of the mountain nothing is ever going to be completely equal even though we have progressed a lot of the years. In saying that, if another ethnic group becomes the king on the top in the example then there will still be discrimination against the other ethnic groups that are lower than them, especially white people. There will never be a definite answer to this question because it all rests is the future and seeing who will take over, if anyone even will, and become the king of the mountain. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:44:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/what-did-you-get-out-of-king-of-the-mountain-119-blog/#IDComment127381420 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment126007496 I don’t feel as though there is ever going to be a point in time where race will stop being an issue for people. Even when given true facts about our biological make up, or our history or how were are all so called monkeys, that doesn’t mean that everyone is going to drop how they feel or their parents felt in the past. Everyone grows up learning about different races and the opinions that their parents hold about them from what they were previously taught. I feel as though it is going to be passed for more generations to come too. The world has too much prejudice and we will always be surrounded by it. For example, when we fill out a job application why does it matter for us to put our race down on the application. Even though there is a statistical reason behind it, why is it required for us to make it known to everyone what our race is? I think that there will be a change in how a majority of the society views other races when we all start to learn more about each other. But, it will never completely stop. When we were in class and talking about the income of whites, blacks, Native Americans, and Asians separating people by the race even just for making a point about money is still separating people. Not everyone is going to be in one category and thought of as the same people, which then leads to racism never going away completely. There will always be different races and that is fine, however there is never going to be a point in time when someone doesn’t look down on someone else for being different. Another example was when we talk about our biological make up; we are only different by.1% from each other. But there will be people who say that it proves that we are and never will be the same. Personally, I wish that all judgments that are passed about race would disappear, but that is next to impossible. Regardless of how many people will be accepting of all races in the future and time to come there will be a small group that will be stuck in the times and not progress with anyone else in society. They will disapprove of people who aren’t the same as them and who they grew up to view as not being the same as their particular race. As much as I have stated in this response, I do not think that race will ever stop in our society. With war , viewing other people as being different, and what we learned through our families it is close to impossible for it to come to an end. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 22:39:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment126007496 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124416927 It is hard for some people to break out of their comfort zone. It would be a lie if people say they aren’t comfortable with people of the same race or ethnicity as them. I feel that many people hang out with the same race or ethnicity as them because they may be more close minded or that is just what we do. I can say I do hang out with mostly white people and am surrounded by mostly white people. However, I do have friends of different races and ethnicities that I don’t view as being different or an outsider in my group of friends. Also I think a big part of international students, or students who may speak different languages; just hanging out with each other is because many people aren’t accepting of others outside their race. There is racism anywhere we go and there are always going to be people who judge or look down on people that are not exactly like they are. If I were an international student or spoke a different language I would feel more comfortable hanging around people who were just like me too. There is constant judgment passed by many people in our society, and especially our school about different races and ethnicities as much as they may not want to admit it. For example, even though this isn’t based on race, it is thought that all frat brothers or sorority girls hang out with each other and only socialize with their close group. So this question doesn’t only work for people of different race or ethnicity but it also works for subgroups or subcultures. Although diversity in groups is great, someone’s cultures does shape who they are. For example, a friend of mine is Korean and has friends of all different races and ethnicities. However, he always has wants of going to a Korean church with the people that he is close to or eating Korean food. I think that some people stay closer to what they were raised and have grown up to be comfortable with. It is natural for all people to become friends with other races and to expand their horizons on culture when it comes to friendship. But it is also comforting to be surrounded by what you know and love. I can say from experience my boyfriend is of a different ethnicity, but he is mostly surrounded by white people and there are times when we loves to be home and speak with his family and friends of the same ethnicity because it is comforting to him. No matter where we go people are always going to be closer to the same race as they are but that doesn’t mean that everyone else can’t be accepted into their group of friends. It’s just a matter of everyone putting in the effort and to not discriminate or view others differently. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:52:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124416927 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment124203843 No matter where we go in the world, there are always going to be stereotypes and will always be unavoidable. I don't think that we will ever be able to get rid of stereotypes because they are so embedded in our cultures and our society. A stereotype is passed down through previous generations and their experiences and what their parents taught them and told them when they were growing up. It is very difficult for people to stray away and go against what they were taught at a young age and what their parents may have instilled in their belief system against other races. Stereotypes are assumptions about another race or ethnicity. But, we assume one thing about an entire race or culture by maybe something that one person of a certain race does. If that happens, since everyone is a little bit judgmental, then shouldn’t we make a stereotype against that one person and not their entire race? In class we learned about how a lot of our stereotypes are wrong and completely different from what we really have grown up thinking or formed our own opinions about. For example in class we discussed that we think all Asians are smart and good in math. But we found out from the other Asian students that it is not always true. Or there was an example that we thought gays and lesbians were the most common group to commit suicide where we were also proven wrong. However, no matter how many times we are proven wrong about a stereotype that does not mean that people are going to drop their opinions because someone tells them that they are wrong. I don’t think that stereotypes are ever going to fully disappear because we don’t live in a perfect utopian society. We are human beings that will never be perfect and always judge those that surround us. I do believe that as time goes on, stereotypes may change or become less relevant to our society because we live among communities where people are closer and are taught to treat others as our equal than where the previous generations were taught to be racist to other ethnicities. We learn from those whom lived before us but because we live in a more modern time, we understand what is right and wrong and think before we speak. Also children are taught at an early age about respect and treating others as their equal. I feel like a lot of the stereotypes can be lessened and a big part of it is how we are going to talk to our children about other races and pass down the stereotypes that we know and learned about. If we keep the stereotypes alive then they are never going to go away at all. Each generation plays a large part in preventing the spread of stereotypes to future generations. Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:08:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment124203843 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122623937 No matter where we go in the world, there are always going to be stereotypes and will always be unavoidable. I don't think that we will ever be able to get rid of stereotypes because they are so embedded in our cultures and our society. A stereotype is passed down through previous generations and their experiences and what their parents taught them and told them when they were growing up. It is very difficult for people to stray away and go against what they were taught at a young age and what their parents may have instilled in their belief system against other races. Stereotypes are assumptions about another race or ethnicity. But, we assume one thing about an entire race or culture by maybe something that one person of a certain race does. If that happens, since everyone is a little bit judgmental, then shouldn’t we make a stereotype against that one person and not their entire race? In class we learned about how a lot of our stereotypes are wrong and completely different from what we really have grown up thinking or formed our own opinions about. For example in class we discussed that we think all Asians are smart and good in math. But we found out from the other Asian students that it is not always true. Or there was an example that we thought gays and lesbians were the most common group to commit suicide where we were also proven wrong. However, no matter how many times we are proven wrong about a stereotype that does not mean that people are going to drop their opinions because someone tells them that they are wrong. I don’t think that stereotypes are ever going to fully disappear because we don’t live in a perfect utopian society. We are human beings that will never be perfect and always judge those that surround us. I do believe that as time goes on, stereotypes may change or become less relevant to our society because we live among communities where people are closer and are taught to treat others as our equal than where the previous generations were taught to be racist to other ethnicities. We learn from those whom lived before us but because we live in a more modern time, we understand what is right and wrong and think before we speak. Also children are taught at an early age about respect and treating others as their equal. I feel like a lot of the stereotypes can be lessened and a big part of it is how we are going to talk to our children about other races and pass down the stereotypes that we know and learned about. If we keep the stereotypes alive then they are never going to go away at all. Each generation plays a large part in preventing the spread of stereotypes to future generations. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:46:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122623937 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122617811 SOC119 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:05:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122617811