en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2432548 Comments by cjgumpf http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/how-has-your-opinion-changed-on-illegal-immigration-119-blog/#IDComment145249973 Prior to this class, I had a very negative outlook on illegal immigration. It wasn’t even that I knew an overwhelming amount of information about this topic; I actually didn’t know anything about it at all. All I did know was the opinion of those around me, and the opinion of what people in the media had taken. When I had thought about illegal immigrants entering our country, I immediately thought that our borders should be tightened. I thought that no good could come from those who entered here illegally. They had no rights, however they were taking out jobs and causing more trouble for our legal system. Now, I know how terribly wrong I was. Living in America we often take for granted the number of rights and quality of living we have. When I put myself in the shoes of those who live in countries ruled with strict dictatorial powers, I can help but feel that I too would do whatever it took to get my family to a safer living environment. Coming from a more humanitarian outlook, our Country should allow for refugees that are fleeing their country in order to escape. After studying abroad in Italy, I was able to see first hand how another country handles illegal immigrants. Throughout the streets of any Italian city you can find Albanians roaming around, doing whatever they can to make a living. Italy opened its borders to Albanian refugees in order to help them gain a better life. However even though they allow them in, they do not grant them citizenship. Technically they are given no rights, but they are allowed to be in the country without fear of government interference. Although there can be many faults to this system, it is important to think about the number of lives that have been saved since Albanians were given the change to escape their country. Even though they have no actual rights, they do have the right of safety that is arguably a right in itself. I think America can learn a lot from the way other countries handle illegal immigration. I am not saying that they should copy the way Italy handles illegal immigration, but what I can say is that there is a better way to handle this situation. I can admit that I am not in favor of supporting illegal immigrants because there are many people in the world who are suffering. Now that I realize how much suffering goes on in the world, I believe there must be a way we can help those in need. If it means allowing immigrants into our country, I think that is what we should do. I believe there must be a way that be can help more than we currently are. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:10:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/how-has-your-opinion-changed-on-illegal-immigration-119-blog/#IDComment145249973 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment142566767 I think the entire concept of nepotism is a completely grey area in many people’s lives. I will even use myself as an example of nepotism falling into a grey area. Myself, much like most other people in the world have been a beneficiary of nepotism at one point or another. However, I completely see and understand the issues surrounding nepotism. I understand the problem where one person doesn’t get a certain position for a company because another applicant had an “in” even though the first was the more qualified individual. I think in circumstances like that, nepotism is a problem and even though it is completely unfair it unfortunately happens more than not. In my personal opinion, trying to purposefully reject nepotism would be an idiotic route to take. There is no need to feel guilty for being fortunate enough to have connections that will ultimately take you places in life. However, I feel that an individual who is a recipient of nepotism should be 100 percent grateful for all that they have been given in life. It does not mean that people should slack off simply because they have been granted an opportunity because of who they know. I actually think the opposite. If you have been granted a position because of nepotism you need to work ten times harder than everyone else simply to prove that you deserve to be there. Yes, in certain situation I have been granted a job because of whom I knew, and unfortunately I received harsh backlash from friends when I told them about a job opportunity. People would not give me the credit I deserved and just credited my opportunities to the people I knew. When I hear these kinds of things it really upsets me. I feel like I have worked hard my entire life, never slacking off or working less than I should simply because my life was fortunately laid out for me. If I had to do it again, I would never change my decision to be a recipient of nepotism. However, what I will promise myself is to reach out to as many people as I can help. Even though it will deepen the issue of nepotism, I will always make a point to try to help those who seek me out for advancement in life. I see how this could potentially be problematic, but to be quite honest the issue of nepotism is going nowhere. However, what people can do to turn this into a positive is to make sure that nepotism is granted to those you know who work hard to deserve it. So to answer this question, I will always actively try to benefit from nepotism. It is a concept that, if used correctly can help many people. The best advice about nepotism is to get out there and meet as many people who can help you in life as possible. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:33:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment142566767 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804010 I must admit that out of the 700 students enrolled in Soc 119, I am probably one of the less active listeners. It is neither for a lack of interest in the subject matter, nor a genuine interest in learning about other races. I am very interested in learning about other races and how they fit into the world, and wholehearted think Sam Richards is one of the most interesting people I have ever come in contact with. I can only think of two reasons as to why I am not one of the more active students, as an eighth semester senior I find it hard to sit through any class and give it my full attention, not to mention that Tuesdays and Thursdays are packed full of back to back classes. I believe that by the time I get to Soc I am ready to sit back, relax and listen to what is said. However, my friends talking about meaningless topics, or my eyes threatening sleep more often than not interrupt my interest. However, Tuesday’s lecture entitled “The Christian Invaders” has 100 percent of my interest throughout the entire 75-minute class. Christian invaders really touched on a sensitive topic, in a way that not only got me thinking, but also more importantly help me better understand an issue that I simply didn’t full understand. I believe that many Americans chose to believe only what they hear on the news and from their friends. It is the rare individual who makes the effort to investigate deep into a situation, which our government has chose to frame the way we are supposed to feel. I, wish much regret have to admit that I was one of those people who was fell for the trap created by the government and fed through out media system. I truly thought that all Arabs and Muslims were extremists who were meant to be feared and not trusted. I think it was due in part by fear, but also the fact that as a person in my early 20s I never knew to question was I was being told until now. Soc 119, along with my Comm 410 class have completely changed the way I viewed the world. I know that many ulterior motives are behind what we hear and see in the media, and it takes lectures like “The Christian Invaders” to make me realize that I need to be a more active member of society. My only regret about this lecture was that it took me four years to hear. I think Sam was right in saying that it was the most important lecture of the semester. When he said this, I don’t think he was referring to exactly what he was saying but more along the lines of how we was conveying the message. I completely agree that this was the best lecture of the year because such lectures will help better our generation from believing everything we hear in the media. Hopefully in the future we will be able to have a society full of individuals who readily question what they are being told. Thu, 7 Apr 2011 19:09:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804010 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/#IDComment139139424 I think the entire lecture on “The Needy Penis” was completely eye opening, and discredited everything I had thought about sex. It is difficult for me to say which gender I learned more about during this lecture because being so young there are many aspects of sex that I don’t fully understand. What I do understand is the now. Sam and Laurie spoke about how everyone is pretty much equal in terms of sex in their early 20s. I never really thought about this before, it is hard for me to see and understand that sexual desires change over time. I guess for me, I found it more useful to learn about my own gender other than males. To know what to expect in the future is a lesson everyone should learn. All females of any age should listen to Laurie and her ideas and experiences. It should be known by both genders that sexual drive for females is not the same as males, especially people in long-term relationships. People in long-term relationships who are growing old together, need to realize that their sex lives will be drastically different. While I was listening to the lecture, although it was hilarious and I honestly think a great use of class time, it took me a while to fully understand the meaning of the lecture. It wasn’t until after class, when I can home and started thinking about what they spoke about did I truly understand the message of the day. What they were saying, without ever really stating the words were that out bodies are different, there is no way to understand how the other gender feels, acts or behaves. Since no one ever talks about the emotional and sexual differences between the genders it is difficult for many people to relate to the other gender. If more people spent time talking about emotional differences instead of physiological differences than I believe that people in American society would be overall much happier. When I think about the question asked in this post, I think it is really hard to say, for anyone which gender is better to know about. I think having an idea of how both genders operate is the most helpful tool anyone could have. If you want to be involved in healthy, happy relationships then you have to understand where the other is coming from. However, if you can never fully understand it is better to have some sort of idea than be left in the dark. I really hope they continue to give this lecture in following semesters. In my own personal opinion, it is a topic that needs to be talked about more openly than it currently is. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 16:01:02 +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/#IDComment139139424 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/for-the-white-females-would-you-ever-date-a-black-guy-119-blog/#IDComment137591586 I feel this is a really good question to have on the blog page. Usually questions are more vague, never truly hitting any hard racial questions. I think it will be really interesting to see how people answer. Being a white female, I can honestly say that I would have no problem dating a black man. However, I think it is really difficult to categorize all white females, or even categorize the majority of white females as to whether or not they would date a black man. I don’t think that the reason some females would be against dating a black man is because of race in itself, I think it is more along the lines of whether or not they would feel comfortable with the other factors that go along with being in an interracial relationship. Personally, I find people of other races extremely attractive. My personal belief is that being difference is sexy. I have no problem being different, or going completely against the status quo. I know I am not the only white female who thinks like this, so all of you black men out there can rest easy in knowing that many white females are willing to date a black men. As I said before, I really believe that if a white girl were to say she wouldn’t date a black guy is because they are afraid to be seen as different from those around them. It is no secret that interracial couples do not have it as easy as a couple with two people of the same race. Being involved in an interracial relationship brings upon unwanted stares, comments and judgments by outsiders. Although it is completely unfair to be perceived in a negative way merely on skin color, it is a sad fact that it happens more often than many people care to believe. In my opinion if two people are dedicated to each other and believe they have a sacred bond and want to share that with the world, then who is anyone to judge them for that. If only more people would be willing to take the leap and not care what other people think of them, then the issue of interracial relationships would no longer be in question. I do believe that the issue of interracial couples is getting better as time passes. More people are open and willing to accept people who are different than they are. One can only hope that within the next 20-30 years people will no longer have to worry about going out in public while dating someone of another race. Hopefully our children will grow up in a world where race is not a serious issue. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:18:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/for-the-white-females-would-you-ever-date-a-black-guy-119-blog/#IDComment137591586 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment133935019 I believe that this scenario is based on the question, can money really buy happiness? Throughout time we have seen this theme become a common trend in both movies and TV shows, as well as personal stories on the news. Although it is a question that could be up for debate, in my personal opinion there is one solid answer. To me money cannot buy happiness. In my eyes money can only buy stability in a world where financial troubles are the burden of many. However, does stability equal happiness? Most likely, it does not. Happiness is a state of being; it often comes and goes brought on by many shapes and forms from many different sources. Therefore to simply have money cannot guarantee a lifetime of unlimited happiness. When I asked my newly married friend who is the main bread winner of the family while her husband is in grad school if they had more money do you think you would be able to lead a happier life? Her answer was simple. She said that having more money would definitely make life easier, and would create less stress for her but did not believe that this money would make her any happier. She went on to say that life is isn’t, money is one of those situations that if you have it there are still a multitude of other problems that could lead to both an unhappy marriage and life. Money, she said is not the end all be all, there would be no guarantee that having a deeper bank account would rid them of all of their problems. My conversation with my friend really got me thinking. I think that it perfectly aligns with the thought process that winning the lottery may not be a blessing. As referenced in the question, there have recently been lottery winners who have experienced what you can call “a series of highly unlucky events”. You have to stop and think, was this bad luck brought on by their onset of money, or is it simply a coincidence that brought upon the stints of bad luck. I think that no matter what winning the lottery is a life altering experience that will, without a doubt, change your entire life. The life you had lived prior to the winnings has dramatically changed. You never really see who your friends really are until you are in a situation where the chance to show their true colors is given. Being that you don’t really know people until these situations, and that your life has dramatically changed leads me to believe that winning the lottery is a curse. It is in people’s natures to go through life never really changing who they are or whom they know. Changing everything about you at that point in your life leads you down a path that will ultimate test your own sense of well-being. A change as drastic as this could lead to many detrimental side effects which is why I believe that winning the lottery is a curse. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:11:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment133935019 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130421264 (PART 3/3) Almost instantly we saw people of Muslim decent being stopped by airport security to be questioned as to why and where they were going. Seeing people who looked like the pictures of the terrorists from 9/11 being stopped in airports made the average American citizen think highly of the airport security. They suspected that these people being questioned were indeed dangerous people, and once it became a common trend to see these Muslims because questioned it became common to think of them in the same demeaning way. In the short film we watched during Tuesday’s class, we saw that many people applauded the store worker when we refused to serve the patron of Muslim decent. Seeing that film clearly shows that discrimination against Muslims in a common practice in today’s society. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:46:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130421264 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130421213 (PART 2/3) The war that broke out soon after the events of 9/11 did not become known as the War against Afghanistan or the War against Iraq, it became known as the War against Terrorism. Terrorism is a strong, powerful word that immediately instills a sense of fear among media consumers. The underlying meaning of this name was that our military troops were in both of these countries; making it seem that everyone living in these countries were terrorists. Knowing only that one of the religions of these countries was Muslim, it became associated as the religion that was dominant upon the people living here, ultimately saying that these populations were terrorists, they were Muslim and they were evil, and they should be feared. We then started to see a common trend when many Muslims in America, with little or no ties to the Arab world were given a hard time when trying to do normal, everyday activities (i.e. board a plane). Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:45:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130421213 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130421080 (PART 1/3) I believe that in today’s culture people are more racist towards people of Muslim culture. I do not say this as a product of my own feelings towards different groups of people, but purely by what I have witnessed by both people I know and the media. In my own opinion, prior to 9/11 racism had been more directed towards African Americans, however in the post-9/11 society in which we live today, we have noticed a dramatic shift. As a whole, I think the American population is very ignorant to what goes on within the rest of the world. It is no secret that America was the victim to a terrorist attack; however it is the ignorance of our population that refuses to look deeper into who, exactly the perpetrators were. Instead of realizing that it was a small group of bad people who did this to our country, people saw the attackers of people of Muslim descent. In most people’s eyes everyone of Muslim descent was a radical, anti-American extremist who needed not only to be feared, but to be treated as the face of evil. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:45:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130421080 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128708363 I think there are various reasons as to why people with an education believe success is a result of hard work. First off, everyone knows that college is no cake-walk. It is four years of dedicating yourself to your education. Staying up for countless hours of studying, spending semester after semester focusing of specific areas of interest that will one day aid in your transition from your educational process to landing your first job. We worked hard to land the degree that we will leave here with. No one handed it to us, we had to earn it, and better yet no one did it for us. Everything we accomplished while in college was a direct result of our hard work. Now, I do understand the phrase “C’s gets degrees” could act as devil’s advocate, proving that not everyone in college worked hard to get a degree. However, even those people had to dedicated themselves to wanting to graduate, and even though the chance to drop out was always there, they stayed with it and left with a degree. This means that even though an education may not have been their primary focus during college, they did dedicated themselves to finishing, which to me is hard work. Personally, I want to believe that after putting in all this time during my collegiate career, it will pay off. That over a candidate who did not attend college, I would get the job because being more educated should mean that we are more qualified. Even though this is not the case in all situations, I do understand that there are indeed people who struggle with school but are extremely successful in life. I think one reason educated people think success is a result of hard work is because we have been conditioned to believe that we have “earned” the right to be successful. Ever since we were young children, we have been told that after high school you go to college, get a good paying job and boom, you are automatically happy forever. Therefore we are measuring success in terms of happiness, which, in this theory would be a given destination. Proving that if you work hard in college you will be successful and happy. Where as the people who did not attend college would have to settle for being less successful and happy. I do not believe this thought process will change in the future. There are hard working people in every facet of life. Although I believe that success could come to any person, at any time I can understand the flip. If you want to be successful you should get an education, simply because it puts you on a path to a bright future, if you so chose. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:52:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128708363 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/why-do-you-think-racism-continues-to-be-a-problem-throughout-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment126871846 I think that racism continues to be a problem throughout the world because our media and the way we view other cultures frames our views. As you stated in your question, Bruce Lee is always fighting (and winning against) people of Asian decent. However, the crazy part about this is that Bruce Lee, himself is of Asian decent. What is this telling our society? Is it telling viewers that if you are of Asian decent, but decide to come to the “good” side, the American side you will become a stronger person. A person who can not only be strong within their own life and adopted “culture”, but also in a physical sense by actually defeating people from other cultures. This can become a huge problem because more often than not, media viewers do not think about what they are watching. They simply take everything they see as true. In this case is means that someone who identifies themselves as American will be the stronger force, will be the person to win the fight. Not only is this common in Bruce Lee movies, but even more modern movies such as the Rush Hour series. Jackie Chan (of Asian decent) who is on the side of the United States frees himself from his own culture and winds up defeating them at their own game, insinuating that when he became a follower of American culture he was able to physically defeat his old self and culture. Over the years, this recurring theme of weaker Asians has become a racial stereotype. Since only a small amount of people actually leave the country to visit foreign lands, they take everything they see as fact. Totally disregarding that this was an adaptation of Hollywood, which in a sense of propaganda against Asian culture. If not enough people take the time to explore other cultures and see what their ideals and values consist of, there will never be a true understanding of how others live. How this all stems back to the continuation of racism throughout the world is that from a young age we are taught how to view others. Watching television is an activity that most of the population (regardless of age) partakes in. When we see images of people who are different than us we start to attribute stereotypes to them. These stereotypes plant the seed for racism in many people’s heads. This allows for a shared ideology amongst people of a certain culture, since they are mostly all exposed to the same media. I think people don’t often realize the power that media withholds. I would go out on a limb and say that the mass media is the reason racism is still apparent in the world. United States media wants Americans to be seen as powerful, and to do this they must downplay all aspects of other cultures in order to prove Americans are the best. Until the media no longer projects stereotypical images, I believe we will have a hard time diffusing racism. Wed, 9 Feb 2011 08:25:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/why-do-you-think-racism-continues-to-be-a-problem-throughout-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment126871846 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125998368 I think this is a really interesting question. I think what it boils down to is the point of perception, and how you want those around you to perceive you. I am proud to be both American and Irish. I think both nationalities (along with all nationalities) are something to be proud of. Being united to a specific region shows that you have a family past that is deep rooted, and allows others to get a more personal impression of who you are. In the spring of 2010 I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. The people who live in Florence love to meet people from other countries. I was often asked where I was from, and to this question I would answer, I am American. To my surprise, this was not enough of an answer for them. They wanted to know about my heritage. They would tell me that “no one is American” they all came from somewhere. I would then answer that I was Irish and Welsh but currently lived in the United States, which made me American by default. This idea really got me thinking, I am more identifiable with Irish and Welsh, or am I considered a full blown America. That more I thought about this question, there were many thoughts that went through my mind. Theoretically I am Irish and Welsh, however I am not familiar with any of the cultural aspects of either society and have never actually been there to visit. As much as I would like to visit these places, and learn about their culture and way of life, I have yet to do so. In my opinion it wouldn’t be fair to tell people I am Irish, becoming a representative of this country when in fact I know nothing about it. After thinking about this for quite some time, I have recently changed my answer when someone asks me “what I am”. In the past (and in the United States) I would answer this question as, “I am Irish.” However, after traveling parts of the world, and realizing more about this topic I now answer, “I am American, but my family is Irish and Welsh.” I think this is a valid answer because it tells what my family heritage, while identifying myself to the country I live in. I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to answer this question. It is of personal preference which way you want yourself to be identified. I do understand where the confusion comes in, and the question about can you truly be “American” even though most of our population has immigrated from another country. As stated before, I think it is a personal preference and can only be determined by how the individual wishes to be perceived. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 21:49:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125998368 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/21/body-image-issues-119-blog/#IDComment124225489 Growing up, I, like most people had many insecurities when it came to my body image. It is possible that these were based upon the fact that I do not look like most people. As we talked about in class, our media portrays an ideal of beauty that is achievable by only a small portion of our entire population. The fact that I looked different had nothing to do with my racial background. I grew up in a white family, in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Even though my town had very little diversity, I still was exposed to people of every race because my family often traveled abroad. Meaning that I was exposed to every type of person from a young age, never really thinking to judge people on mere features alone. My family is of European (as far as we know) descent. However, one trait about me that differs from every single person in my family, as well as all of my peers was the fact that I have red hair. More than that is the fact that I have very fair skin that does not tan, at all. Media today suggests that in order to be beautiful, one must be bronzed to look healthy and full of life. So my fair skin and flaming red hair ultimately became the butt of many jokes. Prior to my birth, no one in my family had been a redhead. So you can imagine the surprise to my very brunette, brown-eyed parents when they gave birth to me. A recessive gene baby was what we attributed it to, but looking different from everyone else always bringing attention to myself, both good and bad got old fast. I know it seems trivial compared to what many people experienced when it comes to racial features making them stick out from their peers. However, I was picked on for being different. I would always complain to my parents about how I hated my hair color. It made me feel different, when all I wanted (as most middle school aged girls) was to look like everyone else. I am not one who usually takes offensive to things, and to this day still don’t see it that way. However when I was younger, it was hard to understand why I looked like no one in my family, or my classmates. As this question asks, if I would have understood that I just happened to look like my ancestors, I would have appreciated that fact that I look different. I believe that this basic concept should be taught in elementary schools across the United States because there are many children who are insecure over body image. It is simply because they do not understand why they look the way they do. Now, I feel fortunate enough to look like my ancestors. I wouldn’t want to look any other way because I understand the reasoning behind it. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:21:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/21/body-image-issues-119-blog/#IDComment124225489 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122169473 I unfortunately believe that no matter how hard we try to change the stereotypes of today's society, it is unlikely that it will happen. Sure there is a possible that a certain stereotypes can evolve or change over time, but the idea that there will one day be a world that is free from stereotypes in unlikely. I am currently in COMM410, which is International Communications. On the first day of class my professor introduced a theory to the class that I found both interesting and applicable to this question. It is the theory of the "Cultural Box". In short, this theory states that people ultimately live their perception of the world according to certain customs that are the most easily accessible to them. These images are then so instilled in their brain that eventually it becomes the only world they know. An example would be the Cold War. People who grew up in this era (and who lived in America) were brought up to believe that all Russians were evil, since that is how our media exposed them. However, those who grew up in Russia were lead to believe that all Americans were evil. Citizens of both countries believed this was an accurate portrayal, and lead to stereotypes that people from this era still believe. This applies to her question because it proves that if people are unwilling to step out of their cultural box and learn that these concepts are false, stereotypes will never become extinct. If people want to see the world for how it really functions, and for what people in other countries are truly like people need to take an unbiased trip around the world. They must keep a mindset that is open to completely new theories of thought, and realize that most everything they thought they knew about other cultures, is wrong. Sadly, most people will not be given the opportunity to take such a trip, and will continue to live in their "box" and maintain a mindset that is ultimately detrimental to globalization. When one race sees themselves as superior to others, a friction is created that will downplay any ability to see what other people, people different than themselves have to offer. In addition to living in a cultural box, I believe that most stereotypes can be attributed to the media and their portrayal of certain types of people. The media not only tells people what to think about, it also skews the beliefs of anyone who doesn't realize that in order to be exposed to accurate information you must go to more than one source. Many people watch one network, or read one newspaper and believe everything is accurate. Disregarding the fact that most television networks are sponsored by political parties and sway stories in their favor. If the media insists that a certain race is smart, fast or less advanced than they are it begins to be believed as true. Which leads to the idea that stereotypes will never be abolished. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:09:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122169473 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122166106 soc 119 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:42:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122166106