coogs117

coogs117

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15 years ago @ World In Conversation - What Americans Fear --... · 0 replies · +1 points

I think that this video is good to show Muslim’s why Americans are afraid of them and don’t like them. When they think of us though, they probably think the same way as we feel about them. They might think that all we want to do is kill them and take over the world and we might not have been doing the best job in proving them wrong. However they have not done a great job in proving us wrong either. All those people with their anti-American signs and all the bombings make us believe that they really are a barbaric people, even though most of them probably are not. I have seen some of the propaganda that is shown to some countries in the Middle East about the United States and they show us as the evil ones like we show them as evil over here. Everyone wants to think that they are the good guys and all the fighting is good against evil. I do not believe the whole good against evil thing though. I think that the reason people fight is for power and control but the government has clever ways of twisting things around to make the quest for power look like we are battling to end evil all over the world. I don’t only think that this is true in the United States, but also in Middle Eastern countries who want more power in the world. They are making us look like the bad guys so they convince their people to hate us and they attack us. Americans do not want to see the Muslim’s in the Middle East get power though because they are not like us. Most people from the United States come from Europe and the customs and culture of the Middle East are unknown to them, therefore they are scared and don’t like or accept them. I think it would be a very rare thing for the United States to attack a European country unless we thought it was absolutely necessary. For example in World War II we didn’t try to stop the Germans for years after the war started even though there was a genocide going on. I think that it could all be fixed if we took the time to get to know them and their culture.

15 years ago @ World In Conversation - What a man is... · 0 replies · +1 points

I can really relate to the writer of this article. In the beginning of the letter he wrote about what a good man should be and how to treat women with respect. I feel like I have most of the qualities he described early on and I’ve done most of those things in all my relationships. I respect women a lot and I am always there to help the women in my life, which is a characteristic that I learned from my father. If my dad found out that my perfect date was “Chinese food and sex” or if I was disrespectful in any way to a woman he would probably still beat my ass even though I’m grown and live by myself. That would never happen though because I was raised to be chivalrous. I have seen the movies and television shows that show men being disrespectful to women too. But there are also movies and television shows with good men in them. I do not think we are brainwashed into thinking that all women want is sex and money. I think that we follow what we see our fathers do. If a person has a very respectful father but sees men treating women bad in the movies I still think that that person will treat women with respect. When I see a woman with a man who disrespects her I just start to feel really bad for that girl. I think that there are a few reasons for a woman to stay in that relationship but none of them and good. She either has grown up with a father who didn’t respect women so she thinks that’s all there is, or she doesn’t respect herself so she allows herself to be treated poorly. She could also be thinking that she can change the guy and she is going to stay with him until he changes. I think that the right way to go about that is to leave him until he changes not to stay with him until he does. Anyway, I think that women being emotionally abused is a problem that guys can help by not doing it and girls can help by not allowing it.

15 years ago @ World In Conversation - FROST BITTEN · 0 replies · +1 points

I think that this is a very sad poem. In this poem the prisoner is talking about how his life has been very cold. He thinks that he is dead and should be in hell. The author believes that he is in hell but he is cold and he is wondering why he is cold because hell is supposed to be a land of fire. He is surrounded by cold souls and he does not want to be around them anymore. He wants to love and feel compassion for others but he can’t because he is in prison. On some level I feel bad for this prisoner because I have felt this way before sometimes too. On the other hand though, I do not feel bad for this person because I assume that they murdered someone because they are in prison for life. Even though I think this person killed somebody I can sort of relate to them on some level. Sometimes I feel like I am in a very cold world that doesn’t care about anything really. It is good for me to think that the author of this poem feels some sort of hope that maybe one day he will feel warmth again and love another person or be loved by someone else. After reading this poem you can sort of feel the loneliness behind it and kind of feel where the prisoner was when they wrote it. He feels like he is less than human because of what he or she did and they want to feel human again but they can’t because they are so confined. He wishes that he didn’t commit the act that caused him to go to prison and he wishes he had forgiveness. Once he is able to forgive himself he will be able to try to fix himself and get the forgiveness he wishes he had now. He will be able to apologize for the pain he has caused. He sympathizes for the family he has caused pain to but he wishes he was out of prison and that his heart would melt and wouldn’t be so cold anymore.

15 years ago @ World In Conversation - Stranger Kidnapping · 0 replies · +1 points

Events such as the attempted kidnapping that was portrayed in the news clip are very uncommon in America, yet it is one of the greatest causes for concern amongst many people. In order to better understand, why people have such a fear of these uncommon circumstances, one may have to look at the role of the media, mass communication, as well as capitalism in society. Today, the media is all pervasive and information can be shared at great speeds. A story such as the attempted kidnapping of this child can be widely spread throughout the country and reach many people. This may spread mass panic in society if many think that these occurances happen often. Furthermore, the capitalist society that exists in America allows such stories to make headline news rather than more important issues. The news media looks for exciting stories to catch the attention of the viewers in order to compete with other news outlets. Therefore, such exciting stories would be more prevalent in the media due to their captivating nature. With such stories throughout the media along with the overall presence of the media in today’s society, people may think that these occurances happen all the time thus causing an enormous fear for such uncommon occurances. With the thought that these occurances happen so frequently, it may give people the feeling that there is a greater possibility of such events occurring.
Given the fear that people have for these uncommon occurances, such as kidnapping, the parents of children give bad advice to their children. On the contrary, experts on the subject of behavior and children say that children should talk to strangers rather than avoid them. This thought may arise from the idea that people are generally good and that they will help. Furthermore, if a child asks a person for help, the person would be aware of the child’s circumstance and in most cases help them. If a person is informed of the child’s situation, an adult can understand how to help the child. On the other hand, if a child does not say anything, the child would be ignored and in even more danger. Hence, the media spreads fear and has an effect on the way people raise their children and sometimes these methods of child rearing may be dangerous.

15 years ago @ World In Conversation - What's the sociologica... · 0 replies · +1 points

When two people are in a loving and stable relationship, they like to consider themselves as soul mates. I think that this concept is ridiculous because there are about 6.8 billion people on Earth so how could your soul mate be narrowed down to one person. It might be simple to narrow it down to 3.4 billion if you know that you like men or women but still the odds are not in your favor. Although I agree with the fact that it is highly unlikely to find a “soul mate” I have said that I have found that person before in the past. I think that people in relationships just like to think that their relationship is special and set apart from others even though that is not the case. I feel like I am compatible with a lot of girls and a lifelong relationship could work out with any one of them. However, as humans most of us have monogamous relationships, which means we pick one person and stick with them for life even though it could work out with millions of other people out there. The invisible strings come down and tie us to the people we meet first who we are compatible with.
A lot of people say to their significant other that they would be lost without one another. This song does a great job in saying that if we never met that person who we truly care about, we can still live happy and fulfilled lives. I really think that the song sends out this message very well and in a funny way. I also agree with the songs message that love grows over time. I’ve never met anyone who has experienced “love at first sight.” Sometimes people are initially attracted to each other and they date for a while and eventually fall in love, but I don’t consider that love at first sight. I think that it is possible for any two, mature, and well rounded adults to be able to fall in love and be happy together for the rest of their lives.

15 years ago @ World In Conversation - Conformity Rules the Day · 0 replies · +1 points

That was a very funny video, but besides entertainment purposes the video points out a very important point. Most people want to go along with whatever the group does. Society has taught us that we should not go against the group. People who do not follow the group are marked as weird and not a lot of people want that for themselves. If we just do what everyone else does then we have a less likely chance to be judged. When a single person goes against a group of people, the group judges that person in a negative way. The easiest way to minimize conflict is to go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing. The last person in the video was a great example of this. He turned every time the actors turned and even took his hat on and off with them. In doing this he lost all sense of individuality, uniqueness, and independent thinking but, in a normal situation that doesn’t involve actors, he would have gained acceptance from the group. Most people do not want to appear foolish to other people and they do not want to be embarrassed so they just do what everyone else is doing.
Groupthink is an important concept in society. When we do it we sort of censor ourselves in a sense that we don’t do what we normally would do. We also don’t question the group’s morality and reasoning. If an individual did something against the law it is very doubtful that a lot of people would join in with him. If an entire group of people did something against the law people would start to think that it is ok and they would do it too. That is how a lot of riots start.
Most people try to match attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to what they perceive as the norm of the social group that they encounter. I, myself, am guilty of conformity. I act differently in almost any situation depending on what I think is the norm. If someone was to observe how I behaved at my parents house and how I behave at a bar with my drinking buddies they would see that I try to conform with how I think the people I’m with think I should act.

15 years ago @ World In Conversation - Americans Gone Wild! · 0 replies · +1 points

I think, along with most sane people, that it is absolutely ridiculous to hold a five year old child responsible for this. The stepfather of the kid is clearly the person responsible for him bringing it to school. The child’s stepfather should be punished for this. He is clearly guilty of neglecting his stepson by allowing him access to a firearm. He should not only have to attend a gun safety class, but he should have to pay a hefty fine along with it. When a citizen owns a gun it is their responsibility to keep it out of the reach of minors and I find this to be a very serious offence.
I think that it is also crazy that the school is suspending the little boy from school until the investigation is over. This is showing the world that the school thinks that the blame falls on the little boy. In my opinion, this kid had no intention of using the gun to shoot another student. He most likely saw the gun and thought it was cool so he put it in his pocket. Now, because of the suspension, the little boy will be home with the irresponsible parents who allow him access to weapons instead of in school where teachers can keep a close eye on him. The fact that there is going to be an investigation that could take weeks to months is absurd. To me it is clear what happened. The dad left a gun where the kid could get it and the kid took it. However I am not a detective so I guess there really is a lot more to it than that.
If this little boy is not allowed back in school soon and the police and school continue to make a big deal out of this then the kid will be labeled by his classmates. It is not a good idea to label a 5 year old child as “the crazy kid who brought the gun to school” because the kid isn’t crazy, he just did what 5 year olds do. He took something that he thought was cool.

15 years ago @ World In Conversation - Last Name ā€œCā€ –... · 0 replies · +1 points

SOC 001