en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/4393316 Comments by davidfuchs12 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/17/voices-from-the-classroom-151/#IDComment343786545 The reason some people do not come out of the closet is not exactly because they are ashamed of their sexual preference. It is because they are embarrassed and nervous for the reaction they would receive from the public, friends, and family. Some people go years and years and years before they come out and some simply do not come out at all. And that is a shame. Everyone should be comfortable with their race, gender, religion and sexual orientation, everyone that makes you, you. However sometimes in this world, especially in today’s age with all the social media that is out there, people will hide as long as they can to hide something that might spark some criticism from the media and other public opinion. However when it comes to being comfortable with who you are, it all starts with the persons life at home and how he or she is raised by their parents. If someone grows up and is raised in a warm, loving, caring family that is there to have each others back through good times and bad, they are more likely to feel more comfortable and welcome when admitting embarrassing and faulty things. This is because they know that their family is going to accept them after they come out and say their sexual orientation. The question that she was asking was why is it easier to come out of the closet having parents that are not as strict. I do not think it has anything really to do with how strict your parents are. As I previously stated it has more to do with how much love and affection your parents show you when you are younger. If you get shown a lot of love, affection and attention, that means you are more comfortable telling these people. And if you have the support of your family you feel more comfortable and confident with other people. This all leads to you being comfortable and confident in yourself. Which is truly something amazing. If you have strict parents who are always yelling at you, you do not feel as if your parents love you as much and thus you are not going to feel as comfortable as someone with a loving and caring family. With strict parents you think you are going to get chastised and yelled at for everything you do, and that is a terrible feeling. Many people out there are in fact gay, or at least bi sexual. The only thing stopping them is the public shame and criticism that comes along with admitting you are attracted to the same sexual orientation. These are the reasons why having stricter parents leads to less people coming out of the closet. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:01:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/17/voices-from-the-classroom-151/#IDComment343786545 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/12/voices-from-the-classroom-147/#IDComment338211262 Very tough question. If I had a wife and kids, and you asked me who three of the most important people in my life are I would probably say my wife, mother and children. So when you ask me who I would save out of them three it goes without saying that it would be a very tough decision. I could sit here all day and make an argument for all three as to what type of impact they have had on my life and why I would want to keep them around more than anyone else. First you got your kid, who your first job is to protect and secure no matter what. Your child is your life and you do no matter what it takes to provide him or her with the best and to make sure they are ready for life. If they are in any danger, you go through leaps and bounds to make sure they end up safe and happy. As I said I can go on all day as to why I should be saving my kid, however going with my thought process my child would not be the one I would be saving that day. Next is my wife. Your spouse is the one you chose to spend the rest of your life with, so it only makes sense that you would naturally want to save your wife out of the three. You made a life long commitment to your spouse. However, however long you’ve known your wife or husband they most likely have not been in your life longer than the other two. Which brings me to number three. My mother. My mother is definitely the one who I would be saving. As I said before, I can go on for days stating an argument for each person. But for my mom, I can literally go on forever. She has been there for me my whole life no matter what. I know this sounds cliché but she is the one who gave birth to me, she created me. No matter what you go through, your mother always has your back. She pushed you when you didn’t think you could do it and that is something I will never forget. All this goes without saying that she is your blood, I know your child is too, but she is your protector, and she would save your life. That is why I would have to save my mom. My thought process might be a little crazy but that’s how it is. When thinking of who and why I would save this particular person, I thought who has been around the longest in my life, and who has been there for me my entire life. Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:58:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/12/voices-from-the-classroom-147/#IDComment338211262 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/03/voices-from-the-classroom-141/#IDComment333357088 One aspect of society that is much different between the Western and Middle-Eastern Civilization, is the way that our women dress. In the middle-east in places such as Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to expose any skin. They cover up everything and the only thing that is exposed is their eyes, so they are able to see. Here in the United States of America, it is a completely different story. You go to the Jersey Shore in July and you see women with next to nothing on. And the guys looove it. They are dressed in outfits that their daddy’s would certainly not approve of in which bikinis barely cover up their body. However that is just how it is here. A question that is up for debate is whether American women respect themselves enough. I do not think that it is a token of whether these women respect themselves enough to cover up. That is just what the culture is now here in America and that is what these young girls grew up seeing. They did not grow up in middle-eastern societies where their mothers and sisters were covered up at all times. Their moms were at the beach in bikinis and at the mall in short-skirts, so that is all they saw growing up. Naturally that is what they adapted to as they became young women. It is the same thing with guys. If you grow up and your dad is a great athlete and all into sports, you are naturally going to be into sports and as a result, will probably be a better athlete. Again that is a nature versus nurture argument to be discussed at a different time. Am I saying that I completely disagree with the way that the middle-eastern women dress, no. That is just part of the culture. The way they view it over there is that, the women of that culture respect themselves a lot more than the women in the United States, because they have the decency to cover themselves up. Is it a little excessive? Probably, but that is just the culture and you will not say or do anything that will change their minds. As I said about the girls in the United States, the women in Saudi Arabia grow up seeing the way their mothers and sisters carry themselves. They do not see them dressing in bikinis on the beach, they are always covered up, which ultimately leads them to grow up worshipping the same concept. So I do think that it is a respect thing? No. I think it is where and when you grow up and how you embrace the culture that you are apart of. Fri, 6 Apr 2012 22:01:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/03/voices-from-the-classroom-141/#IDComment333357088 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-134/#IDComment328040325 I thought this was a GREAT question. This is something that I think about a lot. I always wonder why everyone gets so offended when a stereotype is brought up about their particular religion, race, beliefs, etc. I did not think the assertion about African Americans and the fact that they enjoy watermelon and chicken was a great example but I do agree with what he is saying. Why do people get s upset when a stereotype is brought up about their people. Personally I think that type of stuff is funny. I am Jewish and I could care less is someone brings up something about money and stuff like that. Even if some one uses the derogatory term that is “supposed” to offend people of my religion I really don’t mind it. Why do I care if they call me something. It is a word, it affects me no more than if someone says something else about me. It is not really what they say, it is how and when they use the term. If I am going to get frustrated I am going to get angry no matter what type of diss they use against me. That is why I do not understand when people get so pissed off, up set, and whatever type of bad mood you can think of when someone “disses” them by using and derogatory word, or a stereotype. I completely understand the fact that it is a very sensitive word and it can only bring negative impacts along with it but as I said earlier it is just a word just like the millions of other ones. Obviously if you are in a crowded place and someone yells the “n” word, as an African American you are going to get upset. But hearing that WORD is no different than hearing any other random word that the person could have decided to scream. If I am in a room and I hear someone say kike I do not really get that upset. Yeah, is it very ignorant of them to say that, of course it is. If you know a certain word or phrase bothers certain people it is common courtesy to stay away from using that term or phrase. Although this is the way I think, I know A LOT of people are on the opposing view point and think it is a very big deal when people use derogatory terms, which I completely understand. As I said earlier, at the least it should be a courtesy to excuse yourself from saying these words. Also as a I previously stated it is not really what they say, it is how and when they use the term. If I am going to get frustrated I am going to get angry no matter what type of diss they use against me. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:35:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-134/#IDComment328040325 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/15/voices-from-the-classroom-122/#IDComment317668808 When America originally created the three branches of government, executive, legislative and judicial, they forgot to put in the Constitution and mention the unofficial fourth branch. That is the media. The technical original three branches of government were implemented in order to keep the checks and balances in check and to appease the public people to portray that they are keeping them involved when it comes to making important decisions that are going to affect this country. Deep down I believe this is a bunch of b**l s**t. The government uses media to portray to the public what they want people to hear and see. They manipulate the people by telling the media outlets what news to release to the people so they know what information they are getting. They screen what the media channels can and cant put on. If it is something that is going to make the government look bad, the government will not let the media release the story. They go to any stretch and lengths in order to prevent them from hearing these stories. Now I am not saying this is true by any stretch of the imagination, but immediately after 9/11 people began conspiracy theories about how the government planned 9/11 and/or had intelligence that showed they knew about the attacks, and when and where they were going to happen. Any documentary, movie or clip that tried to go public in persuading the American people about their beliefs on the truth of 9/11 the government would not let out. So back to the main question which asks, how do I make my own decisions on what I do and do not believe when it comes to stories and news that the media releases. I truly believe that I have a good judge of character and I can typically know when someone is telling me the truth, or simply feeding me a bunch of crap. I understand that I am not a human lie detector test, but when it comes to this stuff I have good instincts and I tend to trust what my gut feeling is telling me. I rarely ever believe exactly what the media is saying on the TV, Radio, Internet, etc. I am not saying I do not believe that these events and stories did not happen, but I do not believe the little facts that they either add in, or simply leave them out when delivering a story. This really has nothing to do with the war and politics, but when a something happens in sports such as a player cannot play and the reason is because they are sick. Yes of course I believe he cannot play because he actually isn’t. But I am very skeptical as to the reason why he is not playing. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:15:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/15/voices-from-the-classroom-122/#IDComment317668808 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/29/what-more-do-you-want-to-think-about/#IDComment306782455 Throughout the semester sitting in on a Soc 119 class with Sam Richards I have been very shocked and have reacted to many different things that he has spoken about. The topics that he talks about are relative to the world and, although very radical sometimes, are quite true, even though some people do not want to admit it. However one lecture stood out to me and hit me pretty hard. This was the lecture about how the white race is easily superior to every other race in the world. I always knew that whites had the ultimate power over pretty much everyone else, however when Sam gave this lecture and used a certain example it really hit home. He grabbed two girls, one of an African American decent and a white girl. The African Americans name was LaQuisha, or something along those lines. I don’t exactly remember the name of the white girl but it was a typical white name, like Kristin or something. He then went on to say that these two girls of completely different races and backgrounds have the same exact qualifications and their resumes look identical to each other. Neither of them have a criminal background or anything like that to deter them from getting the job. He then went on to say that the white girl named Kristin has a 50% better chance of getting picked then the African American named LaQuisha. The employer doing the hiring might not have a clue that LaQuisha is black but just from the name he assumes that she is African American. Many people think that African Americans have the advantage because of affirmative action and the fact that they don’t think companies want to get in trouble for discriminating against minorities. It might be true, companies do hire some minorities for that reason, however most of the time they hire the person who “sounds” most qualified for the job. They don’t see qualified as having a higher education and a better resume, they see a name and make an assumption from that. Although I think it is a terrible thing, I can kind of understand how employers make SOME assumptions from hearing a name. Overall this little segment in class that Sam hit me pretty hard. I always thought and spoke about these kinds of things however after hearing Sam speak about it and explain some things out I gained a whole new perspective on this aspect. It opened my mind up to thinking deeper into the issue of race and discrimination when it came to employers and the workforce. This is one lesson of Sams that I will remember in particular when it comes to Soc 119 Sat, 3 Mar 2012 04:17:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/29/what-more-do-you-want-to-think-about/#IDComment306782455 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/23/voices-from-the-classroom-115/#IDComment300882080 The other day in class Sam gave a great example of how race discrimination can affect job applications. Most people like to say the politically correct answer and say that if they were in a position to hire someone they would always pick the most qualified person for the job. I think that is a lie. The analogy that Sam used in class somewhat sums up my views on this situation pretty well. I think that companies and corporations and the people the do the hiring and interviewing of potential employees discriminate 100%. I believe that even before meeting the potential workers, they make a pre-determined judgement about the person simply by just viewing their resume. While I do think that this is a big problem and it is very unfortunate, that is just how the world works. Certain types of people have stereotypes and that will never change. So when a boss looks at a resume and sees the name is ‘TaQuisha’ unfortunately he immediately thinks it is an uneducated African American female. With that being said, if the same boss sees a resume and sees the name Jessica pop up he or she is most likely thinking that it is an educate white female who was brought up well. I would go as far to say that if a potential African American employee has a resume that is equal to if not better than a potential white employee the person who does the hiring for the company will STILL take the white person over the African American. Again that is just how the world works. Now I am not saying that I discriminate but I can kind of see where the employers are coming from when they make a little bit of a judgement after looking at a resume. If I was an employer and I was interviewing and hiring potential employers the name on the resume would tell me SOMETHING about the person I was reading about. For example; if I was looking at a resume and the name was “Blue Ivy” I would be very hesitant to hire this person. NOT because they are African American or whatever race or religion they are. A person with the name Blue Ivy does not sound like a very educated person. Same situation if I was looking at two very similar resumes and the two names on the papers were DaQuan and Ethan I would most likely hire Ethan. Again NOT because of race or anything like that. I believe that this occurs because that is what the norm in society is now. People are raised to believe that type of stuff and unfortunately it has become the social norm for that. Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:09:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/23/voices-from-the-classroom-115/#IDComment300882080 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/16/voices-from-the-classroom-108/#IDComment295017622 One interesting topic Sam brought up in class this week was about sports. Not just sports, but why certain races dominate certain sports. I thought this was very interesting because this is something that I think about very often. Why do African American always dominating basketball? Why are Latinos so good at playing baseball? Why are Asians so proficient at the game of ping pong? I think these are all questions plenty of people in the world would like to know, especially avid sports fans. The main reason I think this is, is because way back then, hundreds of years ago, these races genetically formed a gene that helped them perform better than others at that specific game. For example; African Americans are naturally better athletes than others, they can jump higher, run faster and are typically much taller. Now, am I saying that they jump higher, and run faster than everyone? No, there are obviously some people in other races that contain these traits as well but on average African Americans are usually better. If you look at the National Basketball Association today, a majority of the league is black. Pretty much every teams starting lineup is black and the only white people on the team barely ever get into the game. However, like I said before there are some white people in the league that are better than most whites and play better than some African Americans. Same with Asians, Latinos, etc. I think once the specific race received the gene to excel at a specific sport, it just became part of the culture. For example; once Spanish people gained the ability to be extra-ordinary at soccer, the game of soccer became a way of life in pretty much every Spanish country. Once it becomes a way of life, they are not only amazing at that specific sport because they have the correct genes, they play this sport like it is part of their religion. Like soccer is a way of life in Spanish countries. African Americans around the world all play basketball because it is pretty much expected of them, and they are expected to be good. When you walk into a gym for a game and see that the other team has a big black guy on their team, everyone just assumes he is amazing. In reality this guy can be the worst athlete in the world, but because of his skin it is preconceieved that he is a great player. It is like evolution, certain species contain a gene that gives them a competitive advantage at certain stuff, and it is the same way in sports. If you have an advantage over others you are going to excel and your species will contain that gene and use it to their advantage forever. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:19:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/16/voices-from-the-classroom-108/#IDComment295017622 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment289015384 As Sam stated in class the other day, many white people shy away from talking about race. This is very common and it is rare to see someone of Caucasian decent discuss race with someone of another race. However it is not uncommon to hear someone of another race, such as; African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanics speak about race. I tend to agree with that assertion all the way. I see that everyday. Often times a race issue will be brought up and at the first chance an African American will chime in on the conversation, and a white person will shy away from the subject. Now the question is, “why is this?” Not to be a supremacist but I think it is because white people have a majority of the power in this country, and in the world. When I say power I mean there are more white people than any other race in the world. When America was discovered by the Indian Americans, white people came years later and just kicked them out of the land. Then hundreds of years later they made African Americans into slaves. Like, who are these people to come and just claim these people as property, right? The point that I am trying to make is that I think whites avoid the topic of race out of guild and pity. I think ultimately deep down we feel bad about everything that we did throughout history. Like I said before white people have continuously dominated the world and unfairly used other races to their advantage. Due to that, I think the races that were taken advantage of feel slighted and that they were never properly compensated for what was done to their people. It is like if you went into one of your peers homes and bullied him or her around, stole their personal items and then kicked them out of their house. Wouldn’t they feel slighted? Obviously, and the person who did these actions obviously don’t have a big heart but when it comes to talking about that person they wouldn’t be the first to input their opinion. And the person who was bullied around would be the first to bash the guilty party when it came to it. This is the same situation that took place here in America. The white people came into the homes of the Native Americans and just threw them out and placed them onto other land. Then they used African Americans as their slaves for hundreds of years. Yes, of course these other races have no problem speaking about race around whites, however whites have a big issue speaking about race around minorities because I think they know what they did was wrong. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:05:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment289015384