en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2414131 Comments by dmn5100 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170365105 I agree with you completely that it is hard to say affirmative action is a bad thing. I also have received jobs because of nepotism, and although my father helped me out with it because of who he knows, I also believe that I deserve the job. It's not like I got the job and was not qualified for it or wasn't willing to work hard. I agree with you that you can't blame people for wanting help through their connections to become successful. If you know people, why not use them for your advantage. I understand how affirmative action could definitely be a negative thing when you believe you deserve a job but do not get it because it is given to someone else because of affirmative action. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 18:20:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170365105 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170363929 I think that if you let people to what they want to do or don't want to do, then I don’t think the world would be equal. I agree that affirmative action is not just, but there are reasons why we have certain laws and rules that help us be more equal. Affirmative action definitely doesn’t seem fair, but I think having it is better than not having it at all. I know Sam says that some people who don’t need boosts end up getting them through affirmative action, but I think sometimes it could benefit someone who is really in need. I mean, I don’t know much about affirmative action and the backgrounds of it, but I think Sam was only speaking in a negative light about it. Affirmative action was made to eliminate inequalities and discrimination, so it couldn’t be all that bad. I found it extremely surprising how in the video, Harper High school kids were being taught less information than the suburban school. All kids should be taught a similar curriculum. I have no idea how I would pay to help the kids who are unequal at that high school. In the world today, Nepotism is the key to success. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. I honestly don’t know if Nepotism is bad for the world. Connections are very important. Meeting people and having others know you, your personality, and your work ethic is very important to be successful. Obviously this is not fair, but networking is a part of life, like that student during the lecture brought up. Our family and friends are obviously going to help us become successful. If my father was Donald Trump, I am obviously going to use him and his connections to become successful in my life. I think when it comes to the scholarships and aid part of affirmative action, it is a good thing. They normally don’t have scholarships specifically made for white males. They will have scholarships for people who are specifically black, Hispanic, handicapped, or whatever it may be, which I think is positive. There are definitely negatives to affirmative action, but I just think this lecture only talked about the negative. I agree completely with Obama’s views of affirmative action. I’m not sure if FAFSA is considered affirmative action, but I think they do a good job of deciding who needs financial aid. Basing how much aid they give to students on their family’s income seems fair. Of course there are some times where financial aid is given to people who don’t need it as much. When they look at the marital status of the parents and see that someone is divorced, they may give more money to that student when in reality that family’s income is very high although there is only one parent. Things like this will never be truly fair and equal. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 18:16:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170363929 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169470857 I agree that I have never seen any positive things about immigration and illegal immigrants in the news media. I could see how businesses thrive only because of how little they are playing their employees who end up being illegal immigrants who need money and will work any job they could find for whatever pay is offered to them. The pear story was shocking to me, as well. I agree with you completely that Americans wouldn't do the work that illegal immigrants are offering to do. I feel that many Americans think those types of jobs are too dirty and low to be working, and instead they would much rather be working in a nice office somewhere. Mon, 4 Jul 2011 01:37:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169470857 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169469729 It was really sad hearing Andrew Jackson call the Native Americans savage dogs and that he thought by killing them he would help further civilization. Before even watching this lecture, I always thought it was difficult to deal with immigration and illegal immigrants because a lot of businesses depend on them. Illegal immigrants need jobs and are willing to work for cheap. Their cheap labor is extremely important to business when money is their main concern. I completely agree that businesses are calling the shots more than political parties are. The story about the pear farm that didn’t pick their pears in time because there were no “pickers” (when we all know that means immigrant workers) is crazy to hear. Clearly you could see how businesses suffer when there are more intense immigration laws because it is stopping the people who are willing to work from coming to this country. I do not consider illegal immigrants criminals. They are people just trying to make a living and should not be treated as bad as there are. Listening to the ranting youtube guy made me angry because immigrants DO have rights. I understand how people can argue that illegal immigrants are taking our jobs, but we want to do these jobs for the little pay that these immigrants are making. It is extremely hard to live here legally as an immigrant, and not many even know where to begin or how to start when looking to become legal. We can’t expect every single person who immigrates to America to completely forget their culture and traditions from their country, but I’m sure they are all trying to learn English or become more “American”. People can integrate into America while still hanging on to their customs. My mother moved to America with my grandparents (her parents) from Ecuador. She told me that in her eyes the way she could belong and become more American was to learn English, which is what she did. She was able to speak both English and Spanish and still kept her Spanish traditions. My grandparents still don’t know English very well, but they were able to get well paying jobs and live relatively successful lives. Not everyone who immigrates here feels the need to learn English to become American, like my grandparents. They kept their Ecuadorian traditions, like certain meals they cooked, yet they were able to adapt and be considered Americans to the people around them. America is such a great country because we are not made up of one race, one religion, or one culture. We are a melting pot of cultures and people. America has never been made up of just one race. The United States of America was started by immigrants who travelled here from their mother countries, so it is wrong for people to want to keep immigrants out now. Mon, 4 Jul 2011 01:31:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169469729 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168108566 I also thought it was interesting when Sam talked about gay and straight couples dealing with children and adoption. I think it is completely unfair how much a gay couple has to go through and all the paperwork they have to fill out in order to adopt a child. Gay couples are perfectly capable of taking care of, loving, and being there for a child just as well as straight couples. The fact that straight couples take their ability to have a child for granted is sad. I think it is outrageous that people think if a child is brought up with homosexual parents that they will become gay, as well. Being gay is not a choice and it not something that will be decided upon because of the environment you live in. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:30:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168108566 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168106757 I don’t think that the reason why Democrats want to live in a more diverse community than Republicans has to do with political correctedness. Personally, when I think of conservative Republicans I think of white, older men in politics with the ideology that they will always be on top and deserve to be there. I agree with Sam that this is where the idea that Republicans are racist comes from. I think I may think this because I know Republican states, or the red states, are mainly in the south. When I think of the south, I think of racism and connect it to slavery and the confederacy. I know it sounds like a very extreme thought but it is what I think. Obviously I know that not all Republicans fall into this stereotype that I have come up with, but the fact that they have the smallest percentage who would live in a more diverse community kind of backs up what I think. America is definitely a multicultural society, and I’ve always known this, but with this brings fear, anger and hate of others. Although I do believe is strengthens our country, there are so many cultures in America that I think it can make people feel that they have to take sides and decide what group they belong to. People don’t think of themselves as American, rather they will describe themselves as part of another group that has something to do with their culture and family background like Italian, Mexican, Black, White, etc. It was insane seeing all the rap music from different countries. People in America associate rap and hip-hop with the black culture, but watching the video, America was one of the only countries that had a black rapper. It is amazing to see that the same type of music is popular all around in the world in all these different languages. I agree with the guy that if someone is immigrating or living in a different country, they should try to speak the native language of the land. I am going abroad in the spring to Spain, and I know when I am there I am going to have to speak Spanish to people in that country. If I spoke English the entire time I wouldn’t be moving forward and it would be unfair to the people who are native to Spain for them to have to try and understand me speaking English when it is not their language and when I am not from their country. I believe that a big problem with assimilation is that groups will not change their ways and let go of their own culture. This goes for both immigrants and people who believe they are “from” America. People complain that immigrants have to give up their older cultures and language to become American, but what about people who consider themselves true Americans? Why can’t they get rid of their old ways of thinking and racism? Why can’t they open their minds to a new culture, just as they want immigrants to do? Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:24:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168106757 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165542355 I agree with you that it is important not to get angry with someone who is at a different stage than you, although I feel like I do it all the time. I find myself disagreeing with someone who seems very ignorant and has completely different views than me. People come from different places and have experienced different things, which lead them to believe the things they do. I agree that I try to educate people more about race, especially with what I have learned so far in this class. The video about the children picking the dolls was the most eye-opening to me as well. I assumed that children would pick dolls that look most like them, which was not the case in the video. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:01:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165542355 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165537397 It was very different relating the same lessons from last week on white people now to colored people. The movie “A Girl Like Me”, it was strange seeing the children pick the lighter skinned doll as being the “nice” doll and the darker skinned as being the “bad” doll. You would think that children would prefer a doll that looks like them. I used to baby sit my younger cousins and we would always play with her dolls. She had one black doll and the rest were white. Every time I came over I noticed she would never pick up her black doll to play with it. One day I asked her why she doesn’t play with that doll and she said she didn’t like it. I didn't want to ask her why or get too into that issue with her, because she was just a little girl, but I was assuming it was because of the color of the doll. It’s weird how little kids are biased towards things like the color of a dolls skin even though they really don’t know what it means. If you were to ask me if I think Penn State is too white before I saw the statistics I would say that I don’t think Penn State is too white. I went to a very diverse school so I have to disagree with what Sam said about how our answer depends on where we went to high school. I am friends with many black and Asian people here, as well as white, which is why I would think Penn State is diverse. I thought that Penn State was a very diverse community, but after being shown the statistics I see that I am wrong. Penn State is so huge that it’s hard to only see white people. I think that guy Kenneth Eng is crazy. He immediately started talking about science fiction, which was not relevant to the topic of his racism. When Sam told me he was off his medication, the things he was saying definitely made more sense. I am surprised he wasn’t fired sooner. I think the woman from the collegian photo who asked, “why are all these white people here?” was in the immersion stage because she doesn’t see that they belong at that protest and she is more about “them” and “us”. I agree with Sam that white people really don’t know what it’s like to be in the minority, unless they are gay but I am talking about racially. Even if their friends or family are a different race and they might be offended by something that someone says about their friend’s race, they still really wouldn’t understand what it feels like even though they might think they do. I believe that people of color can be homophobic depending on where they come from. In my women’s studies class we watched a video on people in Ghana and other African countries who rape lesbian women to teach them not to be gay anymore. The videos were very brutal and the words that the men said to the camera were very degrading towards gays. If people come to America from these countries, I can definitely see how these ways stick with them and they become homophobic. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:43:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165537397 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164399269 I know exactly what you mean when you say you also get angry when people do not know the same things about race that you do. I always have arguments or talks with people who seem so extremely ignorant about issues of race and religion, especially when it comes to Muslims and Arabs, and I feel the need to explain to them what I have learned in this class. I agree that I feel some sort of obligation to share what I have learned in this class and correct people's misconceptions. I find myself mostly defending Arab families and Muslim families in the US and the explaining to people who have misconceptions about them what I have learned in this class. People seem to ignore me and think that I am wrong in whatever I say, and instead of doing what Sam says we should do and give in so that we do not argue, I can't help but keep arguing because it makes me too angry. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 22:57:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164399269 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164397528 I agree that treating everyone equally means that we shouldn’t see color. I don’t get what’s so wrong about white people being cautious about what they say so that they don’t offend anyone of color. I don’t think white people who are cautious about what they say are avoiding the issue of race, I just think that they don’t want to be looked at as being offensive. The video about the singing twin little girls completely shocked me. This hate is what happens when people see color in the people around them and see themselves belonging to a specific group who they think are better than others. I think stories like this justifies why I don’t think pre-awakening is such a bad thing. When Sam talked about racial identifiers and how we never want to say or describe someone using race, I thought about how many times I’ve tried to avoid describe people by using their race. When I was younger, my best friend was Jamaican and black. I remember talking to her about someone who I thought she would know and then described him as black. She got very offended and told me that I shouldn’t be looking at race when I look at people. I never felt more horrible in my life after this moment because I thought I truly hurt my best friend’s feelings by using the identifier, although I was using it in a way that it fit into the story. Ever since then I try to avoid using racial identifiers as much as possible, no matter what the circumstances, because I truly do not want to offend anyone just as I did my best friend. I do not think identifiers that describe sex are the same as ones that describe race. I do not think people get as offended if you were to describe someone as “bro” or “dude”. I say “dude” all the time because it is just how I speak, and no one has ever said anything to be about it or was offended by it. I’ve seen the Red House Furniture commercial before on YouTube. The first time I ever saw it I immediately laughed because I had no idea why they had to describe their race before they described how much they loved the Red House and their furniture. To me, there was no point or benefit to talking about race in that commercial besides making that furniture store more well-known through it’s controversial commercial. I have gotten into an argument with friends about race and I have used examples from this class to back up my beliefs. I personally don’t have the feeling of white guilt. I think this is because the white side of my family is Jewish and have been through a lot through the Holocaust, so I can understand how black people are angry about slavery even though it was in the past. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 22:49:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164397528 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163018548 I definitely agree with you that I see myself moving back and forth from stage one to stage two. I personally do not think being in the pre-awakening stage is such a bad thing. This stage reminds me of when we were all younger kids, maybe around kindergarten and pre-school, where we did not care about the color of people's skin or what our classmates wore. People might be better off in the pre-awakening stage because that way they will not have to try to be politically correct or offensive to others because they are ignorant to people's differences in the first place. I, too, try not to stereotype people into "us" and them" categories and try to keep an open mind. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:47:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163018548 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163017583 It’s crazy to think that the things we are not conscious of or think about every day such as our height or right/left-handedness impact our lives so much. When I was younger I was definitely in the first pre-awakening stage because I honestly didn’t really think about race much until I entered high school. I had a lot of different kinds of people in my high school of all different races, which caused me to start thinking of the differences between myself and them. I never thought about how other people could see me through their eyes until then. I can definitely see how people give the stereotype to white people on how they are ignorant on what it means to be white and that they have no problems. Although I know being white is an advantage, life isn’t easy for everyone no matter what race. The stories that Sam told us about the paralyzed people made me laugh, but then after I realized I was laughing at people with disabilities. I could help laughing though because I don’t know what it’s like to be paralyzed. I definitely understand how those stories pertain to the pre-awakening stage. When that comedian said that he loves being white because he could go back in time to any time period and as long as he’s white it will be okay, I realized that it was pretty true. Clearly white people have had extreme advantages over colored people in the past but I believe that times are changing. The population is become a lot more intermingled, especially in the U.S., and I believe the “us” and “them” lines are blurring as future generations grow. I definitely don’t think I dive right into to talking about race, even though I know the differences are there, but I also don’t think I shy away from it. I think I am somewhere in the middle. Two of my best friends are Asian and I certainly don’t talk about our differences every day but we do kid and joke around about it a lot. They are my best friends though so they know not to take things seriously. I also ask them serious questions about their culture, although they are both pretty Americanized, and they ask me questions about mine as well. Although I talk with my friends about race I wouldn’t go up to a random person in my class and ask them what it’s like to be black or white or brown because personally I think it’s rude. I don’t think there is an answer on how white people should treat people of color to be equal because everyone is different. White people and colored people should not be thought of as a single group because the people in that group all have different opinions and thoughts. I think political correctness is honestly a good thing. People don’t want to be thought of as racist so I don’t see why they can’t be politically correct and try not to offend people. To me is works for both groups, people don’t want to offend others nor do those others want to be offended. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:42:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163017583 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160812894 I agree with you that most of the movies that have to do with criminals portray white people that are most likely male. I think movies and television do this so that they do not seem racist by portraying anyone other than a white person, who turn out to be least likely arrested. I also agree that everyone is responsible for there own actions, although those actions are pretty much chosen for them from the start because of sociological factors. I think you are right that it is up to us and future generations to change the world of racism and discrimination. Hopefully in the future the world can acknowledge these problems more than they do now. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 01:59:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160812894 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160811623 The first part of the lecture made me laugh. I liked the way that Sam showed us how we truly aren’t free by making the students try and scratch parts of there body that aren’t acceptable to do in public. You can really understand how the invisible strings shape different people. I agree that luck of birth and sociological factors are the main reasons why people are who and where they are today. People do not have to be better than anyone or smarter than anyone to be living in a wealthy family and become successful, it all depends on where you were born and the luck of the draw. I was born to a middle class family from America. I could have easily been born into a family of poverty in a country on the opposite side of the world. It all depends on luck. I think I would consider myself more of a determinist after this lecture. I used to believe that we were always responsible for our own actions and that we were free to make all of our decisions, but this lecture has taught me differently. There are definitely special cases where someone was not lucky enough to be born to a wealthy family, yet can get far in life and be the most dominant by making the right choices, but that is normally not the case. The dominant group will always be the most dominant, therefore they will always be in control from generation to generation. It’s weird to think that throughout our lives we are taught that if try our hardest we can be whatever we want to be and get far in life. In reality you can work as hard as you want, but it all really depends on the group you were born in and if you even get the opportunity to be successful. Sociology can definitely explain why some people go to college and others don’t. To me, most of it depends on determinism. You truly are not “choosing” to go to college if you are from a wealthy family and your father and your father’s father, etc. all went to the same college and you are passing on the family name. I am sure there are some rare cases, but in the case of rebellion, it is coming from other sociological factors different from where your family is from. Maybe it comes from the groups of friends you hung out with in high school or the clubs and sports you played or didn’t play. Both of my parents’ parents never went to college, therefore it was my mother and fathers duty to themselves to go to college and do better for themselves. Both my parents ended up going to college and now it is my turn to go and do better than they have for myself. It is all a cycle. The invisible strings influence every choice we make in our lives. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 01:53:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160811623 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158996914 It's crazy and even annoying to think that money and family income is almost always the reason that helps get people farther in life. I went to a relatively wealthy public school. All of our buildings were brand new and I've never once had to use a ragged old text book. I also had my own private SAT tutor who came to my house, much different than what the African American boy you described in the book you read had. It is sad to realize that I could receive the same SAT score as the boy from the book, yet he had to try 10 times harder than I did. If that boy had the privileges that I did and still worked as hard as he did, there is no telling how successful he could become. It is understandable that SAT scores rise with family incomes, but it doesn’t mean it’s right. Sat, 4 Jun 2011 00:21:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158996914 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158993885 How low the percentages of people who graduated from college in 2004 was extremely shocking to me. I believe a lot of it has to do with people just not going to college at all rather than actually dropping out of school and not graduating. I know a lot of kids who graduated in my class who worked for their parents or their families after they graduated from high school so they didn’t feel the need to go to college. I also know a lot of kids who just couldn’t afford schooling. Having less than 50% graduate out of every group and only 24.4% out of the entire US population is lower than I would have ever expected. When it comes to these statistics, I think most people who do not graduate don’t choose to do so on their free will. I would say that people who are better than others at playing sports can be because of their race, but what makes a racial group? I suppose it could be based off of ancestry. I agree with Sam that it could be because certain groups live in different areas where certain sports are more dominant. Certain sports can also be more expensive to play. I think a lot of characteristics are because of genetic factors. For instance when it comes to IQ, some people just naturally retain information and have photogenic memories, making it easier for them to study and learn. People are naturally smarter than others. If both of your parents are inventors or scientists, you are going to be smarter than others. I don’t believe in the achievement ideology. I think that Americans can succeed if they work hard enough, but we all do not have an equal chance of “making it”. To me, a lot of the times success comes because of who you know. Connections are key to get far in life. We are not all equal in our chances of succeeding in life because of people’s backgrounds, ancestries, where they were born, etc. I think inequality and success is rooted a bit from all the explanations, biological, socio-psycho cognitive, and socio-structural. I personally believe the psycho-cognitive explanation is used the least because I do not think the circumstances are primarily/only shaped by our individual choices. I believe that some of our economic and political success is based on free will because we are the ones that make all of the choices that lead us to success, but the choices we are given could be based on our socioeconomic status and/or what we look like. When Sam was talking about the structural constraints that cause people to make the choices they make, it really opened my eyes to what making a choice really means. With the sibling dying of cancer example, I wouldn’t be “choosing” not to study, but I am also not forced to be taking care of my sibling. It is really difficult in situations like these to differentiate free-will and determinism. Sat, 4 Jun 2011 00:05:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158993885 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158382390 I was also in Sam's SOC 001 class last semester and I recognized some examples from this lecture and his class last semester. I completely agree that ethnocentrism is the root of hatred. People simply do not understand that their thoughts, beliefs and customs are not the only way of life. Being the superior group is definitely sought after, which is why people put others down so much. Many people just assume their beliefs are the best and do not take the time to see another person's point of view, especially the people who we are fighting a war against. We are ignorant and ignoring the fact that there is a complete other side and another point of view to consider. If we thought about how or why people do the things that they do, like the insurgents in Iraq who are defending themselves, we would have a completely different view of the world. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 01:48:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158382390 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158380120 I have always thought the war against Iraq started because of our need for oil. I don’t know much about the war because It frustrates me even talking about it. Sam having us pretend that we were Muslims in Iraq made me really think about what the civilians living there must believe about Americans. We all have misconceptions about each other and it hard for us to realize both sides of a story until someone helps us point it out. It’s shocking to find out that the people of the Middle East believe the United States and our military is all Christian, but to be honest my first impressions of people of the Middle East is that they are all Muslim when I’m sure that is not the case. Seeing the video that was sent to Sam about the Jihads was insane. Obviously, not all Muslims are terrorists and want to attack Americans. Sure, there are some who hate us, but there are as many of them as there are Americans who feel that way about Muslims. We are not very different from people of the Middle East. If I was a Muslim and saw that Evangelical warrior video, I too would think all Christians are crazy and worth being afraid of, but in a way we can compare the video to how people think all Muslims are terrorists. If anyone, not just people of the Middle East, watched these videos of extreme Christians, they would all think they were insane. To me, true Christians wouldn’t want people to be punished or die. In the German video, when the Christian talked about how sometimes their beliefs can lead to people dying, I immediately though of extreme pro-life activists. In my women’s studies class, we watched a video about Christian pro-life activists who believed it was their job to kill abortion doctors to save the lives of babies. In many instances they even went after the women who were seeking to get abortions at the clinics. I believe that if you truly are a religious person and a Christian, that you would never believe that you must kill someone or cause harm to others. A lot of the facts about the war and our military that Sam told us made me cringe. George Bush saying that this war is a crusade is absolutely ridiculous. Not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan is Muslim, just as not everyone in America and in our military is Christian. Also, the fact that the US military said they can kill 29 civilians to take out 1 bad guy made me extremely angry. There should be no price that civilians have to pay just because of what our military’s goals are. The video of the soldiers who caught the Iraqi people stealing was disgusting to me. Those GIs had no right to destroy the car and talk to those people that way. It would be one thing if they were trying to steal their tanks or belongings, but they were taking wood that they needed for their homes. There are many stories of soldiers treating the Iraqi’s badly and it is appalling. All of these videos and comments really opened my eyes to what was going on in the war and over seas. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 01:37:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158380120 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment155789603 Reading your post reminded me a lot of myself. I am also from New Jersey and I am half Hispanic and half white so I can definitely relate to you. I do not look like the Hispanic stereotype. My father is extremely tan for being white and Jewish, and although he is not Italian, he looks like that is his background. Just like you, people think I am Italian all the time and just assume that is what my background is without even asking me. We are different though when it comes to our families. The Hispanic side of my family does not care that I am half white and don't seem to treat me differently. My family actually gets along very well for being different religions and ethnicities. Tue, 24 May 2011 23:22:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment155789603 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment155785710 I agree that racial groups are not real and are just made up. Although race is based on physical characteristics, which are clearly straight forward, you can never tell what a person’s “race” is just by looking at them. Sure, there are certain people who look exactly like the stereotype of their race, but there is simply no way you can put someone into a racial group just by looking at them and not knowing their background. In the first part of the lecture, I was completely astonished at the exercise where Sam took a group of people from the audience and a student had to categorize them into races. Not one of them had the same background, which was crazy to me. I, myself, tried to figure out where the people were from and I never guessed correctly. I agree with Sam that no one would agree on what race really is. People look at others in all different ways and have their own thoughts about what certain races look like. At the end of the first part of the lecture when a student said that she has never seen those 3 racial groups before, that is what I was thinking as well when I saw that slide. I have never seen those words before and at first it even confused me as to what race really is. In the second part of the lecture when Sam showed the picture of the identical twins where one was white and one was black, I was amazed that they were identical twins. He went on to say that the twins would look identical if you photoshopped their skin color to be the same. I tried to compare the twins and I just couldn't see them looking alike just because their hair and skin tone was different. That just goes to show how skin color really has an affect on what we see when we look at people. It was interesting to learn how a lot of the physical differences between groups of people is based on climate. It was also interesting to learn that a lot of black people used to pass off as being white to avoid slavery. People think that they know what people’s race is just by looking at them, but that is usually not the case. I am glad that Sam brought up the topic on how some people see traits as better than others. It is crazy to me how skin whitening cream is the leading cosmetic product in the world when there are people who may thousands of dollars a year to go tanning and make their skin darker. It is sad how skin whitening creams are named things like “perfect white”. I think that no matter how we are born, we are just never happy with how we naturally are. We spend so much money trying to change ourselves into something we are not, when in reality if we just embrace what we already have we would be that much happier with ourselves. Tue, 24 May 2011 23:05:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment155785710