en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3569322 Comments by dwemerick http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223654211 I feel that most people when pressured to answer truthfully, would feel the same way that I do. It is a sad point to make but it is just one of those things that Sam said just “is.” Another area that I have heard speculated about was that his trial would be a much quicker process if he were a minority. I do not put too much stock in this argument. I believe that in cases that involve high profile pictures the trial is going to take some amount of time to come to fruition. Sandusky’s race or ethnicity would not have that much of a difference in my opinion. There are some areas that would be different, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that crimes against children are going to be considered pretty much the worst crimes no matter what race you are. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:45:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223654211 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223654050 I believe that this is because the safety and well-being of children is universally accepted as something that takes utmost priority. The factor of race would only end up as a side note in this area of discussion. I do not think that when they get down to looking at the victims and everything they have been through you could honestly say that they are going to care what race or ethnicity Sandusky was. No matter what, these crimes are appalling. With all that I said above, there are certain areas that would more than likely be different if Sandusky had been a minority. The most glaring factor that would most likely be different is the bail situation. As it was mentioned in lecture, Sandusky was released without having to pay anything it was all on his word that he would show up to his trial. I have to believe that if he were in fact black or latino he would have had some amount of money he would have to pay. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:44:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223654050 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223653782 The question, “If Sandusky was black or latino would this change the case?” is an interesting quandary. In some aspects I do believe that the case would be different; however, I think that for the most part it would be pretty much the same. It is hard to speculate though, based on the fact that it is hard to say how the media, police, and all other areas we have seen blow up play out if he were a minority. There is so much to this case that when analyzed it is almost impossible to say that it would be one way or another. I think that the majority of this case would be the same. I believe that the type of crimes that were allegedly committed transcend the matter of race or ethnicity. When it comes to crimes that involve children, it does not really matter what race you are the response would have been the same. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:44:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223653782 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220106222 This presumption of guilty instead of innocent is not something new to us. Even though the system has changed long ago, it is still hard to find a jury of one’s own peers that has no predetermined biases. With this in mind, I do not think that we will ever be able to operate the criminal justice system to its most efficient state. However, we can look at how we are behaving now and try to correct our mindsets as best we can. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:22:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220106222 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220106028 I think another factor into this presumption of guilt has to do with the general audiences’ outlook. We as a society are very impatient. In a society where information is just a mouse click away, waiting for a case with this high of a profile to unfold is tortuous. I think this leads to many people jumping to the quickest solution of the case, which is that the defendant is guilty. This means that they do not have to go through the long process of actually finding the defendant to be guilty. Even in cases where it seems that all of the circumstances point to a certain person, the case may not always be that clear cut. In these situations I feel that it would be much better to gather all of the evidence, then and only then can the phrase “guilty” be bestowed upon someone. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:22:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220106028 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220104629 The criminal justice system for the longest time has been based off of the assumption that everyone accused of a crime is assumed innocent until proven guilty. The system has many flaws but as a whole it works pretty well. The problem is that many people often presume that someone is guilty before they even have a chance to prove his/her innocence. I think that it has a lot to do with the way that society is set up today. In the recent scandals that have rocked Penn State, the accused Jerry Sandusky has never really been given a chance to prove his innocence. He has been presumed guilty from the beginning. I am also guilty of this thinking. After hearing the allegations, I was so outraged that I immediately believed the guy was guilty. It certainly looks like he is guilty of the charges against him, but the way the criminal justice system is supposed to work is innocent until proven guilty. In this regard the people have failed. They have jumped to conclusions without looking at all of the evidence. Again, I must say that I have also done this. From the moment the announcements of the allegations have been release I presumed that they were entirely true without question. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:20:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220104629 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216598494 The other reason that we cannot seem to do the jobs the illegal immigrants do is simply that they have more desire to succeed. Their situations in the countries that they are coming from are so much worse than anything they could find in America. They are almost guaranteed much more money to support their families in America. In that sense, we could never hope to have the same desire or passion for what they work for. This could either be a testament to their character or a knock on our character as a society. I feel that as a society we have to break out of this trend of basically arrogance. We have to learn that physical labor is not something to be frowned upon if we ever hope to be able to consider ourselves on the same level as illegal immigrants. As I said before, it is more than a little embarrassing that we are not willing to roll up our sleeves and go to work, no matter what the job is. Fri, 4 Nov 2011 02:49:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216598494 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216598391 I think that this sense of entitlement is probably the number one reason why Americans will not do the jobs illegals will do. The entitlement comes from the connotation of the phrase “migrant worker.” This term is usually associated with poor, lower class people, and these jobs have been being filled by those who have coming illegally into the country with little to no money. This gives Americans a false sense of higher class. Americans see themselves as above just being a migrant worker, they just are not that low of status to do that work. Another reason that we as Americans do not want to be migrant workers is that we have become lazy as a society. It is evident in all areas of our country. Part of this has to do with the increase in technological advances. Also the demand for more migrant workers is not stressed nearly as much as the need for scientists and engineers. I think this is mainly due to the recent surge in the economies of other countries, especially China. Fri, 4 Nov 2011 02:49:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216598391 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216598277 In class today we watched the clip from the Colbert Report on the lack of interest from Americans in taking over the jobs that illegals are being banned from doing. There are many reasons that Americans just will not do them, and most of them are for ridiculous reasons. I find it a bit embarrassing that we as Americans are willing to throw illegal citizens under the bus when we are not willing to go out, roll up our sleeves, and get to work. The first reason that I feel is why Americans will not do these jobs is entitlement. This word “entitlement” has been thrown around a lot recently, with a serious oversight of the world, but in this case it does apply in this situation. Fri, 4 Nov 2011 02:48:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216598277 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment210295392 I think that there are more people who think in racial labels than we see. I think that there are a lot of people who are just afraid to use these racial labels. They should not but just the fact that they are thinking like this is enough for condemnation. They are just as guilty as the people who voice their opinions aloud. After saying all of this about racial labeling, I will admit that I do happen to have problems with this occasionally. I see myself as someone like I first described. This is the category of people who subconsciously have hidden stereotypes that they have to work out. I do not think that I have ever flat out just labeled someone racially. Most of these slip ups with racial labeling I think would have to be tied in with the area that I grew up in. The area I grew up in was a rural area without really any diversity. A lot of these smaller communities happen to have very, very opinionated people. It’s just one of those problems that most of us have to work out for ourselves. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:41:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment210295392 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment210295218 This occurrence happens to confirm this person’s views on a stereotype and that vision is pretty much imprinted in his/her brain. Then later on, when the story is retold, race somehow is the main point that they are focusing on. It’s unfortunate that this occurs because there is absolutely no need to distinguish between races and stereotypes. The depressing part of this kind of subconscious racism is that I see it in a lot of instances. Now for the other half of racial labeling. This is where people use these labels on purpose when they try to get a point across. These are the kind of people who have no shame in being racist. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:41:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment210295218 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment210295003 Racial labels are probably the most subtle form of racism that there is in the world. They slip in in many different conservations. I think that most of the time they come out accidentally on purpose. What I mean is that the person does not actually mean to distinguish between races but it is a factor in this person’s mind. Then there are the instances in which racial labels are used on purpose. These usually come out when people are trying to be racist and they do not care what people are really thinking. I think that most racial labels are in fact accidental. When recalling a bad driver that they encountered, they may subconsciously connect that other driver’s race with a certain stereotype they have had about that particular race. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:40:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment210295003 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207152120 I do not disagree that there is a lot of money being spent in the defense budget. However, almost all of it is necessary. This guy does not make valid points. He is definitely on some sort of anti-military rant. A lot of what he says isn’t true and it makes me very irritated when people make blatantly wrong statements that tear down the people of the military. They are the small amount people who sacrifice it all for the 99% of the population. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:54:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207152120 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207151995 . They are not in any way shape or form a war fighting mechanism. If they are, then we are fighting a war in almost every major country in the world. Then there’s the fact that we are spending all of this money on the wars. All of the money given to the military isn’t spent on the wars. A lot of the money goes to the military in the United States. This provides for equipment and instillations that protect the United States on its own soil. Next, they say all we do is keep spending money on new weapons for killing and spreading war. Most of the money for weapons is spent on repairing the weapon systems we have now. So I guess that was not entirely true as well. The last point I want to make is that most of the money in the defense budget goes to civilian jobs, not military salaries. It’s just something to think about. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:54:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207151995 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207151754 Second, I find it extremely offensive that he refers to those who have sacrificed themselves for their countries as “damaged goods.” I think it is definitely ignorant to say that those who have been disabled in a war are not allowed to receive some sort of compensation for what they have contributed. Some of the veterans that get disability are unable to work because of missing limbs or brain damage. Next, I would like to go on to these copious amounts of money for embassies in Iraq and Afghanistan. If he is considering them as war fighting expenses he is completely stupid. The U.S. embassies in Iraq and Afghanistan are no different than the embassies we have in England or China. The U.S. embassies are there to assist Americans who are working or on business in that particular country. They also serve as a protective base for U.S. diplomats when they visit that country. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:53:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207151754 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207151474 There is not very much in this video that I agree with. I feel that this guy in the video is out to get the military. Sure the amount of money we spend in the budget is a lot, but there are gross overstatements about what the money is spent on and where it goes. A lot of what this guy says is not fair to the military and I feel that they need to be given an equal chance in explaining where and what the money is in fact spent on. First off, when the guy mentioned about all of the money the CIA, DIA, and other agencies spend on drones in the Afghanistan war he is flat out lying. The CIA and those agencies are not war fighting organizations. They collect intelligence on people that may or may not be military personnel. They work with the military sometimes but they use a lot of military equipment. The actual spearhead of the drone project in Afghanistan is the U.S. Air force. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:53:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207151474 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classrom/#IDComment204111451 There is no doubt in my mind that the number of people who are becoming more welcoming to different sexual orientations is much greater than those who are becoming more accepting of different races. As I previously stated I believe that it has to do with the fact that people are more judgmental about aspects they can obviously see. In my opinion, race inequality will be around much longer than that of sexual orientation. There are just too many people who make judgments based off of what they can distinguish by sight. I would venture to guess that studies on race relations have been going on much longer than studies about sexual orientation and I think that we have come much farther in relations regarding sexual orientation than race. Thu, 6 Oct 2011 23:24:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classrom/#IDComment204111451 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classrom/#IDComment204111291 There are too many situations where people that are considered “white” are given more job opportunities, treated differently by authorities, and given their share of the spotlight in the media. I find that this is hard to overcome at the same pace of acceptance that sexual orientation and even socio-economic background are progressing. Sexual orientation, on the other hand, has seen much more dramatic changes over the past few decades. Just a few decades ago, it was unheard of for another person of the same sex to even think about getting married. Now we have states that allow the union of same sex couples. While there are still people who are prejudiced against members of the homosexual community, there have been leaps and bounds in acceptance of them through support groups and many other programs. There has also been a pretty substantial push to allow the term ‘marriage’ to mean more than just one man and one woman, which has been the standard that has never been questioned. Thu, 6 Oct 2011 23:23:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classrom/#IDComment204111291 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classrom/#IDComment204111129 In the world we live in today, inequality is still prevalent in almost every aspect of our lives. From race, to sexual orientation, to socio-economic status, we treat people differently. I think that race however; will be the last of these issues to be resolved. The reasoning I have for this is that people can easily see the differences in race as opposed to something such as sexual orientation. This does not detract from those who suffer inequality for other reasons besides race; I only think that race is the majority of inequality by far. In the United States there are many, many different types of races. Unfortunately, even though we have been living with each other for so long many races are treated as though they are not worthy of having the same opportunities. This is mainly prevalent when referring to white people and another race. Relations have come a long way from what they once were, but there are still way too many instances where people from other races are treated less than fairly. Thu, 6 Oct 2011 23:23:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classrom/#IDComment204111129 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-24/#IDComment201083303 An area that needs to change in matters of foreign aid is the subsidizing of products. This only creates beneficial profit for ourselves. It destroys jobs in the country's that need help and detracts from their economies. They are forced to buy our products while their people lose their jobs and products and goods are usually ending up costing them more than they can afford. We cannot stop providing foreign aid to other countries. There are many instances in which we provide sincere aid without expecting anything in return. However, there are definitely areas in which we need to step back and allow these countries to handle problems for themselves Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:50:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-24/#IDComment201083303