en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2396268 Comments by entropicchaos http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/would-you-help-out-or-turn-away-immigrants-in-the-poor-situations-we-saw-them-in-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145203924 I have so much respect for what the man in the video did for the day laborers in the video. He saw them suffering, recognized something about them that identified with himself, and works hard every day to help them lead better lives. What he does is selfless and incredibly inspiring, and it takes a very special type of person to act in the way that he does every day. The man in the video was helping people who found themselves in a situation similar to one that he had been in earlier in his life. He had fled Columbia as a young man and came to America with nothing, and often found himself going to bed hungry. When he saw the Columbian day laborers on the street corner – homeless and hungry – he was reminded of himself and wanted to do something about it. I honestly cannot see myself taking similar steps to ensure these people went to bed with full stomachs. That sounds bad, I know. But I don't have anyone like that to identify with, for whom my heart would break if I saw them in a situation like this. One problem that crosses my mind is: where would I draw the line of whom I would give food to? Obviously if I undertook an operation like this I wouldn't want to turn anyone away, but as word-of-mouth passed along the fact that I was feeding the hungry late at night, I can only imagine that the line for my impromptu soup kitchen would grow and grow. I could not feasibly feed a ton of people, but how many is too many? That operation takes a lot of time and money, two important resources of which I do not have an endless supply. At what point am I allowing the day laborers to take advantage of my hospitality and putting my own wellfare in danger? Another thing to think about, as harsh as this may sound, is the possibility of the immigrants becoming too dependent on my hospitality. I understand that they are doing everything within their power to find jobs during the day and wiring the money back to their families in their home countries. And that is incredibly noble, but what would happen if I had to skip a night or two for personal reasons? There are other resources (shelters, kitchens, churches) who are set up and funded to provide the same types of services. Perhaps I could show the immigrants how to use those resources to their advantage. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:12:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/would-you-help-out-or-turn-away-immigrants-in-the-poor-situations-we-saw-them-in-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145203924 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143155250 Nepotism is a many-faceted controversial subject in today’s society. Playing professional favorites with those whom you have a personal relationship is asking for controversy to follow. However, in a society where nepotism reigns free, it would be naïve to ignore the possibilities that come along with it. Listen, I am fully aware that the goody two shoes humanitarian hippie in me is screaming at me to deny that I would attempt to benefit from nepotism after lecture. But today’s lecture didn’t bring to my attention anything that I wasn’t already aware of. Of course I’ve benefitted from people playing favorites. I got my first job because my best friend worked at the grocery store and hooked me up when they were hiring. I got an internship this summer because my father taught the man who owns the company’s son. And people employing nepotism on my family has, I’m sure, benefitted me in ways that I’m not even aware of. My point is this, if nepotism is so prevalent in today’s society, it would be stupid of me not to play ball and go along with it. Would I turn down a job offer because I got the offer due to connections and not necessarily being the most-qualified candidate? Absolutely not! That is no way to make your place in the world, and I don’t feel like a bad person for saying that. All you folks who are taking the high and mighty road and claiming that you would turn down good fortune if you don’t think you deserved it, watch out because I’ll be the first person in line to take the position from you. Today’s employment market is dog-eat-dog and I want to be successful. I’m not going to lie or cheat or steal or murder or anything crazy, but if nepotism can benefit me, I’m absolutely going to let it. Let’s get one thing straight: it’s not like I’ve ever been the beneficiary of completely outrageous nepotism. By that I mean, for every job that nepotism has benefitted me, I’m confident that I have absolutely been a qualified candidate for the job. I truly believe that I deserve that job and did/will be able to do an excellent job. I do not feel like I took any opportunities away from someone who could outperform me. Maybe that’s why I have little problem with nepotism. I would be very uncomfortable taking a position in which I have no experience or interest away from someone who has qualifications and drive. But I don’t foresee myself ever being in that position, because I wouldn’t apply for that job anyway. So, to make a long story short, today’s class has not deterred me from nepotism. Connections are key in today’s competitive society, and I have no desire to fall behind. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:31:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143155250 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143155209 Nepotism is a many-faceted controversial subject in today’s society. Playing professional favorites with those whom you have a personal relationship is asking for controversy to follow. However, in a society where nepotism reigns free, it would be naïve to ignore the possibilities that come along with it. Listen, I am fully aware that the goody two shoes humanitarian hippie in me is screaming at me to deny that I would attempt to benefit from nepotism after lecture. But today’s lecture didn’t bring to my attention anything that I wasn’t already aware of. Of course I’ve benefitted from people playing favorites. I got my first job because my best friend worked at the grocery store and hooked me up when they were hiring. I got an internship this summer because my father taught the man who owns the company’s son. And people employing nepotism on my family has, I’m sure, benefitted me in ways that I’m not even aware of. My point is this, if nepotism is so prevalent in today’s society, it would be stupid of me not to play ball and go along with it. Would I turn down a job offer because I got the offer due to connections and not necessarily being the most-qualified candidate? Absolutely not! That is no way to make your place in the world, and I don’t feel like a bad person for saying that. All you folks who are taking the high and mighty road and claiming that you would turn down good fortune if you don’t think you deserved it, watch out because I’ll be the first person in line to take the position from you. Today’s employment market is dog-eat-dog and I want to be successful. I’m not going to lie or cheat or steal or murder or anything crazy, but if nepotism can benefit me, I’m absolutely going to let it. Let’s get one thing straight: it’s not like I’ve ever been the beneficiary of completely outrageous nepotism. By that I mean, for every job that nepotism has benefitted me, I’m confident that I have absolutely been a qualified candidate for the job. I truly believe that I deserve that job and did/will be able to do an excellent job. I do not feel like I took any opportunities away from someone who could outperform me. Maybe that’s why I have little problem with nepotism. I would be very uncomfortable taking a position in which I have no experience or interest away from someone who has qualifications and drive. But I don’t foresee myself ever being in that position, because I wouldn’t apply for that job anyway. So, to make a long story short, today’s class has not deterred me from nepotism. Connections are key in today’s society, and I have no desire to fall behind. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:31:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143155209 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment141039303 Besides being offended, the lecture just wasn’t thought-provoking for me. I understood where Sam was coming from attempting to place us into the shoes of the middle easterners whose lives are being affected by the war. But nothing that Sam said was something that I had never heard before. His raw passion for the topic wasn’t enough for me to overlook the lack of unique ideas concerning the issue. I didn’t leave the class thinking about discussion like I normally do. In my opinion, the most thought-provoking, interesting lecture was the one where we saw the “Girl like me” video and discussed superiority and inferiority ideas concerning races. That lecture had me thinking about and evaluating societal norms for a long time after class. And that’s what I think this class is supposed to do. Have us question the way society views race and realize that no one knows nearly as much as they think they do on the subject. I would like to see Sam move away from foreign politics and come back to the class’s roots in racial issues on US soil. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 16:53:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment141039303 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment141039265 I understand what a huge issue the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is and how controversial its roots and interest in oil are. But the emphasis on politics in Tuesday’s lecture totally turned me off. I have a cousin who is a marine and was deployed for a six month tour of Afghanistan last month. I have no interest in hearing about how he’s over there fighting for oil while our government tries to hoodwink us into thinking it’s all about something else. What he is doing over there is selfless, brave, terrifying, and something to be honored. I did not at all care for Sam telling me that the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are making the lives of the people over there worse. I felt like he was discrediting my cousin and all the soldiers for taking up their civil duties and being in the armed forces. I’m positive that wasn’t at all his intention, but I had trouble overlooking that. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 16:53:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment141039265 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment141039205 Sam really hyped up the “Christian Invaders” lecture. Numerous emails and mentions in class definitely caught my interest and got me pretty excited about class on Tuesday. But maybe I gave it too much hype in my head. I definitely wouldn’t call it the best lecture of year, but that is largely a matter of opinion. It is very clear that Sam was incredibly enthusiastic about the subject. He was in rare form, running around, passionately dictating about the issues and videos that he presented to us. But, and again this is simply my opinion, Tuesday’s lecture just didn’t do it for me. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 16:53:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment141039205 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment139887715 Any girl who tries to argue that she does not put any time or effort into what she looks like when going out is straight up lying or considers HUB late night as “going out”. I do not at all consider myself high maintenance, but I will do my hair, put on makeup, and dress for the occasion. At frats this generally means hoochie mama dresses or skirts, whereas apartment parties allow for slightly more subtlety in the outfit. I very rarely wear heels. I can get away with flats because I'm tall (and quite honestly, the morning after I wear heels out, my feet are screaming in pain). But I absolutely put time and effort into what I look like when I go out. I suppose the question is why. Previously, I dressed up for my boyfriend. I know he claimed to not care what I looked like when we went out, but I'm not oblivious to the changes in the way he looked at me when I put time into my ensemble vs. when I was wearing sweatpants with my hair up. And honestly, I enjoyed being desired. I think now that probably is my main motivation. Even if I have no intention of paying attention to the boys when I go out with my friends, it is nice to think that they are paying attention to me. I don't need their approval to feel good about myself, but it is a nice boost of confidence. I also think some of it has to do with self-esteem issues, which every girl struggles with. I don't think I'm particularly attractive, so when I go out I try to show off the few assets that I do have. Sure you could interpret that as shallow, but whatever, I'm just working with what I've got. When a girl feels pretty, she acts more confident and is more comfortable. And everyone likes to feel confident. And honestly, everyone likes the girl who is comfortable enough to work the crowd and be social more than the wet blanket in the corner who doesn't think anyone will want to talk to her. The lecture did not change my getting ready routine. This weekend, I might think about how unfair it is that guys get to be warm when they're walking to their party destinations, but let's be honest for a minute – that's what pregaming is for. The amount I pregame is directly proportional to how cold it is and how short my skirt is and (if applicable) how high my heels are. I don't end up feeling the cold or foot pain regardless. If I'm not drinking that night, I'm definitely wearing jeans and my converse. Mon, 4 Apr 2011 14:19:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment139887715 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/for-the-white-females-would-you-ever-date-a-black-guy-119-blog/#IDComment137561009 I would absolutely consider dating a black guy, or a guy of any other background for that matter. It is interesting for me to think about. Up until a few weeks ago, I had been in a three-year relationship with a white guy (like really, really white. He was a ginger. Don't judge me). But now I am able to think about things like this, and I am firm in my answer. I have never dated a person of color before. I honestly just think this is due to my personal circumstances. I grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh that is incredibly white. My entire high school of over 1200 people only had four black people = two of them guys. One was a year younger than me, one was three years younger, and I hardly ever interacted with either of them. But now that I am at University Park, I encounter minority students every day. Whereas dating outside of my group was simply not feasibly before, it is absolutely a possibility now. I don't think I would act differently towards a guy I wanted to date if they were of color as opposed to being white. Although, as I mentioned, I'm not entirely sure how I would act around someone I'd be interested in dating because I haven't had to do that in three years. At first I suppose I might be a little more timid with black guy simply because my lack of experience may make me nervous. But I think if we got to the point of knowing each other well enough that I would want to date him, I would act the same way with a white guy, black guy, or any minority guy. My parents would support me fully. They know that I am a great judge of character, and I am confident that any boy I would like enough to bring home to them is a boy that they would like as well. My step-dad might take some time to get used to it, but he definitely wouldn't be vocal about it if he felt uncomfortable. My dad's sisters (all five of them) would without a doubt gossip about it. But I wouldn't take that personally – they constantly talk about our family. I would definitely have to tell them first that my new boyfriend was black though. It would probably be a bit of a surprise to them simply because it hasn't happened before in my family. But I would only tell them because I'm afraid, in their initial shock, they might say something stupid that they didn't mean. So, yes. I would absolutely date a black guy if he had the qualities that I look for in a boyfriend. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:06:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/for-the-white-females-would-you-ever-date-a-black-guy-119-blog/#IDComment137561009 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-do-you-think-of-the-diversity-at-penn-state-119-blog/#IDComment135875209 I grew up in a suburban community in the south hills of Pittsburgh. Although I considered it fairly metropolitan, I have recently been corrected by a few friends from Philadelphia who, upon visiting me, declared that my town is “farmland.” And I suppose this could help explain the lack of diversity during my childhood. My graduating class included one asian, one guatemalan, and 357 white kids. So for me, Penn State is a pretty diverse community of students. I know others coming from more diverse communities may think I'm crazy. I am fully aware of the numbers – the ones that tell me that, in reality, Penn State is not a particularly diverse school. But my perception of diversity is skewed by my experiences with it, or lack thereof. I do think, however, that the university works to present an image of more diversity than actually exists at Penn State. Last semester, as a part of my freshman seminar, I took part in a world in conversation discussion where the topic was US Race Relations. We talked extensively about diversity at Penn State, and one of the discussion mediators brought up several interesting points. I didn't realize that along with the Lion Scouts and Lion Ambassadors (two groups that give tours to prospective students) there is also SMART, a group that specifically gives tours to minority prospective students. There is also a special living option dorm for minority students. My discussion mediator felt that they generally dumped most minority students there regardless of whether or not they signed up for that specific special living option. One thing I completely love about Penn State is how the students embrace their diversity. There are so many cultural clubs (the South Asian Student Society, the Pacific Student Society, etc) where people can, if they want to, connect with others who share their background. It is also a way for students who haven't been exposed to the customs and intricacies of their background have the opportunity to become more immersed in their culture if they wish. To be completely honest, I didn't consider diversity at all when choosing my schools. I think the schools I applied to in the south may be a little more diverse than Penn State, but as I said that didn't even cross my mind. To be honest, I was more interested in the guy to girl ratio. I am aware of the diversity here, but I don't often think about it. I suppose I am aware that my friends of color have different skin tones as me, but at this point I don't think about it. If anything, thanks to Soc 119, I am more interested in learning about their background than forming my own false ideas about it. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:56:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-do-you-think-of-the-diversity-at-penn-state-119-blog/#IDComment135875209 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134229367 Anytime someone calls a friend the R-word, I think of this incident. People don’t realize how offensive the word truly is. If you use the R-word, stop. If only for the reason that no one likes a bully. I want to turn my anger into understanding. I want to give others who may have never considered the hurt behind the word a gentle nudge to stop using the offensive term. The “Stop the R-Word” pledge can make a world of difference in the lives of people who have been taunted, like my friend. Her life is difficult enough. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:42:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134229367 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134229302 I once heard a group of immature high-school boys calling a girl a retard as she walked through the hallway at school. I turned around and realized that the target of their ridicule was a girl who I have known for over ten years through my church who has Aspergers – a form of Autism. I was outraged. I essentially started screaming at the boys until a teacher came out to see what the commotion was about and made them apologize to the girl. I know immediately flying off the handle and yelling was not the best way to handle the situation, but something came over me and I couldn’t think rationally. This girl (the one they were making fun of) is incredibly high functioning academically and socially and to think that those boys would throw the R-word in her face still upsets me. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:42:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134229302 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134229175 The R-word is an offensive term that people should stop using. Just as "gay" is not synonymous with "stupid," the r-word is not a term that should be used jokingly, even with friends. Many people use it not even realizing that they have said something that has the potential to be extremely offensive. The word retarded, when used in our modern lexicon doesn’t just mean slow any more. The r-word has become a catch-all word for society to use when frustrated, annoyed or ignorant. It’s spawned a family of new words: the celebutard, the e-tard, and the ever useful, fuck-tard. The word and its growing plethora of daughter terms is all over the internet, filtering into our daily vocabulary. This is not okay. This is a word that carries with it a history of social isolation and exlusion. Its use is a reminder of the culture of neglect people with disabilities are forced to endure every day. By using it, you are reinforcing the idea that handicapped, mentally disabled, people are bad, lesser, sub-human. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:41:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134229175 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130219166 The average white person will never, ever admit to harboring prejudices of any kind. Okay, so there are a minority oddball white supremacists who flit so far on the outskirts of normality that no one really counts them as functioning members of society. But by and large the idea of discussing racial prejudices makes the average white person incredibly hot under the collar. This is because white people as a whole harbor a phenomenon called “white guilt.” We are fully aware of the mistreatment that our white ancestors inflicted on minorities throughout history and still feel terrible about it. Our fear of saying one wrong thing and offending anyone of a minority group paralyzes us. Therein lies the problem. Because we are so afraid of offending anyone, we do not actively engage in conversations about race and ethnicity. And therefore we cannot learn things about different – things that could ease our fears. And because we have no first-hand experience of talking about races with people of those different races, we make ill-informed, uneducated judgements. That we are afraid to share. Are you seeing the cycle? It's vicious and will not end anytime soon. I took part in a world in conversation session during my first semester at Penn State. The group was entirely white freshman, with one white female moderator and one black male moderator, who we'll call James. At one point, James asked us to talk about stereotypes that we held. With a little prodding, people began talking about Asians, Indians, Native Americans, even white people. But no one would approach the subject of black stereotypes in front of James. He offered up a few of his own, but everyone looked visibly uncomfortable when it was our turn to say some. This was my personal experience of experiencing white inability to talk about racial discriminations. But white people certainly hold certain discriminations. And they will continue to have these discriminations because they, as a group, do not talk to other races about race. Only conversations and interactions will prove our ill-conceived ideas of other races to be false. And since I don't see that happening in the near future, discrimination will continue. White guilt is not going to disappear overnight, and neither will our fear of offending anyone of a different race. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:42:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130219166 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128626215 It does not come as a huge shock to me that people who are more highly educated have a tendency to believe that success is not mostly the product of hard work. I think that as people become more educated, they become more exposed to the idea of determinism and ways in which factors and forces outside of their control contribute to the level of success that they can achieve. The ability to network and having beneficial connections is a huge part of where people end up. The way one presents himself to future potential employers is also very important. In a fair world, I truly believe the success would be based solely off of hard work. But the world isn't fair, and factors and forces outside of our control play a large role in our personal levels of success. With a college education from a highly regarded academic institution, I will have many more opportunities for success than someone who, let's say, graduated with a two-year degree from a community college. But did I simply work harder than this person? There's no way to know. I grew up in a nice area with educated parents and a highly regarded public education system. All of these factors contributed to my getting accepted into Penn State. My parents being able to pay for my education allowed to go here. And the education I received in high school prepared me for the collegiate workload. My community college graduate counterpart could have received a poor public education, had to work a lot in high school to support his family, and maybe not been able to afford any education other than community college. Sure, I worked hard in high school to keep my grades up, but I had very few external pressures taking my attention away from my studies. I don't think anyone would consider me less successful than my fictitious counterpart. Even as a college freshman, I have begun to realize the importance of networking. Many times, you can get your foot in the door for a great opportunity based on who you know. I might not be as qualified as another person for a summer internship, but if the internship coordinator is someone that graduated from Penn State or that my academic advisor has worked with before, I may have a slight advantage. Again, I don't know if this system could be considered particularly “fair” but it's the way the world works and they way it always will. The best we can do is attempt to keep up. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:48:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128626215 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127182971 Both the choices I've made and factors outside of my control have shaped where I am today. I come from a well-to-do home with parents who are both college educated. My mom has a B.S. In Physical Therapy and my dad has a Ph.D. In Secondary Education. They gave me many luxuries early in life that helped me progress to the point that I am currently at. They bought me piano lessons, violin lessons, and flute lessons – musical education is widely thought of to lead to better test scores. I went to a highly regarded public school in a wealthy suburb of Pittsburgh. Here, I had the opportunity to have a well-rounded, excellent education and take part in many extracurricular activities. My high school offered many AP classes, which allowed me to prepare for the rigors of college classes. The graduation rate at my high school is 99% and the rate of students who continue on to some form of post-high school education is roughly 96%. It was never a question that I would graduate high school and continue on to college. Even after being accepted to Penn State, it was easy for me to decide to come here because my parents offered to pay for everything except textbooks and spending money. I didn't have to worry about my lack of financial aid. My values and morals, another large part of who I am today, were also shaped largely by my parents. On the other hand, the choices I made are another factor of where I am today. For instance, I chose not to drink or do drugs in high school even though many of my friends were involved with these on some level and they were always readily available. I also made a conscious effort to work hard in high school. I saw the hard work that my role model, my sister Erin, put in to her schooling and wanted to do the same, to have the same opportunities that Erin's hard work presented to her. There are plenty of kids from my high school who were offered the same education who did not get accepted into Penn State – which proves that my choice to work hard in school had some influence on me ending up at Penn State. I also made the decision to get an after-school job senior year. I feel that this was an important decision, as it allowed me to save money and taught me better time-management skills which I have found useful in college. As a child, my values and morals exactly matched those of my parents. As I have gotten older, I have begun to recognize that although many of my values still reflect those of my parents, I also have differing views on certain subjects. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:27:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127182971 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125808924 I have never had a particularly strong connection with my heritage. Growing up, if someone specifically asked about my heritage I would say that I am “mostly Irish” because that's true. But the 25% of me that is not Irish is pretty much every type of European there is. Although I am a very small amount of each, I am part English, French, German, Swedish, the list goes on. Because of this, I've always considered myself as a sort of “mutt” so to speak, which is one of the trademarks of the melting pot that is America. For this reason, in terms of heritage I would definitely consider myself American. All of my grandparents were born in America and most of my great-grandparents were born in America as well. I am very much an American. My best friend, however, was Greek too the core. Her mom was born in Greece, and being Greek was a huge part of who she was. She was very devout Greek Orthodox, went to Greek language school, took Greek dancing lessons, went to a Greek summer camp, played in a Greek basketball league, etc. She would, without hesitation, define herself as Greek if someone in America asked about her heritage. However, all of the numerous times that she traveled to Greece, she did identify herself as an American. But heritage and where you are physically from are two very different things. I spent a large part of this summer traveling through Europe. Whenever people asked where I was from, of course I would say America, because I was born and raised there. No one asked any more in depth questions about my background (although a few Europeans who knew more about America asked which state I was from, so I was able to further identify myself as Pennsylvanian). In Ireland, however, I enjoyed openly telling people that I was Irish, even if they didn't ask. They were obviously aware that I was an American tourist, but upon hearing that I had roots in Ireland, they were always amused. It didn't matter that I couldn't tell them from which part – simply stating that I had Irish blood began a frenzy of Irish dancing lessons and free rounds of Guinness. In America, people who have close connections with their roots are often times obsessed with those cultures. And I applaud those people. It gives people a sense of identity and it brings a lot of diversity to America. But I wish more people would realize that living in America makes them first and foremost American. Perhaps I would feel different if I strongly identified with a certain aspect of my heritage, but as for me, American is the perfect idenfier. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 02:04:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125808924 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-cant-we-just-be-human-119-blog/#IDComment124451591 Humans will never be able to simply identify as human beings. Racial classification exists because of the natural human tendency to create order out of a universe that favors chaos. Humans throughout history have demonstrated the need to live in an ordered society. It seems natural for people to clump together those who look the same and put them all under the same heading. As we learned in class though, lumping together people simply based on looks can be extremely misleading. I was so shocked by some of the pictures and how the people in the pictures racially identified themselves. It completely threw me off and showed me that I know very very little about racial identities. I suppose that is what this class is supposed to do though – teach us that we really don't know nearly as much about other people, cultures, and ethnicities as we think we do. Another reason I think that humans racially classify is to satisfy the primal need to belong as part of a group. One of the most primitive forms of security is to identify with people who look similar to you and stick with them. It is one of the most obvious common threads in society, and people with the same backgrounds have historically tended to flock together. In a sense, identifying as a certain race or ethnicity can be beneficial to those people who chose to do so. Having a strong tie to your culture is a defining factor for many people. Certain cultures may lose their uniqueness if their members forgo their cultural ties in favor of identifying simply as “human.” In many ways, however, the world would absolutely benefit if everyone could identify simply as a human being. Think of how many wars and conflicts have arisen simply because of racial differences. Not even racial differences really, but in the way that people look, which as Sam demonstrated in class, does not necessarily indicate race. One of the main reasons that I wish people could identity simply as human is to stop racial profiling and racism. I have had very close encounters with racists, been forced to sit there and listen to their rants on what they think they know about another group of people that, in reality, they have no experience with. I think it's completely disgusting, and I haven't even been the target of this racism. It is absolutely impossible for every single person of one race to embody every characteristic that many people associate with a certain race. Would the world benefit if everyone simply called themselves “human”? Absolutely. Will that ever happen? Absolutely not. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:48:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-cant-we-just-be-human-119-blog/#IDComment124451591 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/what-do-you-want-to-know-blog-1/#IDComment122335147 I would like to start by saying that I'm slightly terrified of this class. I'm very interested in the material, but I have never before felt so out of my comfort zone. I grew up in the most white bread community I have ever seen. My graduating class of 364 students included one asian and one black person who was adopted. I want to know about others' experiences with race while growing up, and how their view of different races and racism may differ from mine. When Sam had us do the exercise where students were given the task of assigning different students to race groups, I had no idea what was going on. I feel that my lack of exposure to different races and ethnicities has really skewed my perception. I suppose what I am most interested in is the human aspect of this course. Why is ethnocentrism so apparent in society? Why can one person stand up and declare that they are better than every single person who looks different than them – than what they are familiar with? Is familiarity and comfort one of the main reasons that people are racist? Does fear play a large factor – the fear of what one does not know? As I said before, I have never felt more out of my comfort zone. Where I'm from, no one ever talks about race because there isn't much opportunity for educated debate and discussion, because many people have no experience in dealing with other races. Race is a closed issue, and even bringing up harmless questions can brand you as a racist. I want to know what stereotypes people still hold. Something I'm really interested in is whether or not the people being stereotyped believe that the stereotype is correct. Can one idea really apply to an entire set of people? Is there any merit behind any one stereotype? I'm excited to have a chance to talk to people of other races about their experiences with racism, because I have never gotten the chance to do so. Do others feel that they are targets of racism? In what ways does racism manifest itself? Are there stereotypes against white people that I am unaware of? Do people allow specific instances of racism to skew their view of an entire population of people as racist? I'm excited to have the opportunity to ask these questions and more throughout Soc119. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:33:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/what-do-you-want-to-know-blog-1/#IDComment122335147 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120893336 soc 119 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:18:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120893336