en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2450346 Comments by ganache504 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/were-you-surprised-by-any-of-basums-responses-or-his-appearance-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145281439 First I want to start off by saying that skyping Basum during class was one of the coolest things we have done all year. It’s one thing to just talk about race relations, but to get the perspective from someone actually living in the Middle East who has seen Sam’s lecture is another thing. Kudos to Sam for, once again, pulling off a really awesome class. As for Basum’s response, most of what he said was predictable. Not all Muslims are terrorists, war is a terrible thing, etc. But there were a few things that really stuck out to me. The biggest thing was the emphasis on Saddam. He had said that, on a scale of 1 to 10, his freedom pre-war with Saddam was a 0, and after Saddam was about a 7. This was pretty eye opening, because I think a lot of people forget about Saddam Hussein here in America and what he did to his own people. As Basum said, he was a dictator, and “what Saddam wants, Saddam gets.” So at least, he is out of the picture. But Basum still expressed his dissatisfaction with the war. It is a war about oil, all about oil, and about greed. However, he acknowledged the fact that the Iraqi government cannot yet stand on its own, and still needs the U.S.’s help. He said he thinks they should stay a few more years to provide stabilization. Why can we trust Basum? Well, for one thing, he is educated and has experienced American culture. He isn’t going to be extremely biased one way or another because, well, he agreed to skype with us in the first place. He is an Iraqi citizen, but also has lived amongst Americans. He sees the war from two angles. What are my thoughts on this war after hearing Basum and listening to Sam? I agree oil is a valuable resource that we cannot let slip away. And considering our own reserves in Alaska would never hold us over, it seems logical to some for us to fight for what’s over in the Middle East. However, they have the claims and rights to that resource. As with Sam’s example with the coal and China, we are taking something that is not under our own feet. Why do we blame this on terrorism? Well, 9/11 was scary for everyone, not just Americans. Even Basum said that the 9/11 attacks frightened him, and he is a Muslim. He knows that the Taliban and the Muslim extremists have given Islam as a whole a bad name. Many people use this religious back story as a convoluted sort of justification for a war on oil. But in the end, there are extremists in every religion, as we have seen with Christians and Muslims alike. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 03:16:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/were-you-surprised-by-any-of-basums-responses-or-his-appearance-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145281439 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277506 There are many reasons for why we know so little. I think it’s mostly that we know that what we’ve done to the Native Americans is shameless, and so we just put it out of our mind that way we don’t have to come to terms with it. When we think of racism, we think of the KKK. Few people think of the Native Americans. What can we do to better the situation? I think the biggest thing is to alter the education system put in place. We need to explain the atrocities that occurred, and the effect that European actions have had on Native Americans. Many people know about the French and Indian War, the Trail of Tears, and little else. We must also better inform ourselves of what the reservations are like in present day. They aren’t housing developments, but often times closely resemble shanty towns. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:04:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277506 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277461 As a history major, I know that historians write the facts the way they want them. We, as Americans, are taught from day one in school that America was the land of opportunity, and that this is a melting pot of cultures. What they don’t emphasize in our school system is the fact that we took this land, this “land of opportunity,” from someone who had already been living here for thousands of years. How can I not feel guilty? It’s my people who did this. It’s my white blood that killed thousands of Native Americans and corralled the rest of them on reservations. And even after all of the civil rights revolutions that have occurred in this country (for African Americans, women’s suffrage, etc.), the treatment of Native Americans has changed very little over time. We saw in class the data that stated that Native American women were more likely to be assaulted than any other ethnic group—and the perpetrators are almost always white. The suicide rate on the reservations is off the charts, alcoholism among many Native Americans is rampant… what have done to change these disturbing trends? Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:03:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277461 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277422 The lecture on Tuesday regarding Native Americans was incredibly telling. I know Sam says all the time that he doesn’t want us to feel “guilty,” but I couldn’t help but feel guilty afterward for being so ignorant. It’s one thing to know about something and try to make a difference. It’s another thing to not even know about Native American reservations and what life on them is like. I think many Americans, regardless of race, are also uninformed. I remember talking to my dad about this at the beginning of the semester, and talking to him about how the European extermination of the Native Americans was the biggest genocide in history. He seemed taken aback by the statement. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:03:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143277422 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/#IDComment140599064 After the lecture about “Free Will vs. Determinism,” I didn’t think this class could get any better. But honestly, this week’s lecture regarding the war in the Middle East was extremely insightful, and incredibly interesting. I agree with Sam: this was the best lecture of the semester. Last semester, I took a comparative literature course about Human Rights. It was one of the best classes I think I could’ve scheduled, and the professor (Dr. Sophia McClennen) was rather inspiring. At one point in the semester, we talked about the suicide bombers in Baghdad, and why they are the way they are. Her entire lecture was, like Sam, not about BASHING the U.S. Army, but rather about putting things into perspective. She talked about oil, invasions, as well as seeing people as just a religion and not an individual. She also revealed that she was half Afghan, and was emotionally invested in the U.S.’s involvement in the Middle East. At first, Dr. McClennen’s words were hard to take. I grew up in an ultra-Conservative town, with a relatively conservative family. And though I myself am relatively liberal and/or moderate, it’s hard for me not to be affected by the views of my family and friends. These types of things would probably have never crossed their minds. Taking SOC 119 this semester reinforced everything that Dr. McClennen said to me last semester. By having Sam, another teacher I respect immensely, tell me virtually the same thing that Dr. McClennen said, it allowed me to, not only understand the given viewpoint, but actually embrace it. Since the lecture, I have talked about this issue with numerous friends of mine here at Penn State, as well as at home. I sent my mom the video of Sam’s TEDtalk, which was a 19 minute version of his lecture. I feel that this is a message that needs to get out there. In light of racial profiling, burning of Korans, the WTC mosque controversy, things must change. The biggest step to making a change is by educating Americans about this war and who exactly we are fighting. Everything that we as Americans see is through the eyes of a very biased media. It’s hard to constantly blame everything on the media, but many people are gullible and impressionable. What is so important about this talk is that it shows us a different side to things. As Sam said, he wants us, not to necessarily agree with the Iraqi citizens, but at least UNDERSTAND them. He doesn’t want us to be a bunch of anti-American, atheist liberals. Sam just wants us to “wrestle” with this stuff, challenge ourselves, and understand the other side. After all, isn’t that what this class is all about? Wed, 6 Apr 2011 23:59:18 +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/#IDComment140599064 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/why-do-we-need-to-show-the-clips-of-comedians-before-having-serious-discussions-about-race-119-blog/#IDComment136894432 The video asks why we often utilize funny videos in SOC 119 when it comes to talking about race. I believe that there are several reasons that Sam uses this teaching method. One of the reasons for this is that the videos help lighten the mood. Everyone can agree that the Sam’s lectures have, at one time during the semester, been uncomfortable for most students. It may be because he was talking about something we didn’t normally discuss, or maybe he was trying to get us to respond to a question in our heads that we didn’t know how to answer. Whatever the case, the class is about race and ethnic relations, so it’s not always going to be easy to talk about all the time. Through the use of comedy and stand-up videos, Sam can get the class to relax. He wants us to laugh and to not take some things so seriously. Also, another reason is that the comedian can use comedy to say something that may be taken offensively in another way. Through the use of comedy, things that would be considered very serious can be discussed in a light hearted manner. Today, we watched the Chris Rock bit where he discusses the lack of LGBT support from much of the African American community. Rock’s audience was predominately black, but we can hear in the clip that they were laughing and enjoying his show regardless of him poking fun at them. He gets his point across—even alienating his audience—and still manages to be entertaining. If a person had come in and simply given a lecture about the things that Rock discussed in his show, than the audience reaction probably would be quite different. Another example of this was the comedian in the beginning of the year who discussed the difference between Iranians and Persians. He makes fun of both groups, but because it is done in jest, the audience enjoys the show. Lastly, comedians can unite audiences of different races and ethnic backgrounds, which is important when discussing race and ethnic relations. As Sam has said, the SOC 119 lecture, though mostly white, is a diverse class by Penn State’s standards. As a white female, I have found all of the comedians that he has shown us in class to be funny, and he has used clips from comedians of all different races. After watching the Chris Rock clip today, I looked around. Not only was I laughing, but so were the people sitting next to me, and in front of me, and all around me. Not everyone was the same race; not all of those people had the exact same ethnic makeup. It goes to show you that people of all different races and cultures can find the same things funny. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:56:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/why-do-we-need-to-show-the-clips-of-comedians-before-having-serious-discussions-about-race-119-blog/#IDComment136894432 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-is-your-opinion-of-the-video-119-blog/#IDComment135956475 The video we watched in class was beyond heart wrenching. Seeing the young black children choose the white baby doll, time and again, over the black baby doll definitely says a lot about the society in which we live. Why is there so much emphasis put on lighter skin being better? And how is this being transmitted to young black children so early on? We saw in the beginning of the video the young women discuss their issues with being African American and the standards of beauty set by our world. They explained how they used relaxers in their hair, and how some even bleached their skin with skin whitener. This alone is alarming. As Sam said at the beginning of the year, all of us are BEAUTIFUL because our ancestors survived based on how we look now. Africans were ABLE to live in the African climate because of their darker skin and kinkier hair. So where does the emphasis on whiteness come into play? It stems back to slavery and the inequality embedded into America from so long ago. But even in today’s day in age, these ideas still exist. After all, if they didn’t, we wouldn’t be having a Race Relations Class here at Penn State. We have also talked in class, and read in the textbook, about black people favoring their own children or grandchildren who are lighter skinned over others who are darker skinned. But with the way society has been structured for so long, I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising. We see beauty products worldwide that emphasis White Beauty (skin whiteners like Perfect White, products used to get “good hair”). This is also why darker skinned blacks are less likely to get hired than lighter skinned blacks. No matter how hard we try to shift away from this mindset, however, the test with the baby dolls shows that we are still sending this message loud and clear. These young children, too young to have been heavily influenced by the media, doubt their own race, even calling the black dolls “bad.” What do I think of this? Well, I think of it is as disturbing. I had heard of this experiment before, but watching it on the big screen in class give it new meaning. As young kids, it’s almost as if they’ve already lost their innocence before they’ve had a chance to live. What can we do to change this? Well, for one thing, incorporate more African Americans into the mainstream children’s programming. Many students in class complained that cartoons always feature white protagonists, and Disney didn’t even have a black princess until a few years ago. But this alone will not solve the problem. We have to talk about race relations in a productive manner, and make it a priority. Because otherwise, what are we telling these kids? Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:56:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-is-your-opinion-of-the-video-119-blog/#IDComment135956475 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130741436 It’s hard to truly to compare which race is more oppressed, because there is no perfect way to measure this. However, after my section this week, I feel as though Muslims are more frequently discriminated against due to the events on September 11. Though it is common knowledge that the acts committed against this country on that day were the work of Islamic fundamentalist radicals, the entire religion is usually held accountable by the American people. Not only are Muslims discriminated against in the workplace like blacks (as we saw with the résumé experiment where people with Muslim and black sounding names were less likely to get hired), but they are also generally feared. Much of the American population is ignorant to the difference between Muslims and Muslim extremists, and are therefore fearful when they see a Muslim on an airplane or in an airport. In my opinion, I feel it’s a completely different kind of discrimination. The racism that occurs against blacks is usually because white feel as though they are superior. It all stems back to slavery, the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, etc. But the discrimination against Muslims isn’t because whites feel superior to Muslims, but because they are actually angry at them or afraid of them. It’s more personal, more emotionally charged. This topic was discussed in my group on Thursday, things got personal. Several of the students from my class are from New York City and lost friends and family in the World Trade Center. Though they said that they do not discriminate against people of the Islamic faith, all of them opposed the construction of a giant mosque next to the future WTC memorial. One student said that it was a “slap in the face,” and was a hurtful “reminder” of the attacks. Because of 9/11, Muslims may not face more discrimination than blacks, but I feel their discrimination is harsher because it is usually associated with the loss of American lives. Another great example of this was the video we watched in class of a simulation when the Muslim woman was refused service in the store. Though many people stood up for the woman, there were more people who either encouraged the store clerk or did nothing at all. In all honesty, I do not know where I stand on this issue. When the idea of the mosque first became public last year, I supported it. I was hoping that, through the construction of it, it would symbolize a growing change in the attitude held by many Americans. But after hearing the thoughts of my fellow classmates from New York, I’m torn. They had family in the Twin Towers, they have gone to therapy and saw the smoke with their own eyes. For them, this mosque perhaps has more meaning. I would be the person in the store standing up for the Muslim woman. Yet, I’m still wrestling with what I think of the mosque being built across the street from the former WTC. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:51:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/22/do-you-think-in-today%e2%80%99s-society-people-are-more-racist-toward-muslims-or-blacks-119-blog/#IDComment130741436 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-can-a-person-use-the-ignorance-card-119-blog/#IDComment128910080 So to answer the question, how much can we REALLY play the ignorance card? Well, as long as you try to take in as much as you can from an unbiased source, I think you are doing our best. Places like NPR are probably more credible than, say, Fox News. And when you learn of something and think you can make a difference, than you probably should. But as Sam said in class, “you can’t save the world.” You can’t buy everything free-trade AND save the whales AND fight global warming AND free Tibet AND beat cancer AND blah blah blah blah. There’s only so much that one person can do. But if you do as much as possible, and then at least learn about the rest, you are better off than someone doing nothing. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:13:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-can-a-person-use-the-ignorance-card-119-blog/#IDComment128910080 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-can-a-person-use-the-ignorance-card-119-blog/#IDComment128910028 The fact of the matter is that, no matter how intelligent or worldly people in America may be, they cannot know everything. Many people give their money and effort to a specific cause. I know that, with my family, we devote our time to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Others focus on doing work with The Heifer Project or, like Sam, in Haiti. So I don’t think it’s bad for people to no know about every single cause, because many people have certain issues that are close to their heart or very personal to their family. This is not to say that this question being asked is not a valid one. Though many people make an effort to stay up to date on news and current events, many other Americans simply shut out the outside world. Newspaper subscriptions are lower than ever, and many people who think they are “getting the news” get it from unreliable, polarized cable stations. The fact of the matter is that, while some people are informed, many college graduates are so consumed in their own lives (jobs, family, etc.) that they do forget what is happening outside of our borders. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:13:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-can-a-person-use-the-ignorance-card-119-blog/#IDComment128910028 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-can-a-person-use-the-ignorance-card-119-blog/#IDComment128909892 When an American thinks of slavery, usually the Civil War comes to mind. Many Americans, including myself, are oblivious to the slave labor that goes on all over the world. Whether it is slaves working in fields, sweatshops or brothels, they are everywhere, even in America. Watching the cocoa bean slave video in class was extremely moving. As a self-proclaimed “chocoholic,” I felt so stupid for not even considering that my favorite treat could have been made by slaves. The question posed by this video is: how much can we actually play the ignorance card with world issues such as slavery? In a country with one of the highest literacy rates and with nearly 27% of our population having earned a bachelor degree, it seems bizarre that we wouldn’t know about issues like modern day slavery. Even more surprising is that, with the mass media circus that consumes most of our country, how can we be that uninformed? Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:13:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-can-a-person-use-the-ignorance-card-119-blog/#IDComment128909892 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028901 This scenario with my mom is why I believe in free will. As a woman, and with no help from her parents, she put herself through college and graduated the Penn State honors program. Anyone can do it; it’s just harder for some than it is for others. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:55:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028901 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028889 My mom had a different kind of upbringing. My grandparents on this side of the family both worked blue collar jobs. They worked all the time, and provided a good life for my mom and her two sisters. Neither of them went to college. My mom knew she wanted to go to college, but neither of her parents pushed her to do so. My mom’s two older sisters didn’t go to college. All of the motivation had to come within my mom. She worked extra hard to graduate high school a year early, and when she got to Penn State, she had to put herself through school. All of the expenses (tuition, books, rent for her one room efficiency apartment) came from her paycheck and student loans. She had no car, and walked everywhere. She worked everyday at the dining hall, and would walk 45 minutes to work. On top of this, she was in Schreyer’s and had tons of homework. She had fun, and met a lot of great, lifelong friends. But her college experience was definitely different than my dad’s. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:55:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028889 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028850 I believe that there is a balance between the two. Obviously, anyone can go to college and get a good paying job if they put the effort into it. But you can’t ignore that some groups of people have to work HARDER to achieve this goal. Kids from low income families and single parent households and people labeled as minorities (plus others) all have a disadvantage. When I think about this issue, I think about my parents. It’s pretty much the perfect comparison because both of my parents went to Penn State main campus at the same time. My dad came from a middle class family. My grandfather had a good paying job, and went to University of Pittsburgh when he first married my grandmother. My dad’s two sisters both went to college. My dad didn’t take out student loans; he completely relied on his parents to pay for tuition. My dad had a nice car in college; he paid fraternity dues. Surely, my dad worked over the summer as a bartender and in factory. He was a hard worker, and got good grades and was determined to graduate on time while many of his fraternity brothers didn’t. But, let’s be honest: growing up, college was ALWAYS the plan for my dad. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:54:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028850 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028821 Yesterday’s lecture was my favorite lecture of the semester so far. I left class really thinking about what we had talked about. I went back to my dorm and talked to people about this. It was so engaging. That is the reason I took this class. In the overall scope of things, I consider myself to be more liberal. I’m not a crazy, hardcore left-wing person, but I tend to think more liberally. It’s probably because I’m a young, college kid. I haven’t lived in the real world on my own yet, which even the biggest liberal will tell you makes you more conservative. But in regards to my political stance on this particular issue that we talked about in class, I feel that I am somewhere in the middle, maybe leaning more towards conservatism. At the beginning of class, I was leaning more towards determinism (factors and forces outside of our control). When Sam was done with the lecture, I was starting to lean the other way (the more conservative side). Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:54:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/are-you-a-liberal-or-a-conservative-119-blog/#IDComment127028821 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment126060233 This video begs the question “Why can’t a white comedian make fun of other races, but a comedian of another race can?” It seems at first to be a valid question. In a world where we are fighting for all races to be equal, or where we are making the argument that “races don’t exist,” why is there a double standard? However, no matter what you say, this is how it will always be. Though we as a country are becoming more and more progressive every year (from the civil rights movement, to the election of a half-black president), we won’t get to the stage where a white person can make fun of other races any time soon. The fact of the matter is, this country was structured for too long to give whites an advantage. Blacks fought for years after the Civil War to, not only gain freedom, but also citizenship, the right to vote, and the right to attend the same schools as whites. After years of fighting for civil rights, we have made progress. But by whites making derogatory comments about other races, even in jest, it is still offensive. We saw this in class the other day when we watched the Indian man and the Iranian man during their respective standup comedy shows. Each made fun of his own ethnic background, while making jabs at other minority groups. Everyone in the class, no matter what race or background they were, could laugh at the content of each video clip. When a white person does this, being that he would be considered the majority rather than the minority in the U.S., it is like he asserting some kind of dominance. When someone makes fun of his or/her own race, the audience is likely to be more receptive and less defensive. The same can be said regarding straight men and women compared with those who identify as LGBT. A straight man cannot make fun of a person for being gay, but a gay person could very easily poke fun at other gay people. Why is this? It is because the LGBT community has been struggling for years to gain equality (right to marry, right to serve in the army, etc.). By making fun of them, it seems like more of a sign of oppression rather than a light hearted joke. When a gay person makes fun of another gay person, however, it is funny because they understand the struggles that the other may have had to face in society. It’s like when someone says that they’re “laughing at themselves,” rather than making fun of (or bullying) someone who’s different. Most would agree that this kind of “joking,” led to many LGBT suicides this year nationwide. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 03:06:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment126060233 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/what-does-the-confederate-flag-mean-to-you-119-blog/#IDComment124474165 In class, we talked about the Confederate Flag and what it means to different people. To some, it represents the Civil War and fight to preserve slavery. To others, it is reminiscent of Southern culture. We even discussed how, in parts of the world like Russia, the Confederate Flag is even symbolic of Nazism white power For me, I’ve always considered the Confederate Flag to be rather offensive. It invokes ideas of the Civil War and other issues of white supremacy that we learned about in history class. At my high school we had a considerable amount of “rednecks” who displayed the battle flag in the back of their pick ups. Although I went to school with these people, walked alongside them in the halls and saw them everyday, I felt completely disconnected from their lifestyle. After SOC 119 however, I started to look at this issue in a different way. I began to think that maybe it is just a sign of Southern pride. Just like I am proud of hometown of Pittsburgh, people from the South are proud of where they come from. When I wear a Steelers jersey, they wave a Confederate flag. While I have a Penguins hockey bumper sticker, they may have “The Dukes of Hazzard” horn in their truck. Sure, its different, but isn’t that what this class is all about? Isn’t it really about accepting others for who they are and at least trying to understand their way of life? The real issue of this is the fact that the battle flag is often used rather than the official flag. The battle flag is considerably more controversial because of what it represents. African Americans have the right to be angered by the flag, especially if it is the battle flag. The Civil War resulted, not only in the deaths of many blacks, but also caused years of racism after the war for blacks in the North. We learn about the war in our textbooks and see pictures of guns and coffins next to pictures the Confederate Flag. I feel like, no matter where the flag is displayed, one culture (redneck or black culture) will always be affected. And although it is nearly 150 years after the war that divided our nation, this issue is still a hot topic. I wonder if the kids at my high school who displayed the flag in their cars would have been more reluctant to do so had there been more black students at my school. My school district was predominantly white, and there was virtually no diversity. Would they show their pride so vividly? Would display the flags so obviously? Or would they remain steadfast in their beliefs of Southern culture? Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:27:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/what-does-the-confederate-flag-mean-to-you-119-blog/#IDComment124474165 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cs%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment123813759 soc 119 <3 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:19:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cs%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment123813759 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122646826 I think the thing that we can take away from this is that we must notice the differences in people, rather than focus so much on something such as skin color. As the saying goes, “there is more than what meets the eye,” and this whole class is based on just that. Once we stop lumping people together into large groups, we can see each person for the individual that they are. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:16:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122646826 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122646810 I feel like this misidentification of a person’s race is due to ignorance. For me, I come from a high school that was almost entirely White. Penn State, though not an extremely diverse university, was quite an eye opener for me. In fact, my roommate, the first person I met here, is half-Filipino. It may be hard for someone like me, who has been surrounded by people of the same race for nearly all my life, to be able to discern people of certain races from one another. But at the end of the day, why is it so important? Why do we have to identify as any one race, or in fact, a race at all? I’m trying desperately to avoid sounding too cliché, but aren’t we all the same? I mean, granted, we may have different skin color or hair or eyes. But consider that we all function the same biologically, and have the same capacity for love and emotion. Why are we so hung up on identifying with a certain group? Is it because different races have different cultures and we feel more comfortable with our own culture? Or is it because looks, physicality, first impressions? Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:16:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122646810