en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2394860 Comments by gdf5023 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/12/07/voices-from-the-classroom-221/#IDComment514676492 Throughout people’s lives, many are taught to be together with others that are similar to. Many are told to be a certain way. Many are forced into this box, so to speak. These boxes that we are put into have their places in life, but in general, can harm relations between people in the long run. Boxing yourself away from others hurts how you act with others and makes people ignorant of some feelings. In class, Sam spoke about people not wanting to try new things such as food or other sensory experiences and I can understand where those people come from in their reservations. I know that, from a financial standpoint, if you purchase food and you end up not liking it, you will feel as though you lost money. This just seems foolish to do at times when the restaurant already has something that you know will enjoy. There can be a meal that you get every time simply because you like how it tastes, not necessarily because you are afraid of trying new things. I know that personally, if there was a onetime offer to try something new food wise, I would not pass it up. I think trying new things can open up your horizons and allow you to find enjoyable things that you would not have tried otherwise. However, doing this with things other than food could be harmful. Sam mentioned how he took “mushrooms” from a local in Central/South America. He just tried it without much thought to it. He ended up lucky in his situation and there was no harm done to him. He in fact learned much from his experience; however, I am sure this is not the same for all people who have tried these or other drugs. Drugs can be harmful when used incorrectly and should not be taken lightly. These are the things that people should be wary of. This fear can keep us in our box, yet also keep us safe. With all this in mind, I am still convinced that while many people are shutting themselves off for the worse through their boxing, others could save their own lives through this. I know that Sam probably thinks that all of these boxes need to be opened and mixed together to give a better world experience, but without some reservations, the world may be a dangerous place. Also, if we mix all boxes together, how will we retain culture? How can we keep our beliefs or our traditions when everything is smashed into one? If we indeed eliminate these sequestrations that people put themselves in, then culture around the world might slowly lose itself. All in all, I personally believe that it is okay to keep some things separated and boxed off, but when you completely refuse to take new thing into consideration, this is where you run into trouble. Just like many other things, there must be a balance between the two to have a happy society. Sun, 9 Dec 2012 19:39:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/12/07/voices-from-the-classroom-221/#IDComment514676492 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/12/01/voices-from-the-classroom-217/#IDComment507984433 I think that interracial dating is definitely a complex situation and issue. There are many reasons that black and white men and women are hesitant to approach somebody/have sex/date someone of the opposite race. The main reasons are, in my opinion, the fear of being judged and criticized and on an individual’s cultural experiences. The fear of being judged and criticized comes from many angles. People do not want to be judged by their peers, friends, and family members. They may think their family would be disappointed if they chose to date somebody not of the same race and background. It is sad that in this day and age, with so much progress and more acceptance than there used to be, that judgment is still something that we fear. On the other hand though, there are many people who have grown to not care about racial differences and interracial couples are seen much more often. But there are always going to be certain people judging because they are close-minded. A person’s cultural experiences also play a part in their willingness to involve themselves in a relationship with someone of the opposite race. If a person grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, has all white friends and family, and rarely associated with any other races- particularly black in this case- than they are probably less likely to date a black man or woman because their comfort level is pretty weak. They know nothing of the black culture and how to interact with them, so they will stick to dating people similar to them in culture and race. On the other hand, if a person grew up surrounding themselves with people of all different races and cultures, they would be more open to dating a person of the opposite race and background. They would also be more accepting of people that involve themselves in interracial relationships. Another reason is possibly that a person feels or assumes that they will not have anything in common with someone of the opposite race before they even give them a chance. They base their knowledge of the person off of the people they hang out with or where they are from, without getting to know that person for who they are. It takes a certain open mindedness and bravery to be open to the possibility of being in an interracial relationship. I personally think that if a person makes you happy, shares the same morals and has the same values as you, then the color of their skin should not be a reason to hold yourself back from being with that person. Society has come a long way with the acceptance of interracial relationships, but we must continue to be open minded and make others the same way in order for interracial relationships to not be an issue. Sun, 2 Dec 2012 19:01:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/12/01/voices-from-the-classroom-217/#IDComment507984433 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-208/#IDComment494206965 No one stage of racial identification has more importance than any of the other phases. People can't reach the next step if they don't first go through the step before and all the other steps before that. Stage one is important because no one should start out life extremely confused and aware of racial differences. Children need to have at least a little bit of time before the harsh reality of current race relations is made visible to them. Stage two is important because everyone needs that time of a bit of confusion and soul searching in their life when it comes to race identity and race relations. No one is really going to figure things out as soon as racial differences are identified to them. While stage three might seem a bit hostile to some people depending on what comes to mind for them, I think it is an extremely important stage. A lot of times, I think that white people want people of color to become more white. To realize that while their skin might be darker, they really need to just get with the mainstream culture and not try to embrace their uniqueness. However, I personally believe that embracing ethnic and racial differences and learning about ones own culture, history, language, peoples, and homeland can really improve the quality of life and sense of personal identity for individuals. So often in this modern time there isn't as much of a sense of community and strong cultural identity like back in the day before globalization and technology. I know for disenfranchised groups like native Americans who for so long have been forced to "assimilate" into whiteness, cultural reconnection really helps people. There is a school in Wisconsin that is an Ojibwe language immersion school where students only learn and talk in their native language and do a lot of cultural education and is a full on immersion program. These students have consistently done extremely well on standardized testing and seem to be succeeding in many aspects beyond that such as college placement and happiness. This is just one of countless examples where people of color who rejoin with their own race and cultural identity benefit from this reconnection. Lastly, the fourth stage is important too. While it is significant to fully understand, appreciate, and participate in ones own racial culture, due to globalization and the interconnectedness of today's society, people can't just stay in only their own racial group. More and more different groups are mixing together in all aspects of life from housing to worship to school to work. A sense of mutual understanding can be formed based on a culmination of multiple individuals being connected to their own culture who are now connecting with each other across racial lines. Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:27:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-208/#IDComment494206965 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-201/#IDComment487403926 When I think about abortion I think it is always up to the women’s choice--especially if she was raped. I think its ridiculous that some people believe a women doesn’t have a choice to keep the baby or not if she was raped. Obviously she was raped she didn’t want it to happen in the first place she didn’t plan for the child. If it were my daughter I would say the choice is completely up to her. If something so horrible like a rape happened to my daughter I would let her abort the child if she decided she didn’t want to keep it. I do not understand why the government would try to restrict a child from having a child they have no intention of having or planning for. Rape and pregnancy is such a controversial issue that has been going on in the United States for years. The fact that we are still talking about going back to pro-life arguments in my mind is a step in the wrong direction. We are the people of the United States; we should be aloud to do what we wish with our bodies. I would want my daughter to be able to choose. I would hope the United States would still be able to give me daughter that choice. People need to be able to make the choice to keep the child or not. Some women did not have the choice being raped; I do believe they should have the choice on whether or not to keep the child. I would one hundred percent want the same thing for a random women that was raped as I would my own daughter. I have always been against abortion if it came to my own body. But again that is my own personal choice. I believe that if I ever got pregnant on my own terms I would keep the child because I believe every child should get a chance at life and I shouldn’t make the choice on that. But that is in the regards of the mistake of the pregnancy on my behalf. If I was raped I think I would look at it in a different regard. It was not my choice to get pregnant, it wasn’t even my choice to have that sex, and therefore I do believe it should be my choice to keep the baby or not. Everyone in America is supposed to be free and aloud to make the choices they so wish, why should that change for a life that you could hold inside of you. It shouldn’t, everyone should get to make that choice whether or not the government thinks it’s right. What people do with their bodies is and always should be their choice. It can be a touchy subject, since your arguably taking someone else's life, but in my opinion it should always be the woman's choice about what she does with the life inside her. Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:00:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-201/#IDComment487403926 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-202/#IDComment480765117 I definitely agree that increased interaction with members of various racial groups is the best way to eliminate stereotypes and make people more understanding. My hometown is predominantly white with a large Asian population as well. My transition to penn state last year acted as an eye opened. I have obviously had previous interaction with people of different races before coming to penn state. However, my interactions had never been for prolonged times and as often as they occur at penn state. I would never consider myself racist, but as we discussed in class last week, there is latent prejudice in basically everyone. I feel that this latent prejudice stems from being scared of the unknown. If an individual has never had a significant interaction with another person of a different race, that individual may be harvesting latent prejudices against this racial or ethnic group just out of fear of not understanding. I think this concept of increased interaction increasing understanding can be applied effectively to the previous question of the abortion issue. If politicians had an increased interaction and conversations with women who have experienced with an unplanned pregnancy or a rape that resulted in a pregnancy they would have a better understanding of the plight of women in this situation. Especially as men, most politicians cannot put themselves in the positions of the negative implications of unwanted pregnancy, so by having an understanding of the situation they would more readily be able to put themselves or a woman they have close ties with in the position and be more accepting of giving women the choice of abortion. As we have discussed in class and learned through readings, most people judge other and attempt to understand other peoples’ actions using their own perspective and their own cultures. This is easier to when you have limited contact with people outside of your “in-group.” Once you begin interacting more with people outside of your own cultural and racial background it will become easier to be more understanding of others. I personally do not have a specific experience of changing in understanding due to increased interaction involving race; however, I have had a similar experience regarding culture and religion. When I was younger, I tended to base other’s culture and religion on my own (thinking that everyone celebrated Christmas and other Catholic holiday’s and had similar traditions to those of my own family). I experienced a time of increased understanding as I grew older and came in contact and made friends who did not share my family’s cultural and religious beliefs. My best friend is Israeli and her family has very strong ties to Israel and its culture. Through my interactions with her family and taking part in their traditions, I have had an increase understanding of her culture and that of many others. Mon, 5 Nov 2012 03:36:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-202/#IDComment480765117 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/25/voices-from-the-classroom-195/#IDComment474983842 Unconscious prejudice is alive in all of us, no matter how racist you are or not. The color of someones skin or the way they dress will always lead to predispositions towards how you treat or approach an individual. It effects how you feel when you see someone in person, as well as just hearing a stereotypical name over the phone. I wouldn't call it racism, but it's unavoidable. I would only call it racism if you treated someone as beneath you because of the color of their skin.To ignore someones skin color and culture is more racist then acknowledging someone as someone different from you. It sounds a little bit 'after school specially' but everyone is special and deserves recognition. The prime example given in class had to do with hiring people and the interview process. I believe a lot of latent prejudice examples may derive from these situations because occupation decisions are so important, and every little movement and word must be watched. People may say they aren’t racist or prejudiced, but many times they probably haven’t caught themselves making a comment that may hurt. It’d make the boss doing the hiring seem like, despite what their legal papers may say about being non-racist or judgmental, they disregard any laws and just make decisions based on personal belief. A boss will always have a personal and unique view about who he will hire, and if those opinions are derived from racial negative stereotypes that is where you cross racism. Racism exists on all sides of the equation, but it is commonly the oppressors who are seen as the bad guys because they can and do create inequality on the minority. I have always considered myself to be pretty open-minded so I said that I was not prejudice in the example used in class. However, Sam then asked a series of questions that made me question my true beliefs. The most surprising question asked the class whether or not they would adopt a kid of a different race if they were having trouble having their own kids. Although, I originally stated that I was not prejudice, the idea of adopting a child of a different race than me made me second-guess myself. I would like to say now with no pressure on me that I would be able to adopt a kid of a different race, but when push comes to shove it can be unclear where we will stand. Thus latent racism is born. Sun, 28 Oct 2012 17:44:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/25/voices-from-the-classroom-195/#IDComment474983842 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/18/voices-from-the-classroom-191/#IDComment469454485 A time i benefited from affirmative action would be last summer when I worked at a restaurant that had a very clear racial guideline between employees and their job description. They hired only Latino's to do the less desirable jobs and the jobs that worked the hardest for the least amount of money. Latino's were hired to do tasks like wash dishes, bus tables, clean the kitchen after hours, and open the restaurant early in the morning. White people and attractive people were hired as waiters, food runners, bartenders and managers. Though everyone made $10 an hour aside from the waiters and bartenders, the minorities were forced to work longer and harder than anyone else. I benefitted from being a white person, and given an easier and more dignified job as a waiter. And the way the business was managed, the Latino employees basically worked for and were responsible to the wait staff and bartenders. So although we made the same amount of money, they worked much harder and longer days and could be fired by waiters and bartenders at any time. And if you were a darker skinned individual there was no point eve trying to apply for any job besides dishwasher or bus boy. It was very obvious but no one ever discussed it in a negative way. I think the minorities just accepted their role and were used to it. All of them were paid cash and under the table, and their citizenship was always something in question though the management would never do anything about it because they needed their cheap labor. That is a common trend in America these days, where minorities do jobs that white people dont want to do for minimum wage. I have gotten call backs from every job I have every applied for, and I know I benefit from being a white man every day of my life. And as a person who identifies as white, I have seen the other side and I have seen the underprivileged all around me. Sam always asked us how we feel about injustices when he points them out. Such as white people kicking Native Americans off the land and now they have the highest suicide and alcohol rates in the country. I dont know how I feel about always being in the upper crest of society, but I do know that I cant complain. Yes I think injustice as wrong, but no one can honestly say they have complained about being inherently lucky. I do feel bad for the underprivileged members of society, but I do not think affirmative action is the way to solve it. My solution is to build schools and infrastructure from the inside out, and reeducate the country from the ground up. Sun, 21 Oct 2012 22:50:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/18/voices-from-the-classroom-191/#IDComment469454485 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/11/voices-from-the-classroom-185/#IDComment463875266 Growing up as a white person in a successful home, I was never really aware of affirmative action because it didn’t affect my life personally. Understanding what affirmative action really is can be difficult because people have many different definitions and beliefs based on how and where they were raised. Being raised the way I was and how I live I was “conditioned” to believe that affirmative action is actually unfair. As my mom describes it, affirmative action takes away jobs from people who are more qualified and handed to others just because of a minority requirement. Since this is what I was told when I was younger, I never decided to try and investigate any other opinions, I just went with what my mom said. After listening to Sam speak in class about it, my mind was opened up to the other side of affirmative action and why others feel so strongly about it. It makes sense to look back in history to understand why things are the way that they are today, because how else would we describe our current situation without looking in the past? I think a lot of people forget our history and don’t understand why people feel a certain way towards things. (Ex. The colored people comment and affirmative action). Once Sam began talking about how black people were given nothing and kept being denied everything I understood why people, especially blacks, feel the way they do about how people hold them back. The fact that the top whites in the country kept making advancement so hard for the blacks I understand why they feel as though they should be granted different privileges to even try and keep up with the top whites. Yet when it comes down to being hired for a job, I just don’t know if I still feel completely pro affirmative action. I feel as if everyone should have an equal chance and no matter what color, race, religion or gender you are the most qualified person for the job should be hired. It may hurt the company to hire an unqualified person just because they are a minority. It’s hard to say one or the other but in the end there will always be two sides to a controversial topic and neither side will be right in every case. Today, knowing more facts than I did before I would have to say I disagree with affirmative action because although minorities are kept out of jobs by white people, I don't see the types of jobs that hire based on affirmative action as the types of jobs that would make a huge impact on the socioeconomic status of minorities. By this I mean that high paying jobs or even CEO type jobs are not concerned with hiring minorities at all. Those industry's are well broken in to the minority issue, and are jobs that are earned through experience and professional degrees, not the color of ones skin. Sun, 14 Oct 2012 23:00:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/11/voices-from-the-classroom-185/#IDComment463875266 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/03/voices-from-the-classroom-176/#IDComment457806083 I attribute the typical and predictable spread of household income when comparing racial class to where everyones race started in this country. For example blacks are low on the list because when black people were freed they started at nothing, while white people already had foundation and generations of success to fall back on. There were poor white people sure, but the majority of them didn't have absolutely nothing. And for a white person to have nothing and a black person just freed from slavery mean 2 completely different things. A black slave who was free was still seen as less than human by most people. Blacks even after freed faced years and years of oppression which still exists today, but white people have always managed to stay on top of the food chain. Even after slavery blacks still did hard labor for very little money, which increases the white mans wealth due to cheap labor costs. This kind of oppression went on for a long time and is still predominant today with blue collar people, white black hispanic or whatever, doing cheap factory style labor to put large amounts of money in the owner of said factory. It takes generations and big moves to make it out from under a situation like that. Some have made it out, but many have not which is why there are many blacks and hispanics in America today that are the first of their families to go to college and have a chance in the American workplace. White Americans most likely possess the highest average incomes simply because they have had the power and money for the longest period of time. Although Native Americans lived in the country long before white settlers arrived, whites forcefully overpowered the natives, and thus, metaphorically pushed them down off of the tabletop. Of course, whites continued this reign of power for hundreds of years when they enslaved native Africans. And finally, whites maintained power since they have historically controlled the resources in the country. Thus, when various groups of immigrants settled in America, they were already at a disadvantage compared to whites, since white Americans possess the majority of the resources. Unless immigrants are coming to America already educated and financially secure as Asians are, these individuals will have a much harder time reaching success. Mon, 8 Oct 2012 00:00:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/10/03/voices-from-the-classroom-176/#IDComment457806083 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-172/#IDComment452476554 Dr Jones had a really phenomenal lecture, and i thought his creativity and enthusiasm really helped get his points across. His final example he used about retelling a story over and over again has incredibly accurate implications to real life. All stories go through filters, but the more controversial the topic, the more likely people are to change the story to benefit themselves. We can see this in racial issues, but even in stories about sports, politics or any story that can have a bias. The filters can not only alter the story to make it either easier to tell or benefit your opinion, but content can also change. As we saw in class, not only did the story get shorter and shorter, but the names of characters changed, and content grew so far from the truth it was astonishing. By the 4th of 5th person the story had completely changed, and there were about 7 people the story had to go through. His point was made very clear at that point. Something that also sticks out is peoples certain awkwardness around topics, such as the white guy in class who knew that the white man in the story called a black guy a nigger, but he said that "he used a racial slur of some sort." I'm not saying that i would have, or that i expected that guy to say nigger, but he could have at least said "the n word" like white people often do. It's this kind of awkwardness and uncertainty that lead to a lot of racial tension, and this is exactly what we attack in class which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, lacking the ability to talk about race, makes race this awkward subject we prefer to ignore. And ignoring something only leads to further lack of understanding of a subject. It's like trying to make someone guess a word without being able to say the word, it just adds confusion and doesnt help anyone. Likewise, to ignore race is to make it this unwanted and forbidden subject, which only leads to racial separation. Race is something that should be embraced and celebrated no matter what race you are. It shouldnt be a competition of race. We are all human and share this earth, but when we ignore race and filter stories it only adds to peoples confusion which makes it an "us vs them" mentality. I feel perfectly comfortable with race because i grew up in inner city Washington, Dc. I went to a grade school where i was the only white male in my graduating class, though the school was about 60% white, and my baby sitter Rosie was a black woman who lived across the street. Race was never really a concern of mine until i went to high school, and people from whiter neighborhoods in Maryland and Virginia made me realize that not everyone had my experience, and not everyone is as comfortable with the opposite race as i was. Mon, 1 Oct 2012 01:06:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-172/#IDComment452476554 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/09/20/voices-from-the-classroom-170/#IDComment447093042 Talking to Pedrum was one of the most enlightening and enriching experiences we've had in class so far. If i could describe it in one word it would be, surprising. I was surprised at how well he spoke english, i was surprised at how easy going and funny he was, i was surprised at the TV shows he watched and the music he listened too, but most of all i was surprised at how much he was like anyone in America. He could have easily been a student in our class, and i never would have known he was from Iran. And being an American leaves you with many predispositions as to what and how someone from the middle east will be like, and he quickly put my ignorance to rest. He was incredibly down to earth, and i was surprised at many of his answers to our questions. IE, that most people in Iran love America and especially love American TV. It's really interesting to see how similar we are to people who live on the other side of the world, in a completely different environment. I'm sad the video got cut off, because there is a lot i would like to talk to him about. For one, i'd like to know more about his culture his life and how he was raised. What his parents do for a living, has he ever met any Americans in Iran or anywhere else, and in general what the response would be if a white person was just walking down the street in a crowded area. If the guy would get looks or if people would just treat him like anyone else. I'm very curious about what the general response would be to an American walking around simply as a tourist. If people would be hostile, or pay it no mind. It's all very interesting to me. I've travelled all over Europe, and have been treated as an equal but Europe isnt portrayed as dangerous and they dont even compare. I am also wondering how Pedrum managed to become so knowledgeable about American culture. Are American culture, language, and history courses that are taught or is it just a true desire to learn about a different place? Or is it somewhat forced culture upon them? I also would like to know what the similarities and differences are between Iranian culture and American culture. For example, what customs that we as Americans find as normal or necessary do Iranians find to be odd or even offensive? Similarly to the point Sam made earlier in the semester about the toilets in Japan, or removing your shoes in houses in Asia. Sun, 23 Sep 2012 21:48:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/09/20/voices-from-the-classroom-170/#IDComment447093042 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/09/07/voices-from-the-classroom-161/#IDComment437521459 Fridays class got pretty heated, but brought up some very interesting ideas. Both the idea that this is a rough topic to talk about, and that there is no one right answer that races can agree on for how they want or dont want to be talked about. It was made clear via twitter and class discussion that some people care very deeply about saying "people of color' vs 'colored people' and that others could care less. This was also made clear for the oriental vs asian vs korean or whatever debate. It's something that can be so inherently wrong to one, and so nonchalant to others. Personally, as a white male I dont ever get flustered by racial comments made about white people. Whatever the reason is I could care less whether I was called a cracker or a honky or something, but i recognize that it is not even a comparable debate. The issue between a racial slur given to a white person verses a racial slur to a person of color, due to history being so kind to white people and not so kind to those of color there is thin ice being walked on when you discuss people of color. I knew that the debate we discussed in class had no answer, but regardless of what i thought people would argue the entire class and if class lasted 4 hours people would have hands raised the entire time. People will always have their opinions but in ones own eyes their opinions about race are always right. Just like people are raised to follow a certain religion or political party, people are raised to believe a certain way about race. People learn how to discuss it, and what to say and what not to say. Such as, referring to black people as people of color of colored people. To white people, this is plainly semantics, but to someone who had parents who lived through racial struggles in this country it can be an incredibly sensitive issue and something that you must approach carefully. So when the white girl in the front row innocently said 'colored people' she wasnt doing it maliciously, but she probably should have thought of it a little more carefully because things can get hairy. So she says colored people, and a black person took offense to it, however others thought of it as no big deal. That's just the racial debate itself, there is no right answer and no one has the final say. Martin Luther King Jr himself cant define the proper word for African Americans. Sun, 9 Sep 2012 21:59:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/09/07/voices-from-the-classroom-161/#IDComment437521459 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/if-prison-has-taken-anything-away-from-me/#IDComment145264605 When I was reading the beginning of the article I couldn't help but think about that conversation we had in class.. However, as I continued to read on about what prison really has taken away from him. I also started to think that maybe it gave something back to this man, which sounds crazy. But I wonder if this man had the ability to love to this extent before prison. Before he didn't have restrictions set upon his personal pursuits, would he have been able to love a woman to this capacity? Would he have wrote about loving a woman the same way that he had in the end of the article? Love is such a priceless thing that many of us take for granted, but when you have it taken away from you?? How could anyone imagine not knowing what its like to love. To hold someone, to share your soul with another. It's heart breaking. Literally. Love is something that every human desires, and spend years searching for. It is so sad that this man, along with the rest of his fellow lifers, can never experience the feeling of love ever again. The closest thing these lifers can get to love is the connection to God where they believe God is actually caring about the lifers. When he stated that his life is so empty, it made me very sad. He is constantly surrounded by bare concrete walls, which remind him of what his life was reduced too. He tries to fill his life with reading and conversation however he still feels that something is missing. Love is one of the most powerful things in the world. His future is bleak and there seems to be no hope for him whatsoever. I pity him so much. And it can only give me a reason not to ever ever commit a crime. Life and love are things we take so light heartedly, but when losing it we will realize Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:37:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/if-prison-has-taken-anything-away-from-me/#IDComment145264605 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/the-cost-of-empire-soc-001-blog/#IDComment143274512 The extravagant lifestyles that Americans are so well known for is not something that just happened by chance. We work for it, and we cause a lot of damage to get it done. People say that freedom isnt free, and in America's case, we take the freedom's we have and use them to take over other parts of the world to insure our lifestyles remain the way they are. A big problem of this, besides the obvious harm done to the world, is how incredibly wasteful we are. This video really brings to light how much we provide and have prepared for the war that is actually just a waste of money. It shows that we are literally running ourselves into the ground. The defense department is hiding many factors that are important for us to know. We are given false information about costs and money and price about how much bases cost, the equipment of the bases, and the weapons that we have for “just in case”. We fight so hard for the lifestyles we lead, but do not realize the cost on the world. The video stated that $663,000,000,000 was being set aside by President Obama for the Department of Defense in the 2010 budget. One could make the argument that this number isn’t outrageous at all, and that protecting our country while making the world a better place is very important. However, after seeing the pictures of the people in the streets in these foreign countries, it seems like were doing more harm than good. Countries are clearly showing their hatred not only for the U.S. bases that are taking up space in their homelands, but the American troops them selves. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:48:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/the-cost-of-empire-soc-001-blog/#IDComment143274512 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment141067394 The oil crisis is one of epic proportions and impact. It is something that human beings today simply cannot live without. And there is so few left, that the only way to survive and maintain our lifestyles is to create war ad havoc over the last remaining oil. There is simply no way around it. Soon we will be out of oil, and who knows what will happen then. And by the time we run out of oil there will have been so much irreparable damage done to the earth that there will be no way of recovering. Not only will there be physical damage done to the planet, but all cultures around the planet will have done tons of damage to each other, via war and political damage, to fight for the last drops of oil out there. The oil companies also have so much control and power over our economy and society that there will be no way around corruption in the government. The companies are just too powerful. Although there have been tax cuts proposed, they will have a small impact.The proposed cuts are only a tiny little bit of their total profit, and shouldn’t be as hard as it has been to pass, especially when it will help our huge national debt get significantly lower with every passing year. Unfortunately, it is, and will be, very hard to get anything like this to pass through congress. Part of the reason for this is because of what we talked about in class this week. The oil company has pumped so much money into politician’s lives that it is very unlikely that those politicians will ever turn against them. Politics and big oil are the corrupt engine that control much of this company. There is no way around it, and soon we will all find out just how badly they have harmed our culture. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 19:17:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment141067394 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139194207 Sports are always a way to invoke a sense of nationalism and pride in ones country. It can be seen in Haiti today, as well as in many other instances around the world. For example New Orleans had an incredible natural disaster when hurricane Katrina ripped through the city and devastated the entire population. It was only a few years later when they won the super bowl, which is easily the most pride evoking thing anyone can win in the United States of America. Although the city of New Orleans could have folded and given up and succumbed to the tremendous damage done to the city, they fought, and rose from the ashes to win the most coveted prize in the sports world today. Supplying money to these teams is not only a way to bring glory to a country or city, but to bring a sense of pride to those who live there. And if there is any group of people on this earth who need a sense of pride it is those who's homes have been destroyed by natural disasters. Sports are a great way in invoke the sense of pride that these people need to be successful and carry on with their lives. Countless times we see children playing after a hard days work helping there family even if they are exhausted. It just brightens spirits and no one can ever take that passion away from them. Not governments, or natural disasters. No one can ever tell me that the joy you see in someones expression while playing soccer or any sport they love is not the best sight in the world. To see someone making the best out of there life in the most simple way is miraculous. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 20:46:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139194207 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment135939799 We had a long discussion in class today about how the murders all for the most part admit their guilt and know how they deserve to be locked up. This man is no different. Though he dreams of an outside world and a life for himself as a husband and a father. Its touching stuff, and really makes me take my own life into consideration. I see these guys and it makes me regret every law ive ever broken. Every pack of gum i stole, every stop sign i ran. It makes me really reflect inwards, as these people have done. Now he is an inmate, and hopeless. I never want to be like that. Sam said in class today that these people in prison are truly free, because they can experience life in a whole new way, and see life with a whole new appreciation that they could have never felt outside prison, and living as "free" men in the free world. This man admits his cowardice which led to his arrest and trial and conviction, and life in prison. He could have saved a mans life, but instead he chose to hide and stay safe, and now he lives his life in prison with hundreds of murderers, rapists and thieves. He admits that he is not an evil person, just like many of the men who end up with life in prison that we learn about. Although I am very much in favor of men being locked away for life, i cant help but pity them, and wish i could help. Life is such a precious thing, and these men lose theirs because of stupid mistakes made over passion and rash decisions. I wish more than anything that i could help them somehow. But in the same way i want to help them i envy them. I envy the life of solitude and inward reflection that i so desire, but cannot achieve in the fast paced world we live in. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:09:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment135939799 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132163428 It's clear to see from evidence in society, as well as in this article, that the lottery can ruin many more lives than it helps. Not only does the concept of a lottery assume that money buys happiness, but the lottery can give the people the false notion that they are wealthy people who lives wealthy lifestyles. People win a lottery and than assume this lifestyle that does not become them. They act as though they belong in a high society life and they end up blowing all their money on the white trash items they owned before. Then they only end up losing all the money and being worse off then they started. And not only are the winners losing money, and becoming poorer than they started, but the millions of people who dont win lose money on the tickets they bought that won them no money. Even buying one lotto ticket a week could cost you thousands of dollars a year, and for what? The thrill of playing the game, but coming up empty over and over and over again. Countless times people will lose and very few times will they change their ways. How many times can you throw away money before you realize you will get none of it back. People can even take a situation too far and take their own lives after they blow all their lotto winnings and find themselves in incredible debt and suffering involved with the loss of all their income that they didnt have much of to begin with. Long story short, the lottery can ruin peoples lives, and sometimes even be partly responsible for taking them. My own mother has bought a lotto ticket every week, and every time i remind her of how much money shes wasting and how much of a burden it really is. The lottery is no different than a drug, and could easily become an epidemic. Thu, 3 Mar 2011 18:57:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132163428 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment130647686 As most of the other lifer's stories I have read, they all seem to try and figure out what went wrong in their lives. Whether it is drugs, sex, abuse, or alcohol they need an outlet, a reason why they chose to do the things they did to place them in prison forever. This man goes in detail about his past and how loving and supportive his family was. Usually you would expect to see a person who had a rough home life with unreliable and/or irresponsible parents. Not for him. He was affected by his neighborhood and sexual desire. It's a horrible fate that befalls so many good people in our society, that are trapped by their primal desires. In class on wednesday we discussed the needy penis, and i suppose this is somewhat related, and also relates to why men are usually the ones convicted of rape and the women are the victims. Women desire more than the actual act of sex, out of sex. Men for the most part only care about the hardcore penetrative stuff, and that helped land this guy in prison for life. A lifetime is a long time to think about what you did. And thats all that the poor souls who land themselves in jail for life can do. is reflect inwards and look at themselves and their desires and analyze whats actual important in life. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:05:10 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment130647686 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/the-other-side/#IDComment128704415 I feel like people who murder others often see themselves as very in control, and empowered people. Obviously this is not true, and this man knows it and admitted his own cowardice. He is sorry for what he has done and has nothing in his life but self pity and remorse for his past actions. He knows he is a coward and all he wants is to be forgiven, but not by anyone he hurt. He wants to be forgiven by himself. He wants to let the people he has hurt come after him and make him feel like dirt, so that he can move on and forgive himself. He is close to God, as many of these inmates are, which may give him some sense of forgiveness, but not much. It doesnt seem right that people like this MUST spend life in jail. They are clearly sorry and will never do it again. I mean there is no way that 35 years in prison wouldn't change someone. It has to. Whether they know they will be released or not the people will not commit these crimes again and will be truly changed men. This man, probably, should be set free, as should many others who write these letters. Obviously this will never happen, and in all honesty it shouldn't, but its just sad to think that a rash and immature decision someone makes when they are 15 can ruin the rest of their lives - so not only is the life of the murdered taken, but the life on the murderer. This man is not a heartless killer, he is and old man who has never known life. He probably wouldnt have a very happy or successful life is he was set free, but keeping him behind bars is no place for these people who have clearly spent their time, been forgiven for their sins, and lost their lives. Fairness has nothing to do with it. An eye for an eye is no way to run a proper society, and if our country continues to run its judicial system this way we will never advance and be able to truly rehabilitate our inmates. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:26:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/the-other-side/#IDComment128704415