en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2403872 Comments by hihocheerios http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment144620934 I think the main reason immigrants are portrayed badly and disliked in society is due to the fact that they take many of the lower –middle class jobs from previous workers who are not immigrants. I can understand why this angers people, because if my job was taken away from me due to an immigrant, who was not originally from this country, I would be mad too. They then have no way to support their families and households, not to mention they are already on the lower end of the moneymaking spectrum. Also, since these immigrants are coming to America and getting low-income jobs, they are more likely to rely on public assistance. Considering states and local governments pay most welfare benefits, citizens in the states are going to have increased tax rates to help pay for the immigrants. Not only to mention the increased taxes, but as more immigrants come into America, the population increases, and a portion of these immigrants do not have health insurance, increasing citizen’s health insurance rates. I think these are mainly the reasons why society dislikes immigration, but I feel like the majority of people are okay with legal immigration; it is just the illegal immigration that most people have a problem with. This makes complete sense if you think about it, because for one, how safe is our country? If immigrants have continued to cross the border illegally without getting caught, it makes me second-guess myself on the security of the United States. Another issue is illegal immigrants in business. Illegal immigrants tend to be paid under the table. Considering this is a tax fraud, U.S. taxpayers suffer the consequences with once again increased taxes to help make up for the lost money. Also a majority of illegal immigrants are not paying state or federal taxes. Not only is taxes and money an issue with illegal immigrants in business, but also safety. Illegal immigrants may not fully be trained in U.S. safety standards, causing a hazardous work environment. Also, illegal immigrants are unlikely to report theft, or any other acts of violence because they fear being turned into immigration authorities. Finally illegal immigrants always have that possibility of being deported, which could cost business workers their time and investment. All in all, I think that there are noticeable downfalls with immigration, but the main focus that is most concerning is the illegal immigration. This is the type of immigration that angers or even frightens most Americans due to all the issues stated above. Although I do feel everyone should have a free opportunity to come to the states in order to achieve their goals and success, there has to be some restrictions on this. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:07:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment144620934 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/#IDComment142715123 I can honestly say that I do not think I would actively try to not benefit from nepotism if I was presented with the situation. Although this may sound extremely selfish to some people, I think that everyone is out for themselves, and when given the opportunities, whether they come easy or not you should take advantage of them. I can already say that the only reason I have an internship this summer is because of nepotism. If it weren’t for my dad having connections, I would not be working at a department at UPMC. Considering I am only a freshman, and do not have much background work on what I will be doing there, I benefited from nepotism. I am not saying that I do not work hard, but I know that there is someone else out there way more fit for that job than I am, but I am not going to turn down a great working experience, a nice paycheck, and a way to get my foot in the door early just so someone else can have the job. I know that sounds cruel but everyone is responsible for getting to where they want to be in life, and more than likely sitting back and turning down a great job for someone else isn’t going to do that for you. If you do not have connections, it is going to be difficult to get that spot you work hard for. I do not agree with this, nor do I think it is fair, but because that is how society works, I feel as though I have to go along with it if I want to be successful someday. I realized working hard doesn’t get you everything you want, and sometimes it doesn’t get you anything at all. I can see how this can go both ways though. I know that if I have not yet benefited from nepotism, I may be on the other side. I might say I wouldn’t try to benefit from it when given the opportunity because I would know how it felt to be the one denied from a great job or any other situation. I know that soon enough I will be the one on the other side, and I will think it is completely unfair, because I am not getting what I want or what I think I deserve. But basically, life is unfair and there will be the ups and downs to everything. Society works a certain way and the people conform to fit in with it, and that is just how it is, even though most of the time it is not fair and someone is always suffering on the other end. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 05:40:08 +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/#IDComment142715123 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment139154948 I have to say that I have mixed feelings when hearing conversations between people in different languages. It does not make me feel uncomfortable when I am just walking to class or walking around campus and hear different languages being spoken. Although, if I am in a classroom and we are in groups, and two or more of the group members are speaking a different language to each other, then I start to feel uncomfortable for different reasons. One is the obvious, I have no idea what they are saying, and therefore have no way of engaging in the conversation. Also, it makes me feel secluded because it seems that they do not want to talk with me or the other group members. I understand that everyone feels most comfortable speaking the language they are most familiar with, but in times of group work or small discussions, it can cause others to feel uncomfortable or left out. For instance, in my engineering design class I took in the summer, we worked in small groups to design a prototype for the project we were assigned. When we were brainstorming ideas, two of the members in my group spoke Chinese, and were just talking in that language amongst themselves. I know myself and the other member in my group felt uncomfortable because we did not know what to say or how to start to engage in the conversation with them. Eventually we were all able to communicate and come up with ideas, but at first I felt awkward. Although being surrounded at times by people speaking a different language may be uncomfortable for most, it can also be a learning experience. Since the majority of the students at Penn State speak English, I have not really had the opportunity to pick up on other languages enough by just passing by groups speaking in a different language, but if I was put into a situation where the majority of people spoke a different language than me, I would try to understand certain words. This way I could learn bits and pieces of different languages, and would be able to comprehend certain things that I heard throughout campus. It would be uncomfortable at first to do this, because as we all know not many like to leave their “comfort zone” and branch out to talk to others speaking a different language, but it would be a great learning experience. I think that more people, including myself, should start to take advantage of this. All in all, I have to say that I have had experiences where I felt uncomfortable when being around people speaking different languages, but for the most part I feel having the opportunity to come to a diverse school like Penn State, more people should try to turn it into a learning experience. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 17:25:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment139154948 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137130579 I think that there is nothing wrong with interracial relationships, although I know I personally can not say that I have been in an interracial relationship before. To me, being in a relationship should be based on love and if you truly care about that person, not about the color of their skin or their nationality. If a white person falls in love with a black person, so be it. You can not change who you love and who you have feelings for, and you should not have to change that. I feel as of today, society is becoming more and more accepting of interracial relationships, although there are still a large number of people who are not okay with it. I know some of my friends have parents that would just not accept them dating someone who was not of their own race, and although I do not think that is the way it should be, I understand why some people may be against it. You can not help how you were raised and how your beliefs came about. I think personally for myself why a lot of my friends’ parents are like that, and why I have never experienced any type of interracial relationship is because I grew up in an area that was basically 98% white. My high school had a total of five black students and two Asian students, and that was it, everyone else was white. Once I came to Penn State it was such an eye-opener for me because I am not used to this much diversity. I think that is why Soc 119 interests me so much, because I was not familiar with over half the information that has been said in class. Coming here is a whole new type of experience for me that I have never had growing up as a child. I think this could be another reason why people may be against interracial relationships. Maybe they have never had the change to be around a large group of diverse people. I know for me, I would never even think about having a relationship with someone of a different race if I stayed back in my hometown, because there is no diversity whatsoever there. I know the only times I have ever saw couples of different races was when I was either at the mall or at the movies, but that was very rarely. All in all, I think interracial relationships should be accepted by society, and I think we are on the right path, I just think some people need to be more open with whom they meet and when they are making new friends before they can say that interracial relationships aren’t for them, and should not be accepted. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:52:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137130579 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/what-is-your-view-and-experience-with-white-privilege-119-blog/#IDComment135445252 I have never been introduced to the term “white privilege” until taking SOC 119. Honestly, this is something that I have never talked about or even thought of until this year. Taking this class, though, has made me aware that “white privilege” does exist today, just as it had in the past. Although I personally have not had any experiences with this, I am aware that it is prevalent today due to what we have talked about in class. For instance, Sam showed us statistics representing how many whites are in jail for drugs versus how many blacks are in jail for drugs, and there are many more blacks in jail, even though there are more whites that are participating in drug use. This just goes to show that whites are being “let off the hook” easier than blacks. Also, for example, in airports those of different races tend to have themselves and their bags checked more thoroughly than whites. Another minor example of white privilege that I just found out is the flesh colored band-aids resembling Caucasian skin. Although many people may not realized, there are no brown or blacks band-aids sold at stores. White privilege may seem unfair, but it goes both ways in some situations. For instance, when colleges are looking through applications in order to determine whom they would like to enroll that year in their university, they have a certain number of different race students that they accept. This could hurt the chances of a white person getting into the school they want, just because the university needs to create a more diverse population. Although I do agree that colleges should focus on becoming more diverse and accepting those of different color and race, it could be unfair if a white student had better grades, better SAT scores, and happened to be involved in more extracurricular activities than the student of another race who got accepted into the school. Obviously each culture experiences their own type of discrimination, but it may seem to most that white privilege is the most prevalent in everyday life. For me personally, I know that I do not notice or experience this day to day, but then again I am just a college student who is secluded to the Penn State campus nine out of the twelve months a year. I am sure when I am older and begin applying for jobs and have a family of my own I will become more aware of white privilege, especially when I have kids and see how they are treated growing up versus other races, whether it be in school or in sports. With this said, white privilege will probably be present for the rest of eternity, although it may lessen as the years go on, just like it has lessened from the past. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:43:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/what-is-your-view-and-experience-with-white-privilege-119-blog/#IDComment135445252 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/do-people-feel-guilt-about-their-current-positions-when-knowing-about-the-disadvantages-of-the-freed-slaves-119-blog/#IDComment133009577 I do feel guilty about when I think about the disadvantages of the freed slaves, because when I even have a problem or am stressed out I feel like there is nothing worse, but yet I have no idea what it would be like to be in the position of a freed slave. While I am at Penn State stressing about a test or a bad grade, I don’t ever think that at least I am at college and have an opportunity to pursue my dreams in life. Having the lifestyle I have enabled me to work hard and have the opportunity to do well in everything that I do, meanwhile others are doing everything they can just to survive. The least of their worries may be what I worry about the most. Those who are more fortunate do not normally think about how hard the lives are of those who live beneath them are. Living in America, it is easy to forget the endless opportunities there are out there, and how lucky we are to live here. Many people come to our country in order to create opportunities for themselves and children, because the government we have allows individuals to be able to strive for what they want. Americans tend to think that as soon as something is wrong with their lives it is in the end of the world. I am guilty for doing this as well, but when you stop to think about it you realize how lucky you actually are to be in the position that you are in, even if you are having problems with your own life. It is hard to realize how fortunate you are until the advantages you have in life are taken away from you. Although a big part of me does feel this guilt, another part of me does not. Due to the fact that I was not a part of the history that created this slavery institution, it is hard to feel 100% guilty, because it is not in my power to change anything that has already occurred in history. It is one of those situations where although you may feel bad there is nothing that you can do about it to actually change the situation or what has previously happened. Also, not only are freed slaves worse off financially, they also are worse of emotionally in the sense that they are looked down on and not viewed on the same level as Americans. To feel guilty or not is a tricky question because although most do feel bad about the situation, a lot may not actually feel guilty because they feel they had nothing to do with the creation of slavery. Mon, 7 Mar 2011 02:05:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/do-people-feel-guilt-about-their-current-positions-when-knowing-about-the-disadvantages-of-the-freed-slaves-119-blog/#IDComment133009577 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130259427 I am white and I agree that white people are reluctant to admit to having discrimination, and I think that it all links back to history. I feel like white people feel some sort of guilt for how the minorities were treated back in the day, the issues with slavery, and segregation, and now they feel like they cannot express how they really feel if it involves any degree of discrimination. I know personally, I do not want to be viewed as a racist, and therefore, watch what I say when talking about certain issues with a group of people. Even if the comments I want to say are not racist, it could come out the wrong way, and all the sudden everyone in the room sees you as the racist white person. I also think that how you are raised has a lot to do with this statement as well. I know for me, growing up as child I was always taught to treat everyone equally, not to judge people, and to accept people for who they are, although I am not sure that my parents followed this rule they wanted me to follow. Since this was drilled into my head as a child, I always felt that “discriminating” against someone is the wrong thing to do, therefore would be reluctant to admit to having discrimination. Families of minorities, however, may have had some sort of anger towards white people, and their kids picked up on that. This enabled them into thinking that they should be able to speak their minds freely, and express how they feel, even if it is discrimination. It is almost like they get a free pass to say how they feel, because they are the ones who had to go through the harshest discrimination, whereas white people never had to experience it to that degree. For this reason, I think that most white people steer clear of expressing their discrimination, because they almost feel like they have no right to discriminate, even though they still have thoughts about it. But is this how it really should be? Shouldn’t everyone have that same freedom of speech? I don’t think this is how it should be, and of course anyone can say what they want, but then again I know if I had thoughts of discrimination, I wouldn’t want to express them room full of minorities. Although there is still discrimination today, and will continue to be present here on out, it is much more subtle than it was. A lot of the time we tell ourselves that we do not discriminate, because that is what we want to believe, but the fact of the matter is, we all do. Whether we say it out loud or bury our thoughts in our head, discrimination is present and will continue to be. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 05:56:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130259427 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/#IDComment128469927 People do tend to believe that success does not come 100% from just working hard as they get older. I think this is because as you grow up, you are raised to work hard at everything you do, because this shapes how you turn out later in life. I know when I was growing up, my family would tell me, “if you work hard, you will get what you want”. I know now they do not even fully agree with that statement, but this is what they told me so I would keep my priorities straight and focus on what I wanted and strive for my goals. I think that it is the parents’ responsibility to persuade their children to think this way so they will not slack off in school or anything else they are involved in. I believed that working hard was always the key to success until I started noticing little things here and there that just didn’t make sense to me. For instance, I played soccer since I was five, and when I was finally old enough to try out for the travel team, I ended up making the B team instead of the A team. I had no idea why, until I realized that three of the parents of the children who made the A team were coaches, and most of the coach’s daughter’s friends also made that team. After the next year, when all the children went to the same middle school, and I became friends with the other soccer players, I found myself playing on the A team that year. This just goes to show that connections have a lot to do with everything, even the small things like a soccer team. Although I still believe that working hard will take you far in life, having connections will take you even farther. For example, now that I am in college, my dad said I needed to get an internship over the summer. At first I was concerned as to how I was going to get an internship as a freshman, until I remembered my dad’s friend has a top position at UPMC, and was able to get my sister an internship last summer. That just opened a door for me to also get an internship this summer, meanwhile there are hundreds of other hard-working people applying for the same internship who have been to school for more years than me, and are better educated for the job. Even having connections just for the classes you take here at Penn State help you a ton. If you know people who had taken your class last year and still have their exams, you’re set. Most of the classes I take keep their exams fairly similar to last years. With this being said, it takes your own life experiences to be able to realize that hard work isn’t going to get you quite everything in life you want. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:23:41 +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/#IDComment128469927 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127112430 I think the choices I have made affected how my life is today. My whole life I have always worked hard to get what I wanted and where I wanted to be. For instance, I was always involved in sports throughout my high school career and even as a young child. I started out on the junior varsity soccer team in high school as a freshman and knew that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to be on the varsity team, so I worked hard my whole freshman year, and by sophomore year I was starting varsity. Although both of my parents always encouraged me to try my hardest and do my best, me getting to where I wanted to be could only be accomplished by myself. I also did winter and spring track when I wasn’t in soccer season. Being so involved had made me learn how to manage my time wisely. I always kept up with my schoolwork and had good grades, hence the reason I am here at Penn State now. My mom went to college but after she had kids, she no longer worked, and my dad is a stockbroker. I wanted to be successful just like them, and even my sister, who had started college two years before me, and was doing extremely well. Although I do think your path in life is made mostly by the choices you make, I also agree that some kids have it easier than others due to their family situations and family income. Considering my family supported me in the decisions I made and paid for my schooling and activities, this made it a whole lot easier for me than others who are not as fortunate. I spent all my time focusing on me - what I needed to do to get to where I wanted to be in life. I did not have to worry about working jobs just to help pay bills or even provide money for myself. With this said, I believe that there are many factors that influence what you do and why you do certain things, but anyone has the power to make their own choices in life to get to where they want. I could have chose not to be so involved in sports, and not kept up with my grades, and I would have suffered the consequences. Life is what you make of it, even if you are in tough situations there are always ways to get around that. I can say that growing up in the family I did, and having their support set a much nicer path for me in life, because I had everything I needed to succeed. But without my own work ethic and decisions, I would not be here at Penn State right now. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:39:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127112430 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125560886 This is a very interesting point that I have never thought about until right now. I do have different responses when someone asks me what I am in a different country compared to when someone asks me what I am that is from this area or my hometown. For instance, I know when I went on vacation to Aruba, I referred to myself as American, but when I am asked that same question from someone around this area, I say I am mostly German and a little bit Irish. I think the main reasons most of us answer this question in different ways depending on where we are at is because we just assume that is the answer they want to hear. I think it would be weird if I said I was American when I am talking with my friends or even just a random person around this area, because I think that is just an obvious answer, but it may not be as obvious that I am Irish or German to some. On the other hand, being asked that question in a different country, that person may not know that I am American, let alone German. It is kind of the same thing as referring to where you are from, depending on whom you are talking to. For instance, I know when I am talking to someone who is from Pittsburgh, the same city as me, and they ask where I am from, I would say the name of my high school or the township. If I were talking to someone from Pennsylvania, I would say I am from outside of Pittsburgh, and if I were talking to someone in a different country I would say I am from the United States. I think for both situations, your response becomes more generalized as you move farther away from your “hometown”. As different people from different areas ask you this question more often, you just start assuming what response they are looking for and answer accordingly. You come up with the response that they will be most familiar with and understand. For instance, if I was out of the country and asked where I was from, I would not say Pittsburgh, or the name of my high school because that person would have no idea what I was talking about. It is interesting when you think about it how many different ways there are to answer simple questions like “what are you” and “where are you from”. It is also interesting to see how people respond to these questions especially when you find someone from the same area as you and find out you share similar experiences as that specific person. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 03:03:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125560886 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124000457 I think the main reason we associate with the people of our same race and ethnicity as ourselves is because no one likes to leave their “comfort zone”. For instance, I know I would feel uncomfortable randomly trying to start a conversation with a person of a different race due to the fear of the unknown. What if I can’t understand what they are saying? What if I make them feel uncomfortable because they can’t understand what I am saying? What if they do not like me because I say something that offends them? All these thoughts would cross my mind, causing me not to go over and approach a person of a different race. I do not think it has anything to do with certain races not wanting to interact with other races. I think it is merely just the fact that most people feel uncomfortable in doing so. For instance, I never had the experience to interact with those of a different race than myself as a child. I grew up in a community that was mostly all white people. I went to a high school that only had two Asian students and four black students. With this said, I think another reason there is not much interaction between races is because a lot of people do not get the experience when they are little to interact with a diverse group of people. Having experience at anything you do in general makes you feel more comfortable. What you grow up with and what you are taught when you are child stays with you for the rest of your life. Also, different races have different ethnicities and background. This can be difficult because it makes it harder to find common similarities and interests, which makes it harder to connect and create a friendship. Once you finally find that right group of friends that you just “click” with, you do not want to branch out again and look for new friends. Many groups of friends are not looking to accept new friends into their group. I am not saying this is right; I think there should be more interaction between races, but that is just not how the world works. People have always been separated by race, and unfortunately it is still that way today. I think it would be great for people to step outside of their comfort zone and try to make this happen, including myself, but for most, that is way easier said than done. I give credit to those who did broaden their group of friends and develop relationships with people of different races, and I hope more of us will be able to do the same in the future. Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:07:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124000457 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122372750 I thought the exercise we did in class was very interesting mostly because I think it was an eye-opener for a lot of students, including myself. As the two girls were putting the students into their specific groups, I tried to do the same in my head. I have to say many of the students they placed in one group I would have placed in a totally different group. This just goes to show that you do not know exactly what race someone is just by looking at him or her. (The exercise with the clickers that was done earlier in class where we had to choose the race of the indicated person on the screen also showed that many students thought that specific person was a different race than what they really were.) Also, there were a few students that I had absolutely no idea what race they were or where they were from by just looking at them. This exercise just proved the quote “you can’t judge a book by its cover” once again, but in this case, “you can’t judge a person by their skin”. This goes to show that people are much more than just the color of their skin or their facial characteristics, and in order to really get to know someone, you need to sit down and talk with them. I also believe that this activity we did in class was difficult, because there are so many students that are of mixed races, which I think is even more confusing when trying to classify them into a specific group. I give the two girls credit for attempting to group the students according to their race, because I know for myself, I would have felt uncomfortable. I wouldn’t have wanted to offend anyone by placing him or her in the wrong group, especially since it can be a sensitive subject, but I think everyone handled it greatly. All in all, I think this exercise brought attention to a worldwide social issue of classifying people according to their race, which seems to keep getting increasingly more difficult. I was very interested to hear the actual races of each student, and to see if the girls classified them into the correct group. Some of their responses caught me off guard, because I know I would have never have guessed correctly. Some of the class was also surprised by their responses by the shocked faces as I looked around the room. I feel as though this was a very good experience, especially because now when I look at someone of a different race than myself, I know I can’t automatically classify them as the race I might think they are. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:09:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122372750 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cr%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120969537 SOC 119 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:54:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cr%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120969537