en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3077447 Comments by jagman27 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170445865 I found this lecture to be very insightful as well. I never really thought about the bias white people had for their own family or people until after this lecture. It shocked me to realize and start thinking about how much this nepotism actually occurs. Nepotism has always been right in my face and I just never cared to think about it. I also found the facts of affirmative action extremely interesting. I never knew that mostly white women benefited from it. Knowing that, it’s just another roundabout way of white people maintaining wealth. This lecture changed some of my view points on affirmative action. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 22:50:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170445865 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170444057 III. When Richard asked how you think this unequal issue should be fixed, I thought about fixing the school system. To me the school system is the start of the line. To get everyone to the same starting line is a huge task. I can only think of one way to do this, and I know it’s not even close to the right answer, but it would be government control of the schools. It’s pretty much the idea that the one guy had at the end of the lecture. That everyone put their taxes for schools in one big pot controlled by the government so that all schools are proved the same amount of money. This is good because the starting line is equal, but it also brings down some of the advanced schools and thus bring down are nations select intellects. An extremely smart person couldn’t advance as far as he could now, then if he was in an extremely wealth school system. It’s a though issue. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 22:43:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170444057 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170443904 II. I really liked then how he showed the Obama quote. That Obama said you must include many more factors in affirmative action other than one simply on race. Because it is true that the issue is very complex and has multiple factors. How you go about saying which factors to include and how strong they should be seems like an extremely difficult task. I congratulate anyone who even attempts this task. I also think that affirmative action doesn’t even come close to balancing out the discriminating effects of nepotism, which is very common and happens in almost every family. This is why I now see it silly for a white male to be complaining about what affirmative action is doing. The affects are so little. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 22:42:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170443904 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170443802 I. I got to admit, I have always hated the idea of affirmative action. However, now given some facts from Richards I have a completely different view. I never knew that only ten percent was due to affirmative action in the country. And of that ten percent most of them are women, and most of the women are white. I never heard of these facts and I wonder why. Never have I seen affirmative action as a roundabout way of still helping out white men. Also, never have I thought about nepotism as much as I did today. Thinking back, I got my first job mainly because of who my parents knew. I had no experience or merit but my connections got me the job. So now that I know more of this, it would be ignorant of me to be so against affirmative action, because I have been just as unequally treated. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 22:42:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170443802 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169402408 I too found the lecture on immigration extremely interesting. Like you I never knew how much influence the business side of America had on our policies and government. I know see the negative effects of such a system on immigrants. Business in America could care less about illegal immigrants, and so you see the result of so many being in our country. I thought it was also very interesting to learn that this issue has been here since the start of the country. I never really put too much thought into it but I am glad that I have now. Sun, 3 Jul 2011 20:08:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169402408 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169399702 III. One thing that through me off was when Richards said, that illegal immigrants pay taxes. I never heard of this before. I thought this was very interesting because illegal immigrants not paying taxes are one of my biggest pet peeves. I wonder what the reasons an illegal immigrant has to do this. I guess it’s just another way to get a job and make money. This was just very interesting to me because I never heard of it before. I really like though when Richards said that there is no real cut and dry answer. To stay away from people who think they got the answers all down. That holds so true to life as well. People that go around thinking they got it all down just end up looking like idiots eventually in their life. I mainly see these kinds of people in a church and in laboratories. This world is too complex and mysterious to think you got it all down. People who think that way are ignorant. Sun, 3 Jul 2011 20:02:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169399702 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169399457 II. Looking back at what I learned in my history class, I know see how slanted it was. Slanted in the sense of making our country, The United States, look like the best thing to happen to this world. Never once did I hear something that my country did wrong. And if there was some historical event that was questionable in the text book, it was ether well explained why our nation did what it did. It was just a pathetic attempted to justify an action with words. But how can you blame our country for slanting our history. Richards was right when he said that no one was to be reminded of all the wrong someone committed. I try as little as possible to remember that this country was taken wrongly and violently. Who in their right mind would want to think of that every day? Sun, 3 Jul 2011 20:01:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169399457 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169399393 I. Every one of Richards lectures gets me to think about something in a new way. This lecture on immigration brought new light on the issue for me. I was one of those people that argued between what democrats or republicans should do to fix it. Then finding out that these two groups really didn’t have much to do or power with issue completely altered my way of thinking. I see it now as an issue between business and government. It looks like today that business is winning and has most of the power. If government had control then there wouldn’t be any illegal immigrants and they would all be paying taxes to the government. Instead business has control and they want illegal’s for their improvement. I guess this part of the reason why our nation is in so much debt. Sun, 3 Jul 2011 20:01:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169399393 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168117106 Hey man I couldn’t agree more with what you are saying. I’ve also recently been struggling with how cruel churches can be to people, especially to LGBT’s. It’s almost like people who go to church forget that they too are sinners and the act of going to church doesn’t make you better than other people. Growing up in the Christian church I have seen tons of this hate. But I can see how the church can be so hateful, because it’s filled with imperfect sinners, like me, who still have the ability to hate. It’s just saddening when an entire church congregation can come to this conclusion of hate and not just an individual person in the church. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:05:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168117106 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168114310 III. I don’t see why a person with morals from the gospel, like me, would have a problem with LGBT getting married. Don’t take my word for it but I do think the government defines marriage as a union between man, women, and state. People who supposedly are Christians define marriage as the union between man women and God, not state. So this battle for marriage was already lost for Christians when state took over. Why in the world would a Christian care if the government changed it even more. A Christian’s main idea of marriage has to do with God and that ideology can be kept with Christians like me. Letting LGBT’s get married doesn’t take away anything from my Christian beliefs or any other Christian’s beliefs. And to say that morally LGBT’s shouldn’t get married is to say that no one should get married because we are all in the same boat and we are all sinners. That’s why I’m glad for Jesus my savior! Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:53:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168114310 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168114220 II. The LGBT lecture really got me to reexamine this issue people have with it. Growing up I heard detailed and harsh jokes towards these people. I must admit a lot of them were really funny and creative but I never thought why these people are being attacked. I guess it could be because it’s just easier to attack them because they’re in a venerable position. I mean LGBT are a minority that has never really had too many rights. And that being the case I feel even worse for laughing at jokes that were directed towards this group. I thought Richards brought up a great point when he questioned why people just didn’t like gay life style. Just because something is different and usual doesn’t mean that it is being flaunted. It’s just noticeable and there is nothing wrong with that. I also really enjoyed the part about LGBT and marriage. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:53:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168114220 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168114061 I. This was a very interesting lecture on multiculturalism and lesbian, gay, by, and trans. Growing up in my town I saw this clinging to a culture action many times. My high school was stereo typed into being complete hicks and farmers. And long with that stereo type was the thought that we all worshiped anything American. So like many people do, to get rid of this negative viewpoint on our school, we took on this image and embraced it like how black people took on the “n” word. Whether the kids in my school actually held this stereo type as true or were just trying to lessen it, is up for debate. The fact is I have seen tons of people that hold on to this idea of American culture or at least trying to. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:52:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168114061 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165621802 I thought the rap song that was brought into the lecture was very interesting as well. It showed that everyone no matter what color has the ability to be a racist and hypocritical. The rapper lived and thrived in the school system that he was spitting insults at. It promoted even more separation between people of color and whites. It’s crazy how it only takes one nutty person to influence a bunch of lies and hypocrisy to tons and tons of people. I agree with you when saying that this guy is keeping the “keep the wagons circled” idea alive. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:51:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165621802 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165617972 III. I did run into some more confusion though with Richards’s way of thinking and philosophy. I was surprised to hear him so out right pissed off at the action of female circumcision. What I am getting from him is that he thinks a person can determine what is right or wrong by oneself. So if a culture thinks that’s right what does that matter to him. I’m not trying to put words into his mouth; this is just what I am determining from what I hear from him. He keeps on bouncing between that fact of there being an ultimate truth and relative truth. I guess that’s part of being an agnostic. It’s confusing to me how a person who doesn’t take a side on this can teach a class on moral issues, and yet he does it so well. Richards teaching techniques are extremely engaging and thought provoking. One of the top teachers I have ever had. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:37:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165617972 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165617886 II. Being a white male in the majority of this country, I never really took time to see that there can be racism committed by people of color. This was very surprising to me. I actually never knew there was an all black university and then the story of a white girl winning the competition was new to me as well. We all have the power to discriminate and to hate. I think it sucks that it’s hard to tell if a person is in the disintegration state or not. You can’t tell if they have good intentions or if they just hate on people. I guess we people will never be able to see inside of someone else’s mind. Also, the video responses to the old lady getting beat up and mugged was pretty funny. I got to say I was a little intimidated by the first response, considering the fact I had to turn down the volume on my laptop. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:37:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165617886 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165617799 I. I thought it was very interesting looking at the stages through a colored side and a white side. Being white I never really thought about what these stages would be like through a colored lens. It makes sense that minority groups would move through the first few stages of race identity quicker, considering the fact that they live in a dominate white culture. It blew my mind to see the questionnaire they gave the little black kids. I never knew that culture and ideas can be so easily put into kids minds. They just absorb anything they hear. Also, I never thought of what it would be like to switch from a majority of your color to being a minority of your color in a different school. I know myself, that I would feel extremely uncomfortable. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:37:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165617799 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164365746 You are one hundred percent right when you say that white youth have little exposure to other races. Well it is at least true in my case. I’m a white male that grew up in an around 97 percent white town, and that’s no exaggeration. The kids I grew up with, including me, had little to no exposure to different races. This can also like you said lead to the idea that your race is the superior, which leads can lead to hate. I also agree with you that at some point an individual can make a conscience choice to decide to not be raciest, as I have. I think you post is great and I can really relate to it. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:18:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164365746 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164359800 III. Why should a white person help out someone of a different race that is disadvantaged? How does one answer the question of why humans have guilt? Richards kind of confused me because I feel the question was not fully answered. How does Richards who said he is an agnostic approach this question without picking a side of there being a God or not being a God? You could say that guilt is just a natural feeling in a human that was evolved into us that one should act on, but then that’s picking the no God side. Or you can say that guilt is made by a God, to show truth that you should act on, but then that takes the there is a God side. I feel like in this stage you most take a side. I was just curious and wondered about this thinking. This is not meant to diss Richards in anyway; in fact I think he is one of the better teachers on campus. He is just very interesting to me. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:52:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164359800 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164359507 II. I feel like growing up in this town has made me stronger in my beliefs opposed to that and more to understanding of races. You might I think I’m raciest because I grew up in a raciest all white town but like Richards said there is no way I can prove that to you so o well. I know what my beliefs are and that’s what it comes down to. Anyways, from experiencing this in my life I have been urged to expand my knowledge of race. Going to inner cities where most of the poor residents live with my church have really opened up my mind what this world is really like. However, when Richards started talking about the fourth stage of development and why one should reform and change what this world is like, I started to get confused. The fourth stage of white identity runs into the famous question of why. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:51:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164359507 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164359252 I. I really enjoyed learning about these stages of white identity. I could relate to and agree with the things he said about white peoples actions. Learning about not talking about race was not true however in the town I grew up in. I guess you could say they are stuck in stage three and took on the white super viewpoint. This is mainly due to the past history of the town and that it was well known for having KKK members. Though this is past history and many of the members in the town have died down, still many of the kids in my school took on the identity of their beliefs. They did this, I feel, just because they are young and need an identity to stand out in the world. It could be pretty easy growing up in a town like this to fall into these beliefs because that was the majority of what you saw. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:51:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164359252