en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/4227281 Comments by jdb5278 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/03/voices-from-the-classroom-140/#IDComment333549664 Well since its good Friday I was going to address the question with why people feel the need to listen to a pastor or imam to speak with God. My stance is that its good to have someone who devotes their lives and time to interpreting the scripture, but at the same time you must remember that they too are subjected to the mistakes and temptations of man. I think one of the big turnoffs for me to the Catholic faith is the stress on the importance of the Pope with relation to God. I believe that religion should be a personal thing and if you let a figure or individual have too much influence in your relationship with God it takes away from the overall point. Now I am not going to say that the Pope is a bad influence, however, his words and lessons are supposed to be influenced and dicatated by God. But what if what he interprets is not the will of God? What if he lets personal opinion interfere with what the actual message should actually be? If you look throughout history their have been individuals who have abused their power by proclaiming they are the messenger of God and this has caused many a bad thing to happen. Looking back at the Empire of Japan during World War II the Japanese people believed their emperor was a diety and that his word was the word of God. Essentially, every man, woman, and child thought they were listening to God himself and thus, the atrocities and tenacity of the Japansese people will be stained forever in history. Continuing, radical Islam has also stemmed from a small number of individuals who have interpreted holy scripture in a different way then what was intended. Too many people fall for the false message that jihad has created and many of those people have found justification in violence and killing innocents. For example, even Muslims killing Muslims has become acceptable casualties to these radical individuals when this is strictly forbidden to kill anyone, let alone fellow Muslims. I want to make it clear though that I believe every religion has radicals that tarnish the message of holy scripture. A Christian example is the Baptist church out of North Carolina that protest funerals for soldiers and hold signs that say “Thank God for dead soldiers”. If someone in Pakistan saw what the Christian message was saying do you not think they would generalize all Christians? Essentially, people need to listen to the interpretation of those who preach in the name of God, but remember that the most important thing is to build and maintain a relationship with the true purpose of religion. Sat, 7 Apr 2012 03:04:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/03/voices-from-the-classroom-140/#IDComment333549664 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-136/#IDComment328073771 At first I thought the video was pretty funny, but then I realized that it was repetitive and offensive to Asians. Also, I want to make a point by saying that the video was edited by someone else just to show the Asians at the University of Southern California. I don’t think fox news would be blantantely that racist and I think it was wrong for Sam to not make that clear prior to showing the video. It is a lot different now in my eyes of the intention of foxnews, but I feel that the class did not get the opportunity to see the truth. Now I think if they asked another country say Russia the same questions it would not have been as bad. I think the video plays at the stereotype that Asians don’t have a clue about College sports because they are always studying. But I also think you would never have a large enough base to ask the questions at a college level because China sends millions of students to the US for college. Response to why the white guy got called out: I think its absolutely messed up that everyone who spoke out against the white guy for saying he thought the video was funny, but no one called out the Asian. Its like this new Trayvon Martin thing thats happening. People are up in arms because it seems to be an issue of white vs. black racism. However, the guy who shot Trayvon is more Hispanic then he is white. The hypocrisy of our society and the racial leaders is out of control. For example, the idiot Spike Lee thought he found the address to where the shooter is in hiding, but turns out it was an innocent elderly couple. But in response to the tweet media and people came to the house and the couple was forced to live out of a hotel. I think that if people were that strong about the comments the white guy and Asian guy said then the class should not have picked target. Responding to someone comments about their opinions does not require they to pick a specific comment. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:43:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-136/#IDComment328073771 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/15/voices-from-the-classroom-123/#IDComment320672878 My perspective on war has been shaking but I wouldn’t say it has changed. It was actually an interesting time for us to have the discussion because the previous Sunday my rents said that if I’ve wanted to join the service, they would support me. I think that my impression has changed with the sense that I never thought about how Iraq feels in their current situation. I think that they can say that at least there was peace with Saddam in the sense that their was not daily bombings on civilians and people were not dieing in the streets. But I also believe that they knew their lives could have improved drastically by standing up to him, but they knew that they would be killed. Its sad to hear that some of them believe they had it better off with a dictator because people didn’t die but I think everyone in the world needs to understand that the man tossed mustard gas on people that opposed him, so whose going to stop him from doing that to his opposition. Anyway, with regard to the veterans in the class I could not have been more proud and have more respect for each of them. They have seen things that I can’t imagine or no book or movie can depict. That’s absolutely a deterent in my mind when I think about joining some sort of military service, but with each day I find myself having a strong desire to join the military. Not because I want to be a hero, but because I love the basic ethical principles the USA stands for (but does not always practice) and especially with women and children. I don’t believe any person or religious figure has the right to tell you who you choose to marry or what you want to do with your life. That’s what I like to believe our mission is over there, that we stand for something good and were giving people opportunites which they would have never known without us fighting over there. Lastly, a main reason I want to join the military is because I want to do something that I never thought I could do. Specifically, I want to fly helicopters for the Army or Marines and I have already had my eyes redone to fufill the basic requirements. Whats stopping me now though is just fear of the unknown and its not like I don’t have any plans for after college because I already accepted a job offer. I basically want to give back to my country for giving me the blessing of the freedom to do what I want without repercussions or judgement which so few people in the world get. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:50:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/15/voices-from-the-classroom-123/#IDComment320672878 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-105/#IDComment294857507 I have never been a Creationist and I was raised a Presbyterian, however, I have always looked at religion on a personal level rather than have the word of god dictated to me through a man or through the leadership of an organization. To start, just going into the information and knowledge I know of the other side of Christianity, I took a class called Contemporary Issues in the Catholic Church while I studied abroad in Rome. It was a really cool class because it was taught by one of the clergy of the Catholic Church and he would start a discussion showing where the Catholic Church stands then let us have a discussion with him about our opinions vs. the church. The church’s stand on creationism has moved towards the Old Testament and the story of Adam and Eve as more of a guideline rather than actual fact because the Church recognizes that it cannot be true. Instead, they encourage people to use the Old Testament’s stories and teachings as an example of a good way to live a life. Next, I have sought information about Islam after the term jihad was blown out throughout the media. The Koran needs to be viewed in the context it was written. Jihad emerged from the end of the Koran at a time when Muhammad was extremely angry and upset because he was banished from most villages. As a result, his writings turned very violent and angry, thus the birth of jihad and radical Islam. In general, Islam is a very peaceful religion but few Muslims decide to take the violent writings of the Koran and follow the holy war on the infidels. Currently, I am taking Yoga 1 at Penn State and that gives me even more insight into Asian influenced religions. I really enjoy the stress management side of yoga and connecting with peace and relaxation. It kind of goes along with my belief that religion should mainly revolve around your individual relationship with God and Yoga is finding a personal connection with oneself. The reason I believe more in my connection with God compared to following a particular type of Christianity is because I have a hard time believing in the words of men who interpret the word of God. The justification behind this is because so many leaders of the Church or all religions find themselves in scandals with pedophilia, money laundering and scandals, encouraging murder of innocents, and numerous other examples that take away from the credibility of the organization and religion. Bottom line and this goes for all religions, once the Church or Islamic leaders etc. give back all the jewels and gold that have been stolen and placed in their places of worship throughout history, apologize for all the bloodshed and sorrow they have caused, internally investigate and root out leaders who do not represent fully/completely a model Christian/Jew/Muslim, and recognize that society and times have changed and learn to adapt the word of god around, then I will believe in the ability for man to dictate the will of any god to their followers. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:37:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-105/#IDComment294857507 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment289195849 White people 100% avoid the topic of race. I am a white male and try to avoid the conversation because of the politics associated with the race factor. I have had issues with using the term “black” instead of African-American, which I guess is the current politically correct usage. Personally I believe that skin color or ethnic background has no part in how one acts or their future but the stereotypes definitely exist. Continuing, I think the reason behind white people avoiding the conversation of race stems from what Sam said in lecture. White people have been the “king of the hill” for centuries, thus we get to set the rules. However; now that society has made the effort to move towards equality and makes a point to push a balanced society legally and morally, using a race-related word incorrectly is a big no-no, especially being white. I definitely avoid conversations on race because it just creates controversy and shouldn’t matter to begin with, but I did have the opportunity to have a late night conversation with my black friend Stan. Basically, he said that he hates how people avoid the touchy subject, but gets mad at people who casually drop hateful race-remarks. I think that race shouldn’t play a factor at all in the whole scheme of things, but I definitely make a point now to tell people to not use the bad n-word in a casual setting. Its def a touchy subject because white people have been on the top of the totem poll and that’s why it’s a touchy subject. What gets me most upset is the fact that Sam brought that girl up and made her pick out the darkest person in the room for educational purposes. However, after literally staring at the twitter feed for an hour I was real upset with the conversation. I did 2 surveys to make a point and 7.5/10 people were African American and most of the tweets revolved around beating up the girl or very ignorant sayings which should have been a class wide discussion. I want to have the conversation about race being a white man but the comments that were made on the twitter feed were ridiculous and that pretty much summarizes why white people do not want to have the race talk. “white girl I’ll see you after class” “white girl you don’t know what your talking about”. Those two tweets summarize why white people don’t talk about race, and its absurd that people think like that. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:48:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment289195849 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-93/#IDComment282116934 Immigrants from all over the world founded America and bi-lingual individuals were not uncommon. I believe that its important for people to speak English, but it should be frowned upon or discouraged for other languages to be spoken. I was very interested to hear what Sam said about presidential candidates and their lack of fluency in more than just English. Spanish is the second most common spoken language in the world and many small business owners rely on immigrant workers for the hard labor. I believe that learning Spanish or any other language just makes you a better global citizen. However, I think it shows great respect if you at least try to learn the language of the country. Furthermore, English is the language of business, if you want to make money, you learn English. If you go to China there are millions of people learning English everyday. On television at night people gather around their televisions to learn from a English speaking broadcast. That is why I think it is very important that immigrants coming to work for business should make an attempt to learn English or the language of the country. Continuing, I think the path to citizenship for the United States should be easier on the basis of what benefit you are going to bring to the country. If you’re a doctor or scientist and want to bring your family into the country there should be a process to get the brightest minds into the country and keep them in the United States. I don’t want to go as far and say that it should be a prerequisite to citizenship to speak English, but I think that its important for individuals to remember you’re an American citizen, although the individual may have come from Mexico or countries in Europe. I am Italian but I am an American first. When I traveled abroad to Rome I took 3 semesters prior of Italian, and took a class while I was abroad. The people respected the fact that I attempted to speak the language and many of them spoke English. I believe that people should attempt to become better global citizens and respect the countries they become citizens in by learning the language, but not forgetting your heritage. Concluding, I think that illegal immigrants with criminal records should be deported immediately because it stains the name of the hard-working immigrants who do not participate in criminal activity. Bottom line, people should make an attempt to learn English, but they should not be forced by law, the individuals should be shown the positive of learning the country’s language and the benefits for becoming a great citizen. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 20:16:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-93/#IDComment282116934 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/26/voices-from-the-classroom-92/#IDComment276054238 Throughout the whole scandal I’ve learned numerous things and opinions, but the thing that has really shocked me is the cruelty man can do to one another. Starting with the alleged accusations with regard to sexual abuse, I’ve learned that there is no limit to the graphic cruelty a person can do to another individual. If the accusations prove to be true I’ve learned that good men will go out of their way to protect an idea or name for preservation. Failure to act on all levels by top leadership, who I wanted to assume are good people, led the Penn State name to be stained with child molestation. Next, with regard to the allegations of graphic child sexual abuse, I learned that some individuals will go at any length to put on a front to hide their actions or intentions. Jerry Sandusky started the 8th mile foundation and was a famous couch at Penn State; however, not in a million years would I have thought that someone in his position and of his legacy would intentionally and physically harm a child. I learned that looks, great deeds, and victories should not be a free pass or cover up for any person and the laws of the United States should be administered on the accused accordingly. The most important thing I learned through the whole situation is how far our media has strayed from the path of reporting on truth. The media has become a catalyst for rumor and a stage for negativity. Although the evidence and grand jury report mounted against Jerry Sandusky is lengthy, he is innocent until proven guilty. The media went on a frenzy reporting on rumor and allegations at this point in time, and not fact. What if for some reason the acts of child abuse allegedly committed were not as graphic or didn’t happen at all? Take for example the Syracuse assistant couch. He was accused by two men of child abuse; however, after reviewing the case the prosecution could not formulate a strong argument against the couch and the charges were dropped. I am not sure but I believe the media did not even issue an apology to the man after they blasted and stained his name for days getting the public to believe he was a child molester. Last, I learned that people in power are scared to make tough decisions which may applause or criticism. Specifically, the leadership of Penn State with regard to Joe Paterno and the issue of his firing. From the unbiased perspective I’ve learned that individuals in a leadership position can and will be swayed by the public opinion, which was overwhelmingly calling for his immediate firing. The media is positive and reports the news, but I learned that many have from a code of ethics that strictly reports on fact, not rumor. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:06:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/26/voices-from-the-classroom-92/#IDComment276054238 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/17/voices-from-the-classroom-90/#IDComment269724765 After hearing the truth and reality of the situation of the Native Americans in class I find it extremely hypocritical for present day politics to take such a strict and obnoxious stand on illegal immigration into this country. As was stated in class, at some point we were considered illegal immigrants to this country and invaded the lands, which until that time belonged to the Native American people. I like to think that as a society we evolved into more primitive beings and rather use our rhetoric than our weapons to negotiate issues, but at some point we invaded these lands in the name of the United States. It seems almost insulting that we give these tribes large land grants for reservations, but fail to provide them with a solid foundation to build on. That foundation being job opportunities or government aid in building proper education establishments or transportation to public/private school off the reservation to not only integrate native American children with American society; but teach Caucasians, blacks, browns etc. the true history of the European/white expansion our “manifest destiny”, and the genocide it brought to the Native peoples. The greatest statement that I gathered from lecture is that we were all illegals at one point and as the Italians or Irish immigrated to the United States the previous settlers discriminated against the newcomers. I do believe that illegal immigration is a problem in the United States but deportation should be the last resort and saved for those who choose to break laws such as drug trafficking, murder, and stealing. However, I think those who are already here illegally should have the option to prove their economic contribution or intelligence to obtain citizenship in a civilized manner. This goes for those trying to obtain citizenship from outside the country also. The United States should be looking to attract the brightest and best minds and in general people to the United States and the strict and lengthy track to citizenship is a large reason people make the dangerous crossing into the US. I would like to make myself clear in saying that the illegal immigrants currently in our penitentiary system and those who choose to break the law on a felony level should be immediately deported due to overcapacity in the system and on a moral basis.I definitely went into the lecture with the opinion that illegal immigration is bad for the US economy and everyone should be kicked out. After looking around the classroom and seeing all the various ethnicity I realized America needs culture diversity and should have the brightest people in the world as citizens. That’s why I hope that some sort of intelligence test or a qualitative assessment for economic contribution is implemented to keep families together and the best people in the United States. As a white man my ancestors were once illegal immigrants into this country in comparison to the Native Americans and we need to always remember we invaded their land and killed the majority of them to obtain it Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:43:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/17/voices-from-the-classroom-90/#IDComment269724765