en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2419373 Comments by kel5219 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143695427 (2/2). I do not view him as a she man. What happened to him is extremely sad because there are still people out in the world who are still that un accepting of those who were not born in the right body. Being a transgender, in my opinion, should be viewed like any other disability. I know disability is not the right word I am looking for because it does not handicap those who are transgender at all, but when you get down to it, it truly is just a birth defect. Everyone is comfortable with those who were born with birth defects like cleft palate, so then everyone should be comfortable with those who are born transgender. I doubt any person would truly choose to be transgender because it just automatically makes ehir life harder because they must put up with the judgments of others. Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:13:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143695427 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143695348 (1/2)The transgender issues in this world are getting complicated. These issues always have been complicated but those who are transgender were complacent with the way society viewed them and did not decide to start speaking out about their struggle until now. In my opinion, if a person syas they are a man, then they are a man. I know that brings up a whole new set of issues though because what if that person changes their mind one day and decides you know what I am tired of being a man and I want to try being a woman. I think sex should be done by biological testing. Usually, the people who feel that they are truly male at heart have more manly characteristics and personalities. I do not think that should be able to declare a different sex several times either though. I do not have a problem with anyone who is transgender, but I do think there are truly only two sexes. You can not be half man or half woman. The man in the article said he lived his life as a man, but had to sit down to pee because that was the way he was born.vi view him as a man because he leads his life a man. Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:12:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143695348 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment143267737 (2/2)People who do not deserve the help should not be getting any help from our government. My parents work 6 days a week to keep my family in the lifestyle we have and to keep me in such an accredited school. They do not go to work every day to pay for people to mooch off the government as they sit home all day doing nothing. I think that the government should mandate that in order to continue receiving welfare you must prove that you are truly searching for a job. It especially annoys me when people who could get a job but just don’t want it don’t take it. They should be grateful to be able have any type of job. I also think that the wealthy who are in the ten percent of our population with the millions and millions of dollars should be mandated more. What are they even going to do with all that money anyway? Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:10:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment143267737 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment143267675 (1/2)I am not going to deny the fact that there is wealth distribution in our country. That is blatantly apparent through the graphs and such we have seen in class, but there are some issues I have with the way people treat it. Yes, the people who have the millions upon millions have to be cheating the system and need to someone be put back in their place and on a level more close to everyone else. I come from an upper middle class household though and I need to vent about some issues here. I understand that some people are poor and they need help because they work their ass off every day, and I am glad that some of the taxes my parents pay go towards their welfare. I do not understand the people and am not okay with the people that live their life off welfare, even though they don’t have to. How is it my family’s problem that your homeless drug addict who doesn’t understand how to get to Planned Parenthood for some free birth control because you have 10 kids that you can’t take care of. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:09:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment143267675 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/rethinking-education/#IDComment139193443 (2/2). I graduated from my class of fifty kids with a 4.0 but I do not feel my 4.0 is even comparable to the students who received 4.0’s from the school that is thirty minutes away from that has a graduating class of five hundred. This is a blatant but how would we even fix this? Standardized testing or requiring the same test in each class could be one way. If everyone had to take the same test, test score variance would not be a problem anymore. Another un fair occurrence with our education is how you have to pay for labels. I think every school should charge the same amount to attend. It must really suck for the kid who is poor who has the same sat and gpa scores as a kid who is rich but cant go to a better school cause he simply cannot afford it. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 20:41:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/rethinking-education/#IDComment139193443 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/rethinking-education/#IDComment139193359 (1/2)I am glad to be a part of a nation that has such a structured education system. We are very privileged to be in a country that requires us to have an education and considers it child abuse if your parents were to deny it from you. There are serious flaws with the way we are educated though. Many of those flaws have to do how the grades you receive are very un fair. There is no way to be able to regulate the grades between classes so even though I am taking the same sociology class as my friend, she could potentially get a better grade even though I try twice as hard because her teacher is easy. Grade point averages are a lot of what getting a job in real life relies on, but what significance do those really have? Yes, they say what grades we received in high school but my 3.0 from Penn State might mean that I am actually better the job than the 4.0 out of Bloomsburg because my course was a lot more rigorous and my professors demanded a lot more of me. This problem travels down even to the high school level. I personally think I benefitted from this problem. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 20:41:10 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/rethinking-education/#IDComment139193359 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment136598552 (2/2)His past just makes what he did more understandable, but not excusable. This man is not evil at all. He is not a cold blooded killer or a rapist and I do not think he deserves life for his actions. I do not see how any jury could have been able to put him on trial as an adult. I have a fourteen year old brother and all his main concerns are fitting in and making friends. No one makes friends if everyone around them does not trust them because they think they are a snitch. I think the jury should see that this man is rehabilitated. There are far more worse people out there who are truly evil and do not belong in society. I do not understand how our government lets repeat sex offenders in and out of jail all the time who are an obvious detriments to society because they are one of the truly evil ones and let this man live his life in prison when he realizes what he has done wrong and has changed. Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:32:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment136598552 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment136598484 (1/2)I can see both sides of this inmate’s story and empathize with where he is coming from. He is a member of the gray area where yes he was an accessory to the murder of a man who offered him a place to stay and gave him the things he was not getting from other places but he was only a fourteen year old boy. He must have experienced ten times more things and have witnessed things no other fourteen year olds have or even some adults. Being placed in a group home at fourteen is not an ideal situation for any young boy. I am sure that being in the situation he was in he did not have any of the close friendships most children his age were developing and that he lacked a sense of belonging anywhere. The three friends he made were something new to him. People who are alone sometimes get caught up in the wrong crowd and I can understand the situation he was in. But none of his past experiences make what he did acceptable. He helped killed someone and even though he was not holding the knife he should of ran away, should of told someone, just should of done something. I can sense he realizes that now and regrets not doing something. Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:32:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment136598484 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134561172 (2/2)It is not socially acceptable or proper to curse so why do so many people seem to feel like the 'R word'. Everyone uses the 'R word' to replace words like stupid and ignorant which is completely incorrect. The 'R word' is no where even to near to be able to be used as a synonym for stupidity. Those who suffer from mental retardation are not all ignorant. The term retard and mental retardation cover a broad spectrum of mental disabilities. People who suffer from Downs Syndrom are some of the most intelligent people in the world. Yes, sometimes they lack things like social skills and many other things but they are all blessed with savants. Their savants vary some being some of the most amazing artists or pianists in the world or complete math geniuses so I can see why the term would offend them. Everyone gets offended by something today but if society would actually take the time to expand their vocabulary past offensive slang and become capable of using intelligent words, we wouldn't have to blame people's feelings getting hurt on someone's agenda. Sun, 13 Mar 2011 04:41:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134561172 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134561137 (1/2)Now a days, everybody is using the "R word". Nobody even thinks about it before it even comes out of their mouth. Most people do not even realize of derogatory and offensive the 'R word" actually is. The 'R word" should be treated like every other derogatory term that people tip toe around such as the 'N word" or other terms used for different races. Suffering from a mental retardation is not something to laugh or joke around about with your friends. Those who suffer, have to deal with a lot more than we do on a day to day basis. Our simple tasks, can be huge struggles for sufferers to overcome. I worked with children with disabilities my senior year in high school and all of those children found when it highly offensive when people who did not suffer from mental retardation called people they knew the 'R word'. I am surprised it has taken this much time to shed some light on this subject. The young adult in this video broke my heart. It is apparent how much the term hurts his feelings. People should never wish mental retardation on the people around them. Sun, 13 Mar 2011 04:40:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134561137 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132003287 (2/2)Many of the people who have money with their high profile jobs have to miss out on a lot of the things that people with less money get to experience, such as watching their children grow up. Money is a cruse because everything in this world revolves around money, who has money and who doesn’t. These poor people who are relying on the lottery to survive is terrible. They don’t understand the effects of money once they get it. Many of them do not understand how to manage their money because they’ve never had enough money at one time to even have extra spending money. Most end up spending it all, buying huge houses and cars they can’t maintain and end up in worse debt then they were before. The lottery is a way for the government to pray on the victims of today’s society. Thu, 3 Mar 2011 02:28:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132003287 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132003234 (1/2)I do not think that the amount of money you have has anything to do with the amount of true happiness you have. True happiness comes from the accomplishments you make with your life graduating and school or raising kids, not getting a brand new really nice car. The lottery is a curse to a lot of people. Many of the people who play the lottery are poor and not as well educated as many of the other people in the world are. They tend to fell that playing the lottery is the only way out of the social class there in and that having a lot more money will solve all of their problems when in reality it will not. Do not get me wrong, money definitely does help in some aspects of life. If you had a lot of money a lot of stresses in your life could be eliminated like how to pay your health insurance bill or how to pay for your child’s college tuition; but having money does not mean that you won’t have new stresses in your life. Many of the people who have money have high profile jobs which demand a lot of their time or have to worry about people only being friends with them to use them for their money which is a terrible feeling. Thu, 3 Mar 2011 02:28:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132003234 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130755925 (2/2). If are unable to clearly be able to define to a child who and who could not be safe so it may seem easier to tell our children to not trust anyone. It is sad that we are forced to tell them that too and that we know that not everyone is trustworthy. It is important for us to educate our children and not keep them ignorant on the subject of kidnapping but we also need to make sure that they do not fear their life every time they step out on the street. We should make sure they know to stay in well light populated places and never get in cars with people they do not know. Sometimes that advice does not even work though because most kidnappings occur when the child knows the person. We should probably teach our children ways to escape if they are kid napped. It is upsetting that kid napping exists in this world, but it does so we should be prepared. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:38:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130755925 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130755893 (1/2)It is sad that there are actually people out there in the world that cause parents to worry over their kids like that. I know that the chances of it ever happening are so extremely low, but there always is a chance. The fact that there always is a small chance is what causes the problem. Even though it does not happen to many people, you do not want to be the person who has their child get kidnapped. I can see the point of view that we are giving our children bad advice. We should not be putting the idea into children’s heads that all strangers are bad, because most of them are not. Children need to know that sometimes strangers are there for them to help when they need them too. It is hard to teach a child who a good stranger could be though. Everyone has the potential to be bad. We could tell our children to try and approach older woman who also have children with them but who is to say that they aren’t child molesters waiting to get their hands on your child Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:37:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130755893 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128465957 (2/2). In the olden days I could see that if a man had more than wife he could increase his offspring exponentially. The more offspring you had, the more hands you had to help on the farm. We are in the twentieth century now. We do not need to have children to ensure our survival as families. We have children now because it is a rewarding experience, where you and your significant other create something that you watch grow and you raise. I do not see why legal systems feel that is okay in the United States to let a man have many wives but do not see it okay for a man and a man to get married or a woman and a woman to get married. Polygamy is a violation of the word marriage. It is not between two people, and it is not done out of true love. It is done for practical reasons that are no longer needed in today’s society. Polygamy should be outlawed and cause just as much of an up roar as gay marriage does. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:56:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128465957 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128465906 (1/2)I feel like the family featured in the video is very primitive. Their marriage isn’t a true marriage. In the village their “marriage” is just a way for the village to keep its population in control and to ensure that there is enough land for everybody. The people are uneducated and do not understand that they are not living life, that they are just surviving. I do not believe that marriage must be between a man and a woman but I do believe that it is between two people and two people only. Marriage is a way to show your loyalty and way to show to the world that you love this person so much that you are un interested in any one else. It is not about seeing how many wives you can rack up. I believe that everyone does have a soul mate, the key word being a. There is only one soul mate which makes your bond so special. I do not understand the religious beliefs behind getting more wives in this time. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:55:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128465906 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127035450 (2/2)We see a situation that someone or a group of people could be in and we try to put ourselves in their shoes and think of times when we are in similar situations. You begin to be able to feel their hopelessness or distress or whatever their feeling and you remember how much you wanted it to go away and we empathesize. We try to help them in anyway get rid of that terrible feeling because we understand. Empathy helps people in the world who are raised and reared completely different come back together on a common playing field. If everyone in the world is capable of it, then how could it not be a natural instinct that we are all born with wired in our brains. I think we are all born with a certain few innate drives and that empathy is definitely one of them. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 02:40:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127035450 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127035374 (1/2)Empathy has to be a part of our natural drive. There is no other way to explain how it would come about. Everyone in the world I raised in different areas, under different circumstances, having experienced different things and we are all capable of feeling empathy. I do not think that we ever truly get “socialized” out of our innate drives or in other words instincts; I think we learn to suppress the ones that might not be always taken well by others. If someone says something that could be considered mean to us, we all get that burning feeling in our chests and a natural instinct to want to inflict pain on that person which is very apparent when we are young. When one 2 year old takes a toy form another 2 year old, the child hits the other child because they are angry over the stolen toy. Our guardians scold us saying this is not the way to react, so we learn to suppress the feeling and react in a more civilized way, but the feeling never truly goes away. Empathy is not viewed as a natural instinctive feeling that should be hidden. We are not trained when are young to suppress it because empathy helps us relate to other human beings Thu, 10 Feb 2011 02:40:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/06/empathy-might-be-our-natural-drive/#IDComment127035374 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125615814 (2/2)We like being able to relate to other people and I suppose at some level we do this through blending in the clothes we were and following the actions of those in front of us, as demonstrated in the video. Human beings are naturally social beings. We need interactions to keep ourselves sane and we need most of those interactions to be positive ones. If you standout and people receive you in a negative light, it could lead to negative interactions. No one likes a negative interaction. To avoid these negative interactions, we sometimes go to all lengths such as buying all the trendy clothes or wearing our hair a certain way. If you saw someone wearing a mullet now a days with a pair or parachute pants of course people would judge him and label him as weird. No one wants to receive a negative label. So the video is like life, some go to extremes to fit in and not get a bad label or be judged. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 05:35:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125615814 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125615684 (1/2) The video shows what a lot of people do sub consciously every day. Everyone wants to fit in and not standout, especially when you are in place with strangers around. Some people’s greatest fear is to be judged. If you are not one of the drones, or as pictured in the video one of the people who are all facing the same direction in the elevator, you standout. People will judge you and wonder why you are not turned the same way as everyone else. The will everyone has to fit in amazes me in the video. Everybody has this will to conform, but why? Why do people feel so uncomfortable with standing out? When was it decided that everyone should be the same. I wonder if it’s just part of instinctual nature to blend in. It is amazing some of the extents people go to in today’s society to blend in. Where does this feeling of wanting to be a part of something come from? I think it all comes from trying to avoid the feeling of loneliness. No one likes feeling like an island being unable to identify with anyone or anything. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 05:34:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125615684