en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2407431 Comments by knr5040 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment144587616 If the businesses were given more say in that instance they definitely would have allowed for more immigration so they could have a larger work force. A lot of the jobs that the immigrants take are undesirable jobs to most people. Another reason why businesses would be pro immigration is that they are able to bring the cost of labor down in general. If they have a group of people willing to work for significantly less money than most Americans others will have to accept a lower pay to keep their jobs in a competitive market. This again helps the business owners to make their businesses more profitable and keeps costs down. Business owners use their leverage in the community to pressure politicians to create and carry out the immigration policies they need to make sure that their businesses continue to be successful. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:38:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment144587616 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment144587562 Business owners have a vested interest in immigration policies because they need people to ensure that their business is able to run smoothly and effectively and the less they can pay their workers the more money they are able to pocket. Immigrants, whether they are legal or illegal, are generally willing to accept a lower pay rate because it is more than they would make in their home country. This is especially true for illegal immigrants. They are more willing to take the lower pay because they do not have many other options for work especially since they do not have the proper paperwork that is required for most jobs. It is in the best interest of certain businesses to make sure immigration policies are lax so that they can have plenty of cheap labor. This helps to keep prices of their products down as well. We talked about this in class when we saw the photos of the pear farmer in California. When the immigration laws were tightened she had a difficult time finding labor to help harvest the pear crop and ended up losing billions of dollars due to spoiled fruit. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:38:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment144587562 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment144587529 I knew that business was one of the main determining factors that shape immigration policies. Politicians work towards re-election. That is always their primary goal. The only way to be re-elected is to stay in the favor of their voters or constituencies. Businesses and business owners have a lot of say in communities and are able to effectively get policies implemented. The politicians want to keep the business owners happy so that they continue to support them in their next elections. Business owners usually have a stronger tie to the community and the people in it than the politicians do because they are there all the time and more accessible to the public. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:38:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment144587529 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/#IDComment142385587 If I worked for a company and a friend of mine asked me to get their child a job and I knew that the child was irresponsible and untrustworthy I would not help them get a job because it may jeopardize my position. To me, nepotism is not a bunch of under qualified people getting a leg up in a company or corporation, it is deserving individuals using all of the resources available to them to acquire a position. Therefore, I would never turn down a job offer because I knew that my connections helped me to get the job because I know it is most likely not the connection alone that got me the job. They may have helped get my application to the top of the pile but that does not in my mind guarantee me a position. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:47:39 +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/#IDComment142385587 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/#IDComment142385537 I do not necessarily view nepotism as a bad thing. When you make connections with people you generally get to know them pretty well. People are not going to go out of their way to get someone a job they barely know. Getting to know someone involves learning about their personality and work ethic and developing a sort of trust with the person. It is good to know and trust the people you work with or recommend. Not many people are willing to put their name on the line and recommend someone for a position that they believe are not qualified or that would not be a good fit for the company because it would make them look bad and possible sever some of the connections they themselves worked hard to make. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:47:27 +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/#IDComment142385537 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/#IDComment142385409 If I was presented with an opportunity to have a job, internship, or even just an interview with a company based solely on a connection I had within the company I would absolutely take it, no questions asked. The economy is so bad and the job market is so competitive that I would use and am using every resource available to me to find a job. I may not be the most qualified person for the job but I would not be the least qualified either. I work very hard, and no, I may not be the most deserving person but I would not slack off just because I know someone within the company. I believe that nepotism only really becomes a problem when a company starts to be negatively affected by it. If the people that get the jobs based on connections slack off and do not do their part the companies may not be as successful as they could be if they were to go out and actively search for qualified persons for the job. However, I feel as though people would be smart enough to fire those who are not contributing members of a team, no matter how they got the job or who they are connected with within the company. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:46:45 +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/#IDComment142385409 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804101 Being Catholic I also had issues with the idea that conflict in the Middle East was driven by religion and that we are the “Christian Invaders”. Just because some people in the military have strong ties to their religion and chose to read the Bible and pray does not mean they are over there fighting for God. That really irritated me. I understand that Sam was trying to get us to see things from a Muslim perspective but they way he presented his ideas made me feel like we better think that way too. I like being able to form my own opinions on things and to me it felt like the lecture was saying think this way, this is how you should be thinking. I tried to be open minded during the lecture but I continuously felt so offended and so uncomfortable by the things being said that I really struggled with the open mindedness. By the end of the lecture I was ready to get out of there. To me it was not even close to the best lecture of the year. It was a very uncomfortable hour for me. Thu, 7 Apr 2011 19:10:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804101 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804058 I did not like the comparisons between the U.S. military and combatants in the Middle East. I understand that he was trying to get us to see how people in the Middle East view American soldiers but it made me really uncomfortable. I know the videos were meant to make us understand how people in the Middle East feel about Americans and see why they have so much anger toward us in certain situations but they just made me upset. My boyfriend is in the U.S. Navy and to see people in our military be portrayed in that way really upset me. They have to leave their families for months at a time to defend our country. It is just really hard for me to look at it from a Muslim perspective. Thu, 7 Apr 2011 19:10:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804058 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804025 I do not believe that it was the best lecture of the year. There were so many emails hyping the lecture up and to me it just did not meet my expectations. I think it is hard to be blown away by a lecture when someone talks it up so much. There was a lot of buildup and I walked away disappointed. Being honest I had a difficult time with the lecture. I felt as though Sam was trying to force his opinions on us. As soon as he started talking about scenario where the Chinese came to America and began taking our coal I knew he was going to tie it in to the Middle East. The whole lecture was so predictable to me. I do not want to be closed minded and I really tried to listen and take everything Sam was saying in but I just had a really hard time with it. Thu, 7 Apr 2011 19:10:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/do-you-think-sam-was-right-in-saying-this-will-be-the-best-lecture-of-the-year-119-blog/#IDComment140804025 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138913625 The only time I would say I get uncomfortable around people speaking different languages is when they appear to be talking about me or someone I am with. Everyone has encountered someone talking about them in their life whether it was in English or another language. It’s uncomfortable when you see people pointing and talking when you don’t know what they are saying. This is true for any language. If the people are out of earshot and they are pointing and talking it would make a lot of people uncomfortable I’m sure. It makes you wonder what the people are saying which can make you uncomfortable. Other than that I’ve never really had any issues with people around me speaking in other languages. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:39:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138913625 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138913589 I went to Cancun for spring break with a few of my friends a couple years ago and we were completely fine being surrounded by people who either did not speak English at all or could barely speak English at all. I feel there was a certain level of comfort though because we could all at least understand some of what they were saying. If we had been in another country that speaks another language we may have felt more awkward or uncomfortable, especially if we could not decipher anything that was being said. It depends on the situation also. When walking around campus I encounter people speaking different languages every day. I don’t feel uncomfortable at all when I hear them talking in another language as I’m passing by. That’s the language they grew up speaking, or prefer to speak, and I’m fine with it. Who am I to say what language people should be talking in? Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:39:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138913589 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138913527 I thought it was funny that this was one of the blog questions this week because I was just thinking about this issue in class on Tuesday. While I was sitting in class the two people behind me were conversing in what I assume was Chinese and I found myself very curious about what they were saying. I am a very nosey person so it bothered me a little bit that I had no idea what they were talking about since they were being loud enough to be overheard. Generally, I would say I am not uncomfortable around people who are conversing in different languages; I believe I am more curious as to what they are saying. I wish I could speak and understand every language but sadly I am a little challenged when it comes to learning new languages. I took Spanish for 9 years and still struggle with it. I can understand what people are saying when they speak it but I am very hesitant to speak back because my Spanish is so shaky and I am afraid of saying the wrong thing. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:39:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138913527 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137313210 It is important that people move away from these ideas and I think some people are. It is becoming a lot more common to see interracial couples. I think people should be able to be with whoever they want to be regardless of race. I read a lot of comments about people who said their family would not approve if they dated someone outside of their race and I don’t believe that is fair. People need to start standing up to their families and other people who disapprove and ask them why they feel that way. I think asking people why will catch them off guard and make them think about why they hold the prejudices they do. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:34:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137313210 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137313175 I believe interracial relationships are a lot like the issue of gay marriage now. Interracial relationships used to be a much bigger deal. It was even illegal at one point to date someone outside of your race. Now it is slowly becoming more and more accepted. In a few years I do not believe it will be an issue at all. Eventually it may even be considered part of the norm. I think that more of the people that have an issue with interracial relationships are older and grew up believing it is wrong. I am not sure that my family would be ok with me marrying outside of my race. They are very old fashioned. My great grandma still believes that me going to college is a waste of money because “it is only for ugly girls who can’t find husbands”. When you grow up with a mentality like that it is difficult to see past race and accept people marrying or dating someone outside their race but the world will never change if you do not stand up to it. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:34:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137313175 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137313128 I personally do not have any issues with interracial relationships. I fully believe that you cannot help who you like or fall in love with. It is about the individual and the type of person that they are attracted to. Some people only feel attraction to people within their own race and that does not necessarily have anything to do with racism. Others like all different types of people. It depends on personal preference. I personally have never dated outside of my race but I know people who have. This is not saying that I dislike people of other races I think it is more about where I grew up. I went to private/catholic school my whole life and was surrounded by people who were very similar to me as far as beliefs and interests go. There were only a very small number of minorities at my high school. I graduated in a class of 300 and only 2 people were of color. I was not really exposed to minorities until I came to Penn State and even now there are not that many. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:33:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137313128 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637670 To me, guilt is a useless feeling. Guilt does not accomplish anything and guilt does not change anything. Instead of sitting around feeling guilty say something when you see someone being treated unjustly. Make your voice heard instead of quietly watching the unfairness and the inequality. More people should speak up like the handful of people did in the video where the muslim woman was being harassed and refused service by store owners. If more people spoke out against it maybe racism and putting down minorities would not be seen and accepted as a norm anymore. Guilt is useless you cannot help what race you were born into, action is more important. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:58:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637670 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637632 Rather than feeling guilty about being white and having privileges for being white we should instead speak out against the racism and injustices. Feeling guilty will not help anyone and it will not make changes in the world. We need to challenge the way people think and show them that racism is wrong and it is only holding the world back. We cannot control what our ancestors have done to people in the past such as oppression and stealing land, we can however make sure this does not happen again in the future. If we work to change minds instead of feeling guilty about what we have been given we can help make the world a better place. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:58:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637632 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637593 I understand that whether I put people down or not the color of my skin gives me certain advantages in life. Some people still struggle with race issues and ignorantly see themselves as superior. I do not think that people should be judged on their skin color I think what is on the inside counts for more. By keeping away from people of certain races you may miss out on so many wonderful ideas and thoughts. If the world was more accepting of people from all races and all walks of life we would be better off. Not hiring someone based on their skin color or a prejudice you may have may keep your business from some amazing ideas and advancements. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:57:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637593 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637497 I have personally never felt “guilty” for being white. I did not choose to white. I do not understand why people would feel guilty for being a certain race when they have no choice in the matter. It is the way you were born. You cannot help the family you were born into. I feel badly about other races being looked down on and being treated unfairly in some cases but I have never felt guilty about it because I am not the one personally putting them down. I can understand how some people would feel terrible witnessing people being mistreated on the basis of race, I just do not understand where the guilt comes from if they are not taking part in the actions themselves. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:57:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135637497 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/is-it-possible-for-affirmative-action-to-take-things-too-far-119-blog/#IDComment134202118 Until race can stop being an issue in general affirmative action will exist. I do not believe that it is the best method to reduce racism in the work place or in school systems. I firmly believe that it creates a separate type of racism and that it may help one group of people but it just hinders another group entirely in some cases. Instead of focusing on this racism in general should be addressed. It is difficult to change the minds of older people who have believed a certain thing their entire lives and that is why I believe racism should be addressed at a young age. Instead of teaching and showing children how people are different more focus should be placed on how people are the same. This to me would do more to help the issue of racism than affirmative action has managed to do. If the idea carries on that people only achieved a certain position because of affirmative action and were given the job based on their race they may not be treated well by their peers. Affirmative action should be done away with and race should be eliminated from the application process altogether. Racism will continue to be an issue as long as people allow it to be with practices like this. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:19:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/is-it-possible-for-affirmative-action-to-take-things-too-far-119-blog/#IDComment134202118