en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2438617 Comments by krustykrabpizza http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145203706 The first thing anyone will notice while watching this is how much faster the explosions become as the years went on. They became bigger and more frequent. I think the question that comes in is how much bigger and how much more often will it take that we will make this world inhabitable? The scary things that we have now are nuclear missiles. We saw in the video when the one went off during WWII and how huge that explosion was compared to the other ones. That bomb devastated that area in a matter of seconds. When a nuclear bomb goes off, everything in that area is destroyed…everything. And everything around it will be severely affected from the radiation. War is a scary but uncontrollable reality that is become much more devastating. What is the point of war if you destroy the entire planet and no one wins? Seems pretty pointless to me. As stated in class, the point of war is to acquire resources. If the entire world is blown up from a nuclear attack there won’t be any resources then. I really don’t see the point in having nuclear missiles. Yes, they are something that you can wave in your opponents face and say if you do this we will counteract by blowing you all to hell. But…practically everyone has them now. We (the USA) don’t have the same foot holding we used to because now if we say we have nukes the opponent will also have them. We can’t kill everything. There’s no point. Wherever there are people there will be war. War has happened throughout the ages and is inevitable. A certain group of people will want something that another group has but won’t give up so they go to war. It has happened forever and unless some type of miracle arises it will continue to happen. The problem with future wars is that they are going to become more devastating because of the advancement in weaponry. Unless we do something soon about violence I believe our world does not have much more to live. We will soon perish in a world war. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:11:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145203706 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143241209 I sometimes think of people that are transgender and realize that they have to live a life that is a bit harder than all of us simply because our society has set only two types of sexes. In reality as we read in the sociology book there can be five different sexes. And I honestly think that’s how it should be. When one is filling out an application form there are only two sexes (male and female). There should be at least another check box that says transgender. Many transgenders will relate themselves to a certain sex. As this man in this situation he represents himself as a male and has his entire life but he is truly a transgender. If that’s who he portrays he should not be discriminated because of sex. If you really think about it, he is the same as any other male except his genitalia are different. A person should never be discriminated against because of his or her gender. However in reality there are sex standards or stereotypes with different jobs. For instance, nurses are predominately female. Why? Possibly because women can be more caring or “motherly”. If I had the option between a female nurse or male nurse I would take a female nurse because I would think she would tend more to my feelings. I personally have no troubles with either comprehending or accepting a transgender. Since that reading in this class I’ve asked several people about that topic and some of them said its kind of weird or they wouldn’t feel completely comfortable with one. Transgenders should be recognized in society and be fully accepted. They are human beings just as the rest of us. They deserve equal respect as the rest of us. If I was transgender I think it would incredibly difficult to live with that, hiding it. Imagine having a penis if you were a female while you were dating a man and you had to tell him that and be afraid that he would react poorly and break up with you. It would be so much more unneeded pressure from society. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:52:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143241209 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment142973237 I sometimes think of people that are transgender and realize that they have to live a life that is a bit harder than all of us simply because our society has set only two types of sexes. In reality as we read in the sociology book there can be five different sexes. And I honestly think that’s how it should be. When one is filling out an application form there are only two sexes (male and female). There should be at least another check box that says transgender. Many transgenders will relate themselves to a certain sex. As this man in this situation he represents himself as a male and has his entire life but he is truly a transgender. If that’s who he portrays he should not be discriminated because of sex. If you really think about it, he is the same as any other male except his genitalia are different. A person should never be discriminated against because of his or her gender. However in reality there are sex standards or stereotypes with different jobs. For instance, nurses are predominately female. Why? Possibly because women can be more caring or “motherly”. If I had the option between a female nurse or male nurse I would take a female nurse because I would think she would tend more to my feelings. I personally have no troubles with either comprehending or accepting a transgender. Since that reading in this class I’ve asked several people about that topic and some of them said its kind of weird or they wouldn’t feel completely comfortable with one. Transgenders should be recognized in society and be fully accepted. They are human beings just as the rest of us. They deserve equal respect as the rest of us. If I was transgender I think it would incredibly difficult to live with that, hiding it. Imagine having a penis if you were a female while you were dating a man and you had to tell him that and be afraid that he would react poorly and break up with you. It would be so much more unneeded pressure from society. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:44:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment142973237 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/women-and-war/#IDComment141052116 I think it is difficult or nearly impossible for many of us who have not experienced war first hand to truly understand the terrifying emotional side effects of it. Thanking God that the missile hit someone else’s house instead of yours. It would be awful to think everyday might be your last. Many civilians are casualties of war. She discussed how casually we treat casualties; and really thinking about it we really do. It’s a huge problem. Those civilians are not involved in the war however they are right in the center of the war zone. It is just dumb luck where you were born and they happen to born there. It could easily have been you or I and we could be those ones right now in the Middle East praying that we survive through the day. One of the things she said about half way through which kind of upset me was the difference between men and women in war. She said men are the ones fighting the war (I got the feeling she was saying men are the bad guys) and women are the ones who are keeping life going (the good guys). Granted in some ways that is true but I thought it came off kind of sexist. There will always be war and there always has to be someone to fight the wars. And violence and that kind of stuff appeals more to men. However, women do an amazing thing during a war. Many times they do keep the lively hood and peace up. Think back to WWI, women pretty much ran the country back then because they had to take over all the jobs and kept the morale strong. Many times they do just as much work during a war as men. It is completely different from what they do but both are very important. War isn’t fair to many women because more than often they are taken by the enemy as slaves (many times sexual slaves.) Women should never be treated lesser than a human being which is what is done if they are enslaved. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 18:00:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/women-and-war/#IDComment141052116 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139153996 The distribution of wealth is very disproportional. I will first state that I do not believe people should have money handed to them. That is unfair to those people who work hard for their money have to pay taxes for other people to simply take hard earned money from them. There are the majority who work hard and truly have earned their fortune. However there are those business men who cheat to earn their inheritance which is unfair to the people below them. There are millions of people in our country alone who cannot support a family because their incomes are so low. Then there are those people who cheat their way to the top and make billions of dollars. This is what I see is unfair. They are selfish and have no sense of worth. I do think that the enormous difference between the upper class and the lower class should be evened out more. The upper class makes too much money where they spend it on things just so they can spend it. They do not need four different houses, ten cars and a plane. It is unnecessary when our country’s majority is in the lower class. I also see a major problem in politics with the upper class. Everyone who controls the country is mainly from the upper class and obviously they want to keep their wealth. So they will formulate rules where the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Politicians are supposed to be there to makes rules in the interest of the majority and the country but they mostly makes choices in the favor of themselves. It isn’t fair for those who have been born into poverty because more than likely they will live their lives in poverty. That is simple sociology. The government should be trying to make it easier for them not taking their money for themselves. However these people in poverty also have to be willing to work harder for the middle or upper class. There are some people in the world who do not care and they will always be poor. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 17:22:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139153996 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment137347970 First off the music in the beginning is kind of funny which is a good hint to what is coming up next will be somewhat of a joke. He refers to this thing he wraps around his waist as a holster but in reality it is just a fanny pack for your gun. Seems pretty dumb to me. The question is what makes this guy “white”? Well by just looking at him several things pop out at me. He has a white collared shirt on with a white tee shirt underneath which is tucked into his nicely tightened belt around his bluish jeans. This is a stereotypical appearance of a white guy. Also, this video is for a fanny pack for a gun, how white can you get! I’m not sure who he is so afraid of that he has got to carry a gun right around his crotch…personally if I carried a gun that is the last place I would want to store it. Its funny when he is getting ready to demonstrate how to put this “holster” on he tells his audience to not be afraid of him taking his pants off, he has running shorts on beneath his pants! I thought it was hilarious when he said “when I unbuckle my pants everybody will be safe.” Who the hell says that? Just take your pants off man and stop worrying about it. So I’d definitely call him white for wearing gym shorts under his pants so no one sees him in his underwear. I guess I could say the way he talks makes him white. He said “what the heck is this” I thought that was pretty white. Most people including myself would just say what the hell is this? This video is in the least bit “cool.” I think this guy is a complete loser for wearing a fanny pack with a gun in it. White people for some reason have a fear of others and are compelled to protect themselves from this non-existent danger. This guy has gone to the extreme and purchased the smart carry holster. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:48:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment137347970 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135869537 The stereotypical mentality against LGBT parents is that they are not as fit to run a family as normal heterosexual parents would be. However not all stereotypes are true. I believe this one is one of them. How would any of us who were raised in a heterosexual house hold know what it is like to be raised by two gay parents? That answer is we don’t and we simply assume what it would be like. As Zach Wahls talks to the court room he describes how similar it is being raised in a homosexual home as it is in a “normal” home. From my understanding he is excelling in life and working very hard. It also seems like his parents were helping him along the way and pushing him to be the best he can. Being in the 99% of his class, being an eagle scout and owning a small business are outstanding accomplishments. This all takes time commitment and dedication that parents can instill in their child. It is wrong of people think down grade a homosexual couples. It is most people’s dreams to marry the person they love, have a family and live happily ever after. With homosexual couples it’s not that easy. First off, they can’t even really get married. I believe homosexuality is not something you choose. If two people come together and fall in love they should have the same right to get married as a heterosexual couple. The state should not prohibit people of something they don’t truly understand. If you talk to anyone is who gay they will all say they had an inclination from when they were young that they were not the same as the majority of the population. The LGBT community has been fighting for equality for many years now. People should be more accepting of them and try to put themselves in their shoes; not feeling like a part of society. Some people may oppose gays of rights of marriage but why? They are still people like the rest of us and deserve equal opportunities to succeed in life. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:25:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135869537 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132441101 Money has many benefits and also many downfalls. It’s very important to know how to manage money. If a once poor person just inherited let’s say 10 million dollars in the grand scheme of things that’s not a lot of money. That can be spent very fast and if you buy a house or something large with that you have to understand that heavier taxes will follow. I think a lot of people who are not currently wealthy and they inherent a great deal of money is that they will want to spend a lot of that and want to cut back on work but it doesn’t work like that. If you buy something and keep buying that money will run out. You need to keep working to sustain the money you have. There are many other things also when you have a great deal of money you have to be worried about other people. I have always been taught that there will always be someone out there who will try to take your money. Anyone who wins a substantial amount of money has to know the downfalls of being wealthy. You have to be careful of protecting your money so no one steals it. Having money is not a bad thing though if you know how to use it…It’s a god send if you know how to use it properly. As in the article one of the guys who won 5 million said he only bought a couple material things and helped his sister with a surgery. He then said he didn’t change his life style though, didn’t change how he worked and so on. That is how you’re supposed to act if you win money. He understands that money can eventually run out and if you change your life style, thinking that you’re actually wealthy that can lead to many problems. Something that has happened to lottery winners is they buy so much and quit their job(s) and then they don’t inherit a lot of money but a lot of debt. It is important to maintain a similar life style to the one you previously had. Fri, 4 Mar 2011 18:54:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132441101 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130000745 I think it’s a natural reaction by watching a video like this to set new rules in place for your children. Parents may know that kidnapping is uncommon but they will still do things to make sure that it is not their children that could get taken. Personally, I’d rather be safer than sorry. If I was a parent I definitely would set rules to prevent my child from being kidnapped. I’m sure that nanny in the video was thinking the likely hood of this child being stolen is very slim. That’s what any parents or guardian would think. But look at what happened. Even though those chances are very minuscule of having your child being abducted there is still that chance and it may be your child. It’s a fact that almost 100 percent of all strangers will help your child in a desperate situation. I still wouldn’t feel comfortable having my child with a complete stranger. I would rather teach my child of ways not getting lost or simply telling him or her to go to the closest store and call me. I think there would be less of a risk of a child going to a convenient store and asking to use the phone than asking a random stranger on the street for help because in that case the child is putting all of their trust into a person they just met. I do think that since there is such a low chance of such bad things happening that we shouldn’t live our lives in fear. It’d be better to live your life to the fullest. For the most of it, people are good and will help someone when they are in need. From all the times I can think of when I needed help and asked a complete stranger nothing bad came from it. They either said yes I can help or they simply said I don’t have time sorry. No one tried to kill me or abduct me on the spot. I guess that goes to say that people are generally good and will be willing to help anyone in need. Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:25:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130000745 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128879389 Comment 2/2 As of right now, the government is trying too hard to pry themselves into every family in this country. I don’t like that! I want to be kept alone and not bothered by outside forces. This all could lead me to leaving the country. The country has no right in saying whether we have to do this or that. Sounds like communism doesn’t it? There is that thing though where if we don’t force people to stay healthy that the tax payers will have to pay for those people’s medical bills later in life and I don’t like that either. So what do you do? I always wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted even if it was bad for my own health. If I want to drink all the time and destroy my liver no one should stop me. But then I’ll need surgery and if I don’t have enough money who’s going to pay for it? Tax payers! I think there has to be a better system so we can do what we want but not have to pay for other people’s problems. So concerning breastfeeding I don’t think the government should hand out breastfeeding pumps but let us do what we want and if we choose not to then that is our prerogative. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:41:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128879389 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128879310 Comment 1/2 Breastfeeding is a very personal thing and it should be chosen to do so between the parents of the child. The government shouldn’t have a say on whether you have to breastfeed or not. Granted, I think the state should say that breastfeeding is the better option and give all of the positive side effects of it but should not say that you are required or obligated to do this. Personally, I believe in small governments where others shouldn’t have to pay for other people’s mishaps. Unfortunately there are those people that are very unfortunate where they suffer from a mental retardation and in that case the state should provide care for them. But people who are obese and they chose that route they shouldn’t have their medical bills paid if they can’t afford it because they choose to eat 20 big macs every day. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:40:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128879310 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127384474 (Comment 2/2) I personally think that we Americans should stop being so concentrated on work, work, work and have some fun and take a vacation. Society has instilled it into us that we have to work our ass of in college, then get a good job, pay of loans, continue to make money until your family is comfortable. Now tell me, how long is that supposed to take. Sounds to me that it’s going to take a long time. What’s the point of life if you can’t relax and enjoy it until your seventy years old and retired? I found it somewhat surprising that on average people living in Europe with have six to eight weeks of vacation. First thing I thought of was how much money are they making if they’re taking such long breaks. There’s my American attitude kicking in and striving to be the best and make the most money. Granted it’s good to have a lot of money but it’s also important to live life to the fullest. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:02:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127384474 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127384428 (Comment 1/2) Other countries no doubt have other things that the United States does not have unfortunately. However since our country is so large and diverse you could find almost anything here. One of the reasons why I would travel to a different country is because of the drinking age…that’s saying a lot about our country doesn’t it? The article made some very good points though. I would love to travel abroad but to be honest I may be hesitant at first just because of all the bad things that I heard about it. In the news when you hear about other countries it’s never good. It’s either about some war that’s going on or an American is being held captive because of some dumb crime they may or may not have committed. Let’s take china for instance, I think that’d be an awesome country to visit but I don’t know anything about the laws there, their customs, absolutely anything. What happens if I did something wrong or out of line and I was taken to prison and the US couldn’t do anything about it? Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:02:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127384428 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment126039192 Conformity is a very interesting subject. People enjoy conforming with others because it makes them feel safe and it makes them feel as if they belong. Just as in the video, the men felt out of place if they did not face the same direction as the other people. People enjoy being part of a larger community. It’s just like any religion; by doing the same thing as other people makes you feel as if you belong and makes you feel secure about yourself. People always say they’re more individualistic than the other but is that really true? There are always some invisible strings controlling us in what we’re doing so how is anyone truly being themselves? People are always displaying something that someone else believes in or that they learned from someone else. People conform to things they’re not even sure why they just think if everyone else is doing it, it must be right; most people don’t like to be the sore thumb and stick out. Many times when people feel they do not belong to a group or some type of community they feel as if they have failed. This is why humans have a strong tendency to conform. Sometimes conforming to a group can be for the worst. For example, sometimes there are rises in suicide and that may be a result to conforming. If these people committing suicide are all a certain stereotype of people they may feel if this person killed him/herself it would be more acceptable if I did. All in all if the majority is doing something you are more inclined to follow in their footsteps to do the same thing. Let’s say you were at a very large gathering and you couldn’t see the stage or the center of attention and everyone started clapping, what would you do? Most likely, you would start clapping but not sure what it is about. You want to act as if you know what is going on like everyone else and be pretending to be having a good time not knowing really what’s going on. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 00:54:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment126039192 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124390705 CONTINUATION. Think about it, out of 800 students almost 100 of them are pregnant. Very high chances are many more are having sex. Not only those 10 % should be given classes on not getting pregnant but it should be a whole school taught lesson. I believe schools should talk about abstinence but heavily focus on contraceptive. Let’s face it, everyone knows that students whether they are taught the risks of having sex before marriage or not will have sex at some point. So why not just teach them the safest way of going about it? Obviously abstinence is the safest way but in a school that is so poverty stricken it is unrealistic to not teach contraceptive techniques. By letting these students become pregnant only makes the poverty problem more of an issue. These people cannot even support themselves what makes them think that they could possibly financially support a child. So it is not only the school’s fault but it is mainly their own problem. They should know the risk they are taking by having sex and be well aware of the results from getting pregnant. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:15:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124390705 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124390627 The obvious thing that I think everyone thought of once watching this video is that this is a poverty stricken school. Poverty simply doesn’t just link someone to have less money but to have more of a chance to be associated with drugs, alcohol, sex which may all lead to pregnancies that are wanted or not. Statistics stated that almost 100% of these people are receiving government funding which means most of these people simply don’t have a lot of money to be throwing around on either condoms or birth control which would greatly decrease the chance of pregnancy. Even though I am not one for people being handed things without earning them, maybe the school should provide condoms for people readily partaking in sexual activities so hopefully decrease the chance of pregnancy. Everything is worth a price and I think by giving the students the opportunity to prevent the birth of a child by giving them contraceptive would be much less expensive in the long run than having a child and then having classes for them to attend. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:14:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124390627 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122876877 First off I’d like to say that if suicide is the major cause of death in an age range of 20-40 there is something incredibly wrong. I personally don’t think it’s the persons fault for killing themselves it many times is a factor they cannot always control. The video said many people committed suicide after they lost their job because rank in society was so important to them. There are plenty more things to live for than just your job (not to say an occupation is not important). From a sociologists point of view I would try to make a couple more things apparent if someone was going to kill themselves. At that moment of contemplating suicide, only the worst memories are flowing through your head. Being neglected, being made fun of, anything at all that saddens you. That person does not think about anyone else except him or herself at the time. I would also tell the person to take a step back and really try to analyze the situation at hand. Is this really the best path to take? They have to understand that suicide is one of the most selfish things someone could do. It is taking your life without thinking of anyone elses feelings and concerns. If a mother or father found out their son or daughter killed themselve they would be devastated. They would feel they had failed in life and would never be able to do anything about it. Most humans are compassionate so if someone is really going through a hard time another person can help them through it. I always thought the point of life was to be the best you can and try to make a difference in the world. By killing yourself puts you at the bottom of the list for both of those. It’s not fair to others who have put so much time and effort into helping someone get through their problems to find out they killed themselve. I would finish up by telling them a story or two of a person contemplating suicide who decided not and then lived a very happy life. Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:02:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122876877 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cw%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122876518 Soc 001 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:59:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cw%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122876518