en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2449928 Comments by kushpat92 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145566264 The video starts out slow and then rapidly increases the pace of explosion. The trend of increasing war is an scary one and is continuing to grow. The video we watched in class and the book we read has completely opened up my mind to see beyond the propaganda and lies. One of the scariest statistics presented was that there have only been twenty-seven years of peace. So why are we so quick to fight? I can understand back before modern civilizations countries fought war over land disputes. But now you would think that after the destruction that was cause after world war two we wouldn’t be so eager to start a war. But that is just not the case as the US has been all over the map since world war two fighting wars that were not even necessary. In the book we read the author questions what the higher purpose and goal of the Vietnam War was. And if you think about there really wasn’t a good reason for us to be there. Another thing I noticed about the video is that none of the explosions came on American soil. So we are so eager to jump across the Atlantic and destroy countries but we don’t ever put ourselves in the shoes of the people whose country we are invading. Sams friend from Iraq talked about how before there were no terrorist groups in Iraq but once the Americans showed up people were flocking in from other countries to fight the Americans. So basically all we did was make things worse for this country and its people. The second thing presented in the video is who are we really fighting in these modern day war? The video said that in the Iraq war ninety percent of the casualties for civilians. So you can understand why these people hate us so much because we are recklessly bombing the country to kill one or two people but instead we kill hundreds of civilians by accident and its ok because it was an accident. And of course nobody can stand up to American and make them accountable for what is basically murder. Sun, 24 Apr 2011 06:22:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145566264 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145565808 The video starts out slow and then rapidly increases the pace of explosion. The trend of increasing war is an scary one and is continuing to grow. The video we watched in class and the book we read has completely opened up my mind to see beyond the propaganda and lies. One of the scariest statistics presented was that there have only been twenty-seven years of peace. So why are we so quick to fight? I can understand back before modern civilizations countries fought war over land disputes. But now you would think that after the destruction that was cause after world war two we wouldn’t be so eager to start a war. But that is just not the case as the US has been all over the map since world war two fighting wars that were not even necessary. In the book we read the author questions what the higher purpose and goal of the Vietnam War was. And if you think about there really wasn’t a good reason for us to be there. Another thing I noticed about the video is that none of the explosions came on American soil. So we are so eager to jump across the Atlantic and destroy countries but we don’t ever put ourselves in the shoes of the people whose country we are invading. Sams friend from Iraq talked about how before there were no terrorist groups in Iraq but once the Americans showed up people were flocking in from other countries to fight the Americans. So basically all we did was make things worse for this country and its people. The second thing presented in the video is who are we really fighting in these modern day war? The video said that in the Iraq war ninety percent of the casualties for civilians. So you can understand why these people hate us so much because we are recklessly bombing the country to kill one or two people but instead we kill hundreds of civilians by accident and its ok because it was an accident. And of course nobody can stand up to American and make them accountable for what is basically murder. Sun, 24 Apr 2011 06:19:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145565808 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145565272 The video starts out slow and then rapidly increases the pace of explosion. The trend of increasing war is an scary one and is continuing to grow. The video we watched in class and the book we read has completely opened up my mind to see beyond the propaganda and lies. One of the scariest statistics presented was that there have only been twenty-seven years of peace. So why are we so quick to fight? I can understand back before modern civilizations countries fought war over land disputes. But now you would think that after the destruction that was cause after world war two we wouldn’t be so eager to start a war. But that is just not the case as the US has been all over the map since world war two fighting wars that were not even necessary. In the book we read the author questions what the higher purpose and goal of the Vietnam War was. And if you think about there really wasn’t a good reason for us to be there. Another thing I noticed about the video is that none of the explosions came on American soil. So we are so eager to jump across the Atlantic and destroy countries but we don’t ever put ourselves in the shoes of the people whose country we are invading. Sams friend from Iraq talked about how before there were no terrorist groups in Iraq but once the Americans showed up people were flocking in from other countries to fight the Americans. So basically all we did was make things worse for this country and its people. The second thing presented in the video is who are we really fighting in these modern day war? The video said that in the Iraq war ninety percent of the casualties for civilians. So you can understand why these people hate us so much because we are recklessly bombing the country to kill one or two people but instead we kill hundreds of civilians by accident and its ok because it was an accident. And of course nobody can stand up to American and make them accountable for what is basically murder. Sun, 24 Apr 2011 06:15:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145565272 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143272466 Over the last few years it has just gotten crazy with the transgender issue because nobody really knows how to answer the question. For most of us we only recognize two genders, male and female, but we aren’t aware of genders outside of these two. But now with modern surgical techniques anything is possible a man can become a woman and a woman can become a man. For me it is hard to understand why anybody would want to do this and in my opinion these people are sick. For LJ in this story I do not feel bad for him and if his employer only wants males for the job then they have done nothing wrong. How can you feel sorry for someone who decides to do something so insane and that goes against everything we are brought up to believe. He says that he knew he was a male from age five because he liked climbing tress. Well who says that females cant climb trees and enjoy some of the same thing as males. I do not accept transgender people who change their sex but I do understand the situation of people who are born different than the normal male or female. There was an Olympic runner who was female and she looked female and was born a female without any surgeries. But she was put under investigation because her body exhibited male like features and produced male hormones. Her situation I understand and I feel like she should be able to keep all her medals because she did not purposely cheat. There is nothing she can do about the way she was born. In one of my classes last semester we were listening to a girl complain about how she had a transgender roommate. And many of the things she said I totally agreed because there is no way I would welcome a transgender roommate. Today people talk about accepting other people no matter if they are transgender and my belief is that its just how I was raised not to accept them. So for LJ if his employer wants to fire him I would not see a problem with it. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:37:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143272466 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment141112857 I totally get where this guy is coming from and agree that family and friends are the two most important things in life. When I was in high school and still living at home I did not recognize how important family is. But then I got to college, which was nine hours away from home and my parents. And the more time I spent away from home the more I realized that in life all you have is a good family and supportive group of friends. Even with my friends who also went to schools back home I still keep in touch with on a weekly basis and try my best to keep in touch with them. I guess I do this because I don’t want to lose my friends and all humans want that sense of belonging and social interaction. My friends are the people that I have grown up with, I have gone to the same school as them since third grade, played soccer with them since I was eight, and every memory I have there is always a friend with me. So this lifer I can understand how hard it must be for him to lose something that meant so much to him. He no longer had the ability to create new memories with the ones he cared about. It must be a hard transition from going from getting letters everyday to not getting any. However when reading this I was shocked to hear this guy was a lifer despite the positive influences around him. He sounded like a good family man with a good group of friends. Its even more shocking to hear this guy is a lifer when his friends occupy very prestigious and respectful occupations. So I guess Sam has a point in that anyone can become a lifer. One day you screw up and kill someone even if it was an accident and all of a sudden you are behind bars for the rest of your life. So reading this I think we should appreciate the ones we have around us that support and love us. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 23:16:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment141112857 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139213539 Looking at the data provided it is very hard to argue in favor of the extremely rich and support the increasing gap between equality. I agree with all the things Sam said in class that if you work hard then it is not a problem but it is those who cheat. Everyone hates a cheater that includes people who cheat in sports, school, and in life. Someone who falls into the category of the top one percent of Americans what is the incentive of cheating and trying to gain an advantage? I just do not understand what the point of people making billions of dollars is. Like my family falls into that ten percent category and we live a great lifestyle and I never think we need more money. And all money does is disconnect you from the majority of society these billionaires have all this money but majority of them never think how they can put their money to good use. Middle class families who know what it is like to need a bit of help and feel the need to help others mostly do charity work. In India the richest man in the country built a twenty seven-story house. Something like that makes me so mad because India makes up three fourths of the world poorest people. I have been to India and the poverty there is absolute poverty these people live on the streets and there is no place for them to go. So instead of building a twenty-seven-story house why not use that to help your country. So I think the government has every right to tax the rich because is it really going to hurt them to lose a few millions. And politicians should be stronger to ignore the influence of rich individuals who throw their money at lawmakers. Because the majority of America are the people voted them in office not the rich individuals so it is time that they stop listening to the rich. There is always going to be a diversity gap but it does not hurt to help narrow the gap. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 22:36:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139213539 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137582413 As far as I can remember every natural disaster that has ever occurred has surprised everyone. Hurricane Katrina and its effects, the tsunami in Japan, the tsunami that hit Asia, and many other disasters has left billions of dollars in damage and cost thousands of lives. And what happens after these natural a disaster is the blame game were everyone tries to find a scapegoat. However I think that the public should take some responsibility when it comes to natural disasters. The article says that the mayor did not order mandatory evacuations till the day before the hurricane hit. Well to me it is common sense to leave an area that is dangerous. Why can’t you as an informed citizen not be able to make the decision to stay or not by yourself. The government cannot always be blamed for everything. A government is responsible for millions of people so coordinating a mass evacuation can be tough. Even in a high school when we practice fire drills there is still some confusion even tough most of us have been practicing them since kindergarten. So if there is confusion in a small drill like that imagine the difficulty of doing a drill with millions of people. And from our studies in sociology it is very difficult to make everyone act in a way that is beneficial to an entire group because people have their own agenda. So during a natural disaster like a hurricane one individual will value their safety more than the safety of the entire group. However I do think there are situations where a large group come together and act cohesively. Like for Thon everyone has a common goal on doing their best to raise money for a charitable cause. Or even a musical production everyone has to work together to make sure the show is done perfectly. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:20:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137582413 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment136013828 I just first want to say what an incredible job Zach does arguing his case. I mean I would have still believed him even if he were wrong. This kid is well rounded and is very gifted academically and all of this is possible because he comes from a loving from who cares for him. He made a lot of good points including that family is not based on your parents being married but it’s a matter of a strong bond with the people who raise you and your siblings. I look at as my parents marriage has very little to do with legal certification that they are married. I’m sure a lesbian or gay couple could provide the same care and nurturing that my parents provide. Some people act like gays and lesbians are completely incapable of providing the necessary care to raise a family and I disagree. We watched that video in class and the two men who wanted to adopt were great parents to their boys and I saw nothing wrong with how they were raising them. And when I think of marriage between a man and woman I also think about high divorce rates and broken families and people who are just not meant to be parents. But I personally have never heard of anything like that for gay and lesbian couples. It’s actually the opposite I have only seen good things from kids who raised by two parents of the same gender. And is there some proof that gay parents cannot raise a family like a normal family. So if gay parents want to adopt I say why not? I mean here in the US there is no shortage of kids who live in orphanages. These kids deserve to be adopted and raised by two parents who love them no matter if they are gay or straight couple. So to everyone who thinks gays shouldn’t have family I think they should watch this video and then feel ashamed of themselves. ` Sat, 19 Mar 2011 09:37:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment136013828 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment133967581 To be honest I say it all the time and I even call other people retards and I never think twice about it when I say retard. I know its wrong to say it and its very offensive but the word retard is just part of my daily vocabulary and is a word I use when I cannot think of a better word. I think that people including me use swear words and other offensive words because we just do not know a better way to communicate. Though I use the word retard I would never dare say it in front of or in reference to someone who is actually special need. Watching the video I was shocked that such high officials would use such a word publically. You would think that a politician would have better sense to use a word that would cause controversy because of the offensive meaning of retard. And the special need person that was interviewed I could understand his frustration and emotional dislike of the word. But like many offensive words retard has lost its meaning and value and is thrown around in speech because the person saying it isn’t retarded. So they would never truly understand how hurtful the word really is. Though I cannot truly stop saying retard cause I might say it accidently I do think it is important to cut down and slowly delete it from my daily vocabulary. Its an offensive word and is no different than saying gay and nigger. As a society we should learn to communicate better and find words that help us stop using offensive words that target a certain group. And I think more people should watch this video because before I watched this I had no idea how often the word retard was used. I just thought it was a word kids my age used frequently. I had no idea that politicians with such high educations would use such an offensive term and publically. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:35:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment133967581 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130691301 To me this video did not really surprise me I mean if you ever watch CNN there is always a story about a child being kidnapped or is lost. And the media puts this fear into every parent that this is a common occurrence in our society. But for me even though statistically you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being kidnapped I still disagree that a child should just start talking to a stranger. Growing up for some reason I always got lost at the mall but I knew better than to just find a stranger and ask them for help. I had always been told to look for a police officer or store employ and that is what I did every time. And when I get older I plan on telling my kids the same thing if they get lost. To not talk to strangers, stay where you are, and not to panic. I remember Sam asked us in lecture if we would ever allow our six year kid to walk to school if it was less than a mile away and majority of the students said no. And no matter what Sam says or what kind of data he provides to strengthen his argument I still disagree with him. No parent wants the guilty feeling that because of them their child was kidnapped on his or her way to school even though the school was less than a block away. If something like that happened to my child I would never be able to live with myself and the guilt would haunt. So even though statistically it is safe why take the chance when kidnappings do happen in society. And yes the media makes it seem like it happens everyday but the fact that it happens would make any parent want to take the necessary precautions to protect their child. Plus kids when they are so young any adult with the wrong intentions can easily manipulate them. So at the end of the day why take the unnecessary risk and put our child in danger? Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:48:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130691301 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment129299058 Just like the video said I was left in shock to hear that this woman was married to three men who were brothers. My initial reaction was to wonder what on earth these families were thinking letting their sons marry the same woman. Being brought up in American culture my mind is very narrow-minded when it comes to marriage. To me it’s a man and a woman and nothing else there are no exceptions. However the video did a great job in presenting the positive effects practiced of this culture in the Himalayas. These people live in a isolated area were they face many hardships and many of their problems are solved by having multiple husbands. So it makes a lot of sense that when land is scarce to farm its best to have the least amount of families possible in the community so that everyone could get a fair share. One of the interesting parts of the video was the subject of sex and that the wife alternated every night between the three brothers. For me that sounds like a horrible nightmare that I would refuse to participate in. How is this woman supposed to show equal amount of affection towards three different men? To me this is not marriage it’s merely just a convenient situation. The men need the woman to reproduce and the woman needs the men to survive. Secondly this entire semester we have talked about making free decisions, well how is what this culture practices free? In the video they clearly say that marriage is basically like a democracy and majority wins. So one of the husbands was telling the camera crew that everyone sits down and discusses the situation of getting married and then they take a vote and majority wins. To me marriage should be a free decision between a man and woman and not influenced by a majority vote. As for the problem in China instead of adopting polygamy why not take steps to fix this problem like not killing female children because males are more preferred. And I know it’s a cultural thing but the world is changing and if you don’t follow along you are going to get left behind. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 23:30:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment129299058 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127431324 To read that only thirty percent of Americans have a passport was a bit mind blowing for me and I found it a bit hard to believe. I am fortunate to come from a family that has enough money to travel. I have been to eight different countries on four different continents and to me going on vacation was just time I get to spend with my family away from home. However after reading this article I realized it was more than just spending time with family but it was a privilege to be cultured enough to spend time in these different countries. I think back to many of my friends who are as American as it gets. They only eat American food, they have never been out of the country, and are happy to just go to the beach for vacation. And to them why should they travel to another country? The media presents the countries outside the United States to be one were it is unsafe and disgusting. Movies like Hotel Rwanda make any American not to ever leave to comfort of their country. But it is not like that, I have travelled to Africa and it was by far my favorite vacation. If I had chance as an adult to live in Kenya or Tanzania I would definitely do it. Yet when I tell people that my favorite vacation was going to Africa they look at me and list all the negative things that they have heard or seen on television or read. So with all these negative connotations about the outside world why would anybody want to leave the comfort of their home and close by surroundings? Spending a few days at the beach more than satisfies majority of my friends who really don’t have a huge desire to travel abroad. Like I said in the beginning it’s a privilege to travel outside the US and traveling abroad is really costly. The article says seventy five percent of the people in the UK have passports but those people don’t have to fly across the Atlantic or Pacific ocean. If you live in England you can get to France in three hours by subway which is a much cheaper alternative to flying. So yes its disappointing that America has such a low percentage but at the same time its unfair to compare us to a country like England. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:40:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127431324 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment126057810 As I watched the video I could not help but laugh as the unsuspecting victim is left in the awkward position to either conform to what is going around them or be the oddball. But this prank also applies to the bigger picture of how we live out our lives. We follow norms because it is what is expected and we use norms to judge other people. We follow these invisible sets of rules and guidelines that dictate our life because we just want to fit in. It is my opinion that it is human nature to want to fit in. I know there are people who like to be unique and standout from the crowd but I think they act out because they want people to notice them so the are not just some isolated outsider. So when you are at a baseball game and the national anthem is played everyone stands up and takes of their hat. Because that is the norm and that is what people are expected to do. The entire stadium follows this norm because they just want to blend in with the crowd and fit in. Nobody wants to be that guy who dint standup and take of his hat. Because than you are automatically an outsider who is looked down upon. Even tough there is no official rule or law forcing you to standup and respect the playing of our national anthem. So in class we talk about a lot of subjects and one in particular goes against following the norm. Homosexuality is a huge problem becomes American society does not want it to exist. The norm is for a man and woman to be married and have children so when it comes to idea of two men or two women then it becomes a problem and controversy follows. And around the world many homosexuals face discrimination and even death for being openly gay. But my question is who says they are wrong? And that is the problem with norms because from a young age we are taught to conform to society and its belief and that it is wrong go against it. Even from a young age its pounded in us that marriage is between man and woman and all the stories we are read are about a man and woman and never man and man. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 02:47:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment126057810 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124224405 My initial reaction was I’m not really that surprised these kids who go to this school are facing an incredibly high pregnancy rate. These kids aren’t some suburban kids who live in nice neighborhoods. Every student at this school qualifies for reduced lunch, which tells me they come from a very impoverished neighborhood. Still coming from an impoverished neighborhood isn’t the only factor that led to this unfortunate situation. As I watched the video I thought isn’t it a bit to late. Why did it take ninety girls getting pregnant for school and community officials to finally take action? To me if I were a school official I would be alarmed if five or six girls became pregnant. So this whole situation shows that school officials and community leaders were negligent during this entire situation. So all these programs to promote awareness of having unprotected sex is too late. The ninety girls who are pregnant now have to live with the struggle of trying to raise a child. However watching the video something else struck me as a possible reason for this situation. The video presented the school district as a low-income neighborhood. So I feel like the kids growing up in this neighborhood lack role models that they can look up to. To them there is no hope of leaving this neighborhood and their situation. Without a role model how can these kids even consider leaving their situation and trying to pursue a life outside the one they are currently in. Yet when it comes to the concept of being free maybe I’m wrong maybe these girls wanted to get pregnant. They made the decision to have unprotected sex knowing that if they got pregnant they would have to live with consequences that went with it. They made this choice as a free person whose life want dictated by societies belief that teen pregnancy is wrong. And being a teen you are a free person and you are invisible and nothing can bring you down. So I believe these girls mindset is why should I waste my money on condoms and birth control when I cant even afford lunch at school if I get pregnant my life cant get any worse then the impoverished neighborhood I live. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:14:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124224405 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122629853 We are very fortunate to live in a country were our freedom is not limited and America was actually founded on the principles of freedom. So almost four hundred years after our countries founding we don’t really reflect on how lucky we are to enjoy a free-living lifestyle that is not dictated by government policy. So the inmate who wrote this letter took for granted his freedom and never really reflected on it. For him he was just living out his life and it never crossed his mind that the decisions he made were because he had the freedom to make them. And so now that he is locked up he has all this time to think about what he no longer can do. He has a whole list of things starting at just taking a shower whenever to being able to eat whenever. However to me what stuck out the most reading his letter was him bringing up the freedom of the mind. And though he is a prisoner for life nobody can ever take away what goes in his mind and his thoughts. And the policy of an open mind is a universal one because no matter where you are or what country you live in nobody can take what goes in your head. But the key is to be able to recognize this freedom and for many people they will live out their entire lives without acknowledging this freedom. But spending half of your life in jail gives you the ability to reflect and realize that they may have taken your freedoms that you enjoyed in the outside world but still have the freedom of the mind. So what I got out of this article is don’t just be a robot and live out your life but rather acknowledge and respect the fact that you have the freedom to wake up and take a shower or I even go back to bed. Because you do something to jeopardize your freedom you may not get it back. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:25:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122629853 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cp%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122624574 Soc 001 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:50:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cp%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122624574