en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2402604 Comments by livelaugh_love http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/if-prison-has-taken-anything-away-from-me/#IDComment145217977 This letter is a little more unique than the other letters from Lifers. It seems to me like the person, M, is still going through a phase of copping, understanding. He is trying to think critically about what is life is about and who he will become. I think being in prison is a unsettle situation to be in, especially when you are there for life. And although many prisoners accept their state of being many do not fully/ mentally come to term with the fact that they will never have a “normal” life. Sometimes this takes years. Giving the reason why so many lifers melt away in prison or take their angry out on others. It’s actually really sad thinking about the state of being this person is in. I could not imagine being confined to the inside of a faculty every day, all day. I hate being confined in my life right now but at least I have options. Something else that is sad is that to certain extent “M” had options too. Yet he decided to go down the wrong path and only now, when it’s too late, is he taking the time out to reflex on his life. Knowing that there is nothing else to do but let your mind wonder. One thing in the letter that really stood out to me was the following, “If prison has taken anything away from me it is the chance to love and to be loved.” This sentence really hit home for me. Love is one of the greatest gifts; upon which many of us take advantage of. We don’t share it nor do we accept it. I won’t even begin to speak on the fact that a lot of people don’t understand what Love is neither. People like women beaters or molesters who act out on cowardly emotions use love as a cover up. This prisoner, along with many others will not ever have the chance to experience true love. they will never share passion with another. As a person who has only recently found love, I wouldn’t know what to do without it. I mean, it’s one thing to love another but feeling loved is completely different. It is an amazing feeling to wake up and know someone is praying for you. Or have security in that there is someone who will do anything for you. Man that’s love! I just hope “M” can find love with God and himself. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:20:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/if-prison-has-taken-anything-away-from-me/#IDComment145217977 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment143192271 It’s unreal that the inequality level in the United States is so far apart. Like seriously it makes me sick to see how much money is being taken from the average men or women and given to the next rich cheat. Whether it’s oil, stocks or technology people in power will always find the money to get rich. I chose to comment on this social issues because currently I am struggling to pay rent, bill and school expenses. With scholarships, loans and earning I still don’t have enough to be secure. My parents of course support me in any way they can but the big issues is that college to too expense. Something I don’t understand is that by society’s standards you have to go to school to get a decent paying job yet the price of tuition is high enough that only a select few can attend. I don’t know about anyone else but that seems odd to me, why isn’t school afford? Why is it not the case that most than half the population is or attend college? To me this seems like a set up to keep under represented or low social economic people at their same level. Dr. Richards was correct in his assumption people will always play the game when the opportunity presents itself. Many people who are making money by cheating the system does so because it benefits themselves, partners and family. Selfishly they don’t think about others who may be suffering. But of course they wouldn’t. I know if my father was bring home six figures or more in a year I would not complain or think about the other people on the other side. My life would be good and I would have all I needed/ wanted to life. Unfortunately the people who are suffering are left to think about themselves. They are left to survive by any means necessary which in return lead to stealing, killing and destruction. Instead of helping the United States is allowing people to suffer. For example why do professional athletics are paid more than the average doctor? And why does the Governor of Pennsylvania think it’s a good idea to cut education funding? This just means while 85% of the country are maintaining the other 15% are living in wealth. Until the American people wake up the wealth distribution will always be this way. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:05:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment143192271 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment140931747 I respect C. for being man enough to admit to one of the biggest flaws in our society now days. In an age of development, advancement and education, we lack the ability to teach men how to be real men. Young boys grow up thinking that a man can only be an athletic, a handyman, an abuser, a drug dealer, a hustler, a Casanova, a baby father, a cheater, a sexual lover, or a rapper. He is not told that a man is religious, he is a husband, a worker, a businessman, and he is indeed just as affectionate as a woman. Sadly, when young boys look at the television or watch movies they see unrealistic portals of men, usually at their worst. The news media also plays a major role at displaying all the bad stereotypes that follow men. Instead of questioning how a video clips of a man being arrested comes off the media puts images and statistics up that make the male population look unpromising. There are of course not enough role models being shown to counteract the negative; Obama, Bill Gates and Kobe Bryant are not enough. We need to be filling our young boys will goals, objectives and purpose. And contrary to the popular belief, what a real women what’s from a man is very simple. We want does a man who exhibits confidence, he must have a sense of humor, be fun and playful, he will need to have money or the things money can buy, he must be attractive, display a bit of "Bad boy" qualities, like mysterious and independent/strong, and lastly women want a man who is not afraid to listen. That’s right sensitive and caring! It should not take someone to be incarcerated before he realizes the real way to be a man or at least what a man is supposed to be. I mean often times we tell guys to be stand up men, who take care of responsibilities, but we never show them how to do such a thing. Maybe this is not a problem for everyone but growing up in inner cities I seen guys go down every other path besides the right one. Just like C. many young men will grow up only to realize what women/ society want when it’s too late to act. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 06:45:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment140931747 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139291722 It is very unsettling to look at the wealth distribution chart of this country. Majority of the billions of dollars this country is wealth is within the hands of less than 5%. That is a problem in my opinion. There is a social and economic struggle going on for funds and resources yet there people that are sitting on billions of dollars and don’t want to share any of it. Most of which they did not work for. I would call these people greedy; twisted in the power that comes with money that they forget to be human. Sadly for many these families wealth was not built from hard work, dedication, education or knowledge but instead was handed down or off the back so the people they oppress. They should be no reason why people are homeless, starving, or even struggling to pay for school. We like to throw the phase around that people should pulling yourself up by your own boots straps but what if you don’t have shoes on your feet. And the very people who say this are the ones holding people down so that they can’t go anywhere. As a person who understands the dynamics of who holds the power in this country I am upset at how people are allowed to stole, cheat and lie their way to the top. Not only do congressman and politicians do what they please and what puts more money in their pockets but so are governors. Hence the budget crisis we are currently having in Pennsylvania. We have allowed the governor to come into office and cut higher education funding. Of all the places he could have taken money from he decided to take it from schools, and for no other reason but to invest it in more state prisons. The more and more I open my eyes to the institutionalized corruption in this country, the more and more I lost trust in human beings and the decency of the my fellow man. People are busy getting richer well others are dying and struggling to make ends meat. I just want to know when will it stop. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 04:22:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139291722 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139288018 It is very unsettling to look at the wealth distribution chart of this country. Majority of the billions of dollars this country is wealth is within the hands of less than 5%. That is a problem in my opinion. There is a social and economic struggle going on for funds and resources yet there people that are sitting on billions of dollars and don’t want to share any of it. Most of which they did not work for. I would call these people greedy; twisted in the power that comes with money that they forget to be human. Sadly for many these families wealth was not built from hard work, dedication, education or knowledge but instead was handed down or off the back so the people they oppress. They should be no reason why people are homeless, starving, or even struggling to pay for school. We like to throw the phase around that people should pulling yourself up by your own boots straps but what if you don’t have shoes on your feet. And the very people who say this are the ones holding people down so that they can’t go anywhere. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 04:03:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139288018 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139287714 As a person who understands the dynamics of who holds the power in this country I am upset at how people are allowed to stole, cheat and lie their way to the top. Not only do congressman and politicians do what they please and what puts more money in their pockets but so are governors. Hence the budget crisis we are currently having in Pennsylvania. We have allowed the governor to come into office and cut higher education funding. Of all the places he could have taken money from he decided to take it from schools, and for no other reason but to invest it in more state prisons. The more and more I open my eyes to the institutionalized corruption in this country, the more and more I lost trust in human beings and the decency of the my fellow man. People are busy getting richer well others are dying and struggling to make ends meat. I just want to know when will it stop. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 04:00:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139287714 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139287669 It is very unsettling to look at the wealth distribution chart of this country. Majority of the billions of dollars this country is wealth is within the hands of less than 5%. That is a problem in my opinion. There is a social and economic struggle going on for funds and resources yet there people that are sitting on billions of dollars and don’t want to share any of it. Most of which they did not work for. I would call these people greedy; twisted in the power that comes with money that they forget to be human. Sadly for many these families wealth was not built from hard work, dedication, education or knowledge but instead was handed down or off the back so the people they oppress. They should be no reason why people are homeless, starving, or even struggling to pay for school. We like to throw the phase around that people should pulling yourself up by your own boots straps but what if you don’t have shoes on your feet. And the very people who say this are the ones holding people down so that they can’t go anywhere. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 04:00:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/30/so-what-your-take-on-those-inequality-classes/#IDComment139287669 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/07/freedom/#IDComment135917731 Life is too short to be hung up on meaningless things. For example you will never fall in love if you are too scared to get hurt, everyone gets hurt so when it happens, just re-group and move on. Sometimes I dream of graduating and moving to a different country promising to relocate every 2-3 years until I was ready to come back to the states and work. To me traveling and learning about other cultures would be a great way to be free. I can also relate to the prisoner in that freedom is also about how you treat others. Being kind to a friend or a stranger really does make you feel good inside. You never know what a smile does for someone who is having a bad day. That’s why I try to smile and be happy each day. I wish everyone understood that life is a gift and it’s all about making decision. Stop being boggled down with work, deadlines and responsible and remember to life free. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:52:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/07/freedom/#IDComment135917731 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/07/freedom/#IDComment135917700 I often dream about being free. The more and more I live my life I realize I am not living without fear. I fear what others will think of me, what my family may say or how my peers will label me if I fail. Many times I tried to measure up to someone else’s standard, all the while forgetting my own. And living up to other person’s standards is hard. That’s why lately I have been letting go. I have been trying to free myself of other people’s demands, wants, needs and thoughts. I take more time to just take deep breathes, I stop and take in the scenery, I relax and become one with myself. This is my own freedom and it helps me deal with the world around me. When I understand where I stand in the larger picture I feel more confident, more content. Sometimes I adapt an “I don’t care” attitude towards everything. Because why should you care. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:52:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/07/freedom/#IDComment135917700 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/07/freedom/#IDComment135917631 I was so moved by the above letter. The prisoner W.H. has honestly captured the essence of what freedom is all about. As hard as that is to believe, he understands what it is to live free. Not just free of basic restraint but free of mental worry. In other words this person is alive in a metaphorical sense. A few sentences that really caught my attention are the following. “A path of freedom, a path of discovery. I have the time and mind to explore each feeling to its utmost, follow each thought to its end. I may be in prison, but as long as I continue to walk this path I am free” It just amazes me who open this person is even though they are in one the worst situations one could imagine, prison. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:51:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/07/freedom/#IDComment135917631 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128949122 To us, the idea of polygamy is un-natural even perhaps indecent but to the family in the video this way of life is normal. For family units living in the isolated villages of western India polygamy is an arrangement that brings forth stability. This unusual arrangement which consist of one wife and multiply husbands is a cultural lifestyle that helps the people maintain due to the lack of available farm land. Looking at the conditions that they live in I can understand why these people accept a marriage such as these because it benefits everyone. If there were not laws against such a thing in America, I think Americans would do it to help take care of the household. There are a lot of people that are in very low social economic situations that could benefit from multiply people, whether male or female, bringing in money. In terms of having a better life, families would be able to provide for children, keep food in the house and pay for education. The biggest down side that I see with polygamy is the lack of romance in the relationship. As the narrator side on the video the women in the marriage have to share her body with three men. She has to sleep in different beds each night, she is required to have sex with each husband at his discretion and I’m sure be affectionate without real emotion. I don’t think the people in the video have “free will” to choose because their SES shapes what lifestyle they have to life. Polygamy seems to be their only option in terms of survival to help support the village. Even if such an arrangement was supported by law in American we wouldn’t be free either to choose to practice Polygamy because we are socialized to think it’s bad. People wouldn’t be unable to get over the idea of multiply partners to see the possible benefit. Women will be labeled as wh*res and men would be called weak/ less of a man for sharing a women. Most religious people would think the marriage was sinful. I can imagine the judgmental thoughts that would come from the minds of Americans; we see bad before we see good. Like anything else people don’t have the freedom to choose because we live in a society that dictates our lives. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:34:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128949122 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125597730 The following video demonstrates the strong sense of conformity within society. Although the video was very amusing it speaks to how socialized we are to always fit in with others around us. The subjects in the video had no clue what was going on yet each one eventually confirmed and did the exact same thing as the other people on the elevator. As a society we unconsciously teach children at a young age that fitting in is “good.” We teach them that fitting in with the other kids means you are normal. Conversely we condition our kids to think of non-conformity as, someone being a loser or an outcast. When we grow up we learn, or believe somehow that being on the inside equal comfort, a sense of belonging, security and friends. For instance when you come to Penn State as a freshman you see a lot of people walking around with Penn State gear. From the tee shirts to book packs everyone shows their school spirit through some form of clothing. The first thing you do is go buy some PSU gear of your own. Not because you have a lot of school pride, or because you are proud to be a lion instead of a buckeye but because you want to be just like everyone else. Of course you make up a lot of other excuses for buying a Penn State hoodies, but truthfully you just want to fit in. To examine a more serious example, I bring forth the idea of religion. In general we are taught by our parents that there is a God. No matter who he or she may be, society has made us believe there is a higher being that controls the universe. Many of us just confirmed to the beliefs of our parents, grandparents, etc. We never questioned the idea of God because the thought of him/her helped balance our life. When you don’t confirm to your family’s core values and pick a different path in life you are considered lost, an outcast in the family. On a larger scale in society when you don’t believe in the existence of God as a whole you are looked down by everyone whether Muslim or Christian. I know people now who are Atheist but won’t acknowledge that in public because they are afraid of ridicule. It’s kinda funny, you don’t realize how much confirming we do until you chose not to confirm to normal standards. The video honestly made me think about how much confirming I participate on regular basis. Next time I’m in a food line at the HUB I’m going to turn backward and see what happens. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 04:38:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125597730 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124451687 Regardless of the location hearing that 90 high students are pregnant, is shocking. Many girls, for a number of alarming reasons, are experiencing the hardship of parenthood. And of course it is easy to judge these girls or any other young women in the same situation, but then you have to think about the limited freedoms these girls encounter on a regular basis. You have to consider then unfortunate fact that these girls live in the inner city of Memphis and attend a school for people who receive free or reduced rate lunches. This brings up a million factors that could explain why these girls are going through what they are. What kind of up-bringing did they have? What are their parents like? What type of friends do they have? How influential is the youth cultural on these girls. Are they loved? And I mean really loved? More importantly are these girls searching for something? Personally I believe there are a lot of forces that have brought these girls to this moment. And to some extend these girls had no way to turn against the forced that drove them down this path. You have to also examine the school system as a whole. There is a serious issue to address when 11% of the students population is pregnant. Instead of trying to think of a solution now the high school officials should have be properly educating the students on the sex risk and dangers from the beginning. Students need to know about the consequences that come with sexual activities. A course should have been in place to teach students the right way to interact. They should also offer some type of peer counseling so they can talk to each other about the difficulties about similar problems. Often it is the case that students share the same experiences at home. Whether it is abuse, neglect, or alcoholism, many students have troublesome backgrounds. Lastly, as we discussed in class today, as a society we need to look at how we can start changing the pull of the invisible strings and forces. We need to assist those who need help getting out of their current situation. When someone is crying out we need to lend understanding so they can successfully get through life, instead of labeling them. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:49:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124451687 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/21/letter-from-an-inmate/#IDComment122861794 Finding compassion or any other humane emotion inside the walls of a prison would seem bizarre. Over and over you heard the most dramatic story about prisoners and the crimes they committed or the people they hurt, but you never heard about the prisoners themselves. No one ever describes them as the human beings that they are. I appreciate the story the lifer shared about the two prisoners in the yard and how one cared even for the other to lean a kind shoulder. It helped me to remember that prisoners have feelings too. Just because someone is incarcerated for a crime (whether guilty or innocent) does not mean they don’t share the same feelings that “free” individuals do. And I use the word “free” very loosely. The story made me think back to when I went on a tour to a women’s prison in Philadelphia last summer, as part of my duties as an intern at the DA’s office. It was there that I was able to meet a group of women who had been incarnated for 10 years or less. Although these women had been convicted of drug abuse, theft, child endangerment, prostitution, etc., they all spoke with the intelligences of a normal person. They shared their stories and situations with us, like movies on the big screen. These women opened my eyes to see my life in a whole different way. I started thinking about what it is to be human, what it means to make decisions and how those decisions can affect your entire life. As Sam would say, I began looking at these women as people who choose to continue walking down their pre-designated paths. Instead of making the decision to step outside their circumstance and look at life through a different lean. They allowed external forces to lead them in the wrong direction. Taking into account we all have free will, I do recognize these women made their own decisions but those decisions made were not totally their chose. So I felt for them. I saw the feeling of remorse and shame that day last summer, just like I can feel the feeling of compassion as I read the letter from this inmate earlier this week. As much we want to leave people to rot in prison we can’t. To a certain extend we still need to take the time reach out to them cause they still are people, who have feelings. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:34:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/21/letter-from-an-inmate/#IDComment122861794 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ch%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120940087 soc 001 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:56:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ch%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120940087