en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3591527 Comments by mee5108 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-87/#IDComment231828487 After taking Soc 119, my views on other races and ethnicities have changed the way I view the world. When I walk down the street, I am not as prone to look at someone and label them. I don’t think “They’re black,” because I don’t know if they identify themselves with that or not. They could be from Southeast Asia and have darker skin and consider themselves Asian. For me, their skin color is only a biological factor that I see, but they can linked to a totally different ethnicity or culture. To be honest, I don’t really see skin color anymore…I mean, I see it but I don’t see it as a barrier between myself and them. Underneath we are all the same, and that’s how each person should be viewed. In another sense, I always fed into stereotypes. I associate blonde girls with being dumb and Asians as being good at math and science, but I’ve grown to realize that those ideas are simply socially constructed and stereotypes that our society has fed off of for years. In addition, I learned a lot from the lectures with self expression. For instance, when I go out, do I dress in skirts and tight shirts for myself or for guys? That was a reality check for me because I realized after that lecture that I always knew that’s why most girls dressed that way when they went out and I always told myself I wouldn’t do that and I ended up coming here and doing exactly what I said I wouldn’t. Therefore, I’ve been a lot more mindful of that since. I also love the idea of culture. THON is a culture within Penn State, and Penn State has its own culture within Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania has its own culture within The United States, and I love seeing it that way. It makes me think of how I can go back home and be living with my own flesh and blood but they have their own cultures as well. It’s just so fascinating to me. I also find it interesting how we call ourselves “Americans.” Because like Sam said, really, what is that supposed to mean? What makes us think that our America is the only America? The whole purpose of our America is to be a melting pot, so why identify ourselves as Americans? For instance, if I went to Germany, why can’t I say that I’m German? I mean, I am. I’m 50% and proud of it, but to them I’m “an American.” Anymore, I want to be careful how I use that because if we’re going to say we’re “Americans,” we really should specify and say “North Americans,” because truthfully, we are and we have to remember South America and respect that they are a part of the Americas as well. To wrap up my whole spiel, I just have to say that regardless of what grade I receive, the knowledge I have taken from this class is way more meaningful than what goes down on the books. Thank you Sam Richards. Fri, 2 Dec 2011 21:09:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-87/#IDComment231828487 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-75/#IDComment223592893 First and foremost, it is nauseating for me to know how many are sexually abused. People that do these acts have serious psychological problems that need to be addressed, just like any other disease. However, molestation in particular is leaving a scar on all victims for the rest of their lives. Unless they talk to someone who has gone through the same thing, one can only sympathize, and that kills me. For me to know that I cannot relate to those individuals who were and still are sexually abused without having someone I love do the same to me triggers mixed emotions. You want to be able to empathize, but at the same time you cannot fathom nor want to think about someone you love doing something like that to you. And there lies the problem. We CANNOT put ourselves in the victim’s shoes unless we are victimized ourselves. As a result, I have been walking around with an open mind even more than I was before. Just like race, sexuality, class, etcetera we do not know who was victimized and who was not. I no longer walk around blindly because now I know how many suffer from sexual abuse. I am also in the process of not being ignorant to the world. I realize how many were and still are silenced. And silenced because they know many do not understand. We that are free of sexual abuse do not understand that dark area, an alley if you want to draw a metaphor, that we do not want to go down, but we hope in some way that there can be a light that will shine down it without us stepping inside. But if we want to fully understand them, we have to go down that path and that’s something no one wants to have to face. Knowing how many have experienced sexual abuse, I feel guilt as well as appreciation for the childhood I had. I have always been a big kid, and I think partly why all of this has made a personal impact on my life is because I was slapped in the face. I have had to wake up from my ‘kid’ world, the ideal, and face reality…that the world, no matter where you go, is not a safe little bubble. Not even Happy Valley. The individuals that were victimized goes to show that sometimes the only person you can trust is yourself, because your family and friends or friends of the family can take advantage of your innocence. For me, that is a hard fact to face because of my beautiful and carefree childhood, but in many supposed cases, it is a fact. Do I think this will spiral out of control? No. Maybe that’s me being naïve still, but people are already speaking out. Someone in my discussion group said there have been numbers admitting they have been sexually abused, and I feel this is only the beginning. If we keep providing support and raising awareness, I think we can fight this evil that is all around us. Evil from one man that has changed the face of Penn State, and unfortunately, it may never be the same. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:58:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-75/#IDComment223592893 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220539126 We pass judgement so quickly even though we preach innocent until proven guilty because of a number of reasons: first and foremost, no one wants to face the truth of a situation. Ignorance is bliss, and settling with a situation is a lot easier than getting to the root of a problem. Another reason is that it is easier to blame others than to put yourself in their shoes and think about how you could have been just as guilty. To touch on my first point, I’m going to reference the events that have occurred throughout this week, seeing as I am assuming these occurrences are what sparked this question in the first place. I am sick of talking about and thinking about it just as much as we all are, but I feel as though I need to address this in my own words and to people other than who agree with me. No one wants to face the truth of a situation. It is a lot easier for people to point figures at an iconic figure who is known throughout this nation and possibly in other countries than it is to acknowledge someone who was in his shadow. Furthermore, no one wants to remember something as tragic and emotionally scarring (at least for those who have never experienced it) as molestation. It is something that is disgraceful and shameful and no one wants to imagine something so inhumane and brutal. Instead, they pick apart someone who has always been known for good because not only is it shocking for people, but it’s also a lot easier to find faults and forget about good. No one can accept that someone can be purely good and genuine, so we latch onto negativity when it comes our way. Another reason is that it is easier to blame others than to put yourself in their shoes and think about how you could have been just as guilty is the situation presented itself. Let us think about this: my TA the other day brought up a very valid point that I did not want to admit (with does tie into the ‘ignorance is bliss’ aspect). She said that if I had been in Joe Paterno’s position, whether he did or did not do enough, is it not hard to turn someone in that you have been working with for years. If your best friend or really close family member was on trial for a serious crime, wouldn’t it be hard to oppose them in the court room? I know I said yes. I said yes because I know people can be wrong. But I knew them for all of my life, and I knew the good inside of them, and I know people make mistakes. Maybe that’s how Joe Paterno felt. I know we will never know except if we were one of the several men that were directly involved in the situation. I want to believe he did all that he could, but at the same time, it was his friend, his colleague, and he could have very well not have been thinking about the families and could have defended this man. I love Joe Paterno. I am a fan. And this is a difficult time for all of my fellow Joe Paterno lovers. I want to end with a quote from East of Eden: "The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the slow, eating agony of a lie is never lost. That's a running sore." Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:18:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220539126 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220538920 We pass judgement so quickly even though we preach innocent until proven guilty because of a number of reasons: first and foremost, no one wants to face the truth of a situation. Ignorance is bliss, and settling with a situation is a lot easier than getting to the root of a problem. Another reason is that it is easier to blame others than to put yourself in their shoes and think about how you could have been just as guilty. To touch on my first point, I’m going to reference the events that have occurred throughout this week, seeing as I am assuming these occurrences are what sparked this question in the first place. I am sick of talking about and thinking about it just as much as we all are, but I feel as though I need to address this in my own words and to people other than who agree with me. No one wants to face the truth of a situation. It is a lot easier for people to point figures at an iconic figure who is known throughout this nation and possibly in other countries than it is to acknowledge someone who was in his shadow. Furthermore, no one wants to remember something as tragic and emotionally scarring (at least for those who have never experienced it) as molestation. It is something that is disgraceful and shameful and no one wants to imagine something so inhumane and brutal. Instead, they pick apart someone who has always been known for good because not only is it shocking for people, but it’s also a lot easier to find faults and forget about good. No one can accept that someone can be purely good and genuine, so we latch onto negativity when it comes our way. Another reason is that it is easier to blame others than to put yourself in their shoes and think about how you could have been just as guilty is the situation presented itself. Let us think about this: my TA the other day brought up a very valid point that I did not want to admit (with does tie into the ‘ignorance is bliss’ aspect). She said that if I had been in Joe Paterno’s position, whether he did or did not do enough, is it not hard to turn someone in that you have been working with for years. If your best friend or really close family member was on trial for a serious crime, wouldn’t it be hard to oppose them in the court room? I know I said yes. I said yes because I know people can be wrong. But I knew them for all of my life, and I knew the good inside of them, and I know people make mistakes. Maybe that’s how Joe Paterno felt. I know we will never know except if we were one of the several men that were directly involved in the situation. I want to believe he did all that he could, but at the same time, it was his friend, his colleague, and he could have very well not have been thinking about the families and could have defended this man. I love Joe Paterno. I am a fan. And this is a difficult time for all of my fellow Joe Paterno lovers. I want to end with a quote from East of Eden: "The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the slow, eating agony of a lie is never lost. That's a running sore." Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:17:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-72/#IDComment220538920 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217049351 I actually brought this topic up in my discussion group the other day. For the most part, everyone agreed that we don’t care whether or not people speak their own language. I know for me and a few people however, do find it either a little uncomfortable or frustrating. The one girl in my class said that it makes her feel uncomfortable when she is getting her nails done at a nail salon owned by Asian individuals because she feels as though they are talking about her. She gave an example of one of her friends that said she felt similarly. Supposedly, her friend said something and right afterward the women started speaking very fluently. If you think about it from your native language, their conversation could have been about anything, but I could see how that can make someone paranoid. I know I have been in instances where I said something and then someone would start speaking Spanish or whatever their native language was and would laugh. I feel like if anyone does this after you have said something you might jump to conclusions and make assumptions, but odds are they do not care enough about what you said to make it their topic of interest. Unless of course, they are like some people and make fun of other people because they do not have a life. Therefore, a lot of it just depends on the person. Another feeling of mine that I experience very often is feelings of frustration. Communication is a key aspect in human interaction, and it bothers me when I cannot have that connection with someone. I feel as though it is a barrier that I cannot overcome. Even though all it takes is studying and immersing myself in that specific culture, whatever that might be, that would be a ton of languages for me to learn, and I don’t think my brain is capable of managing all of that. Therefore, it is aggravating for me to want to talk to someone and have to point to things in order to get my message across. Now obviously, Sign Language is an exception, because their communication depends almost entirely on hand signals (eye contact is also a key factor), but for other languages I do not feel as though I should have to do that. Now, that does not mean I don’t support other languages besides English in America. On the contrary, I’m all for that, but like I said, it is really hard for me to not understand what someone is saying and to have to use approaches other than words. If I think about it in terms of people that do not speak English in America, however, think of how frustrating it must be for THEM. No wonder why they say ‘birds of a feather, flock together’ because it’s comforting to have communication be effortless. Therefore, I find people conversing in other languages to be uncomfortable and frustrating, but I understand they have as much of a right to find comfort in using their native language as I do. Fri, 4 Nov 2011 23:54:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-59/#IDComment217049351 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment213640295 I think it has to do with their intentions of why they want to hang out with a group that is not of their race. Sometimes I feel as though people do it for attention or to prove a point. For instance, some people who are white might purposely dress like the stereotypical black ghetto person and do it to get attention, or to particularly mock them. I could be wrong, but I feel as though that is something I have witnessed. Or, they might hang out with a group not of their race to prove that because times have changed that it is more acceptable and to do it just because they can , not because they actually want to. On the contrary, I feel as though a lot of people do hang out with other races for good intentions because they genuinely want to be friends with them. I know personally, I’m very fascinated by other races, ethnicities, cultures, however you want to put it, and I find it intriguing to talk to them and see their opinions about society and how they have been affected by it. For other people, I feel as though, on the most part, I examine the same thing. Majority of people want to be friends with people that will treat them well, so if people of races other than their own do that, than why would they be considered posers? I do not see why a lot of people have misconceptions like this. Like we talked about in class, there are several stages that people experience. This goes out to specifically white people, because for some reason I feel as though we are seen more as the posers if we choose to hang out with minority groups, but why is it so hard for people to come to the realization that there are people in stage 4 and on? There are people that defend minorities and understand their position in society and want to help…that does not make them posers in my opinion. It makes them open-minded and thoughtful human beings. Another idea that I thought of was that we have to take into account the people that grow up in different cultures. As we have discussed, there are cultures within cultures, and specific areas have specific cultures that shape the way people live. For instance, I remember the one day early in the semester, we were talking about the differences between race, cultures, and ethnicity. Sam then asked the class, who feels as though they are more black than they are white? A white guy raised his hand and explained, “I do because of where I grew up: I went to a predominately black school, I have mostly black friends, and that’s who I identify with.” It doesn’t matter that he’s not black, it matters where he feels he belongs. Therefore, just because we hang out with different races doesn’t make us posers. It depends on our intentions and who we feel we identify with the best. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:28:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment213640295 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-50/#IDComment210756690 I would say that I am in between stages 2 and 3. I definitely recognize other races. However, like the kid with the funky hat in class, I know I get uncomfortable talking about certain topics with minorities. I also know that I probably would have felt awkward picking out the kid with the darkest skin in the class. Even so, I know I feel white guilt and I know I have privileges that minorities don’t have. Obviously, that bothers me and I’m not proud of it. Therefore, I’m all for equality and I wish society was not set up by “white privilege.” Part of me even believes that I can be a part of stage 4 because I can hang out with people of different races and not even have it cross my mind that they look different than me. I only notice when touchy subjects arise and like I said, feel uncomfortable. I definitely can say that I’m in different stages than friends and family. I come from a very small town, and a lot of people from my area are very closed-minded. I was raised better than to think that way, but growing up, I would even have my moments. For the most part, I was very knowledgeable of how certain remarks affected minorities and was very defensive towards them. For example, I have two best friends that are black. Growing up, they would always get picked on about the color of their skin. Did I always say something? No, but I would glower at the person that was insulting them, and BELIEVE me, they got the hint. Because I was exposed to my black best friends, I was way more sensitive to people of their race. However, there were other races that I did not necessarily defend as much. For instance, I would do the whole ‘Borat’ impersonation and even still do other silly voices and accents. Yet, I in no way intended to offend anyone of those races. When it comes to family, my grandma is especially bad. I understand she came from a different generation, but she assumes majority, if not all black people are culprits of crime, and that’s simply not the case. In addition, my dad will even make jokes about different races, and it really hurts sometimes, because I don’t think he realizes how much they can seriously offend others. As for my siblings, they are always looking out for me, and I appreciate that, but sometimes it’s completely unnecessary. For example, my sister will ask me who I’m talking to and be like “What, is it another black guy?”, as if that’s a bad thing. So basically, a lot of people from my area still can’t pop the small town bubble that they’re living in. Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:52:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-50/#IDComment210756690 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670851 Sooooooooooo, when it comes down to labeling people on a daily basis, because of all the societal influences that manipulate us, we automatically think to use racial labels, mainly because it makes the situation more ‘humorous.’ Now, I can’t always talk, obviously, because where I came from and how society has shaped me and obviously, I am human and have faults. But as you can see, I had heard or witnessed a lot of stereotypes about Asians and I feed into them a lot too. For instance, I always see Asians running. I don’t know why they are running, but I literally probably see one running every day. Things like that make me start to believe that all of them randomly start running because I see it happen so much, but that’s not true. So yes, even I have to work on not being stereotypical, and Sam’s lecture made me see how many ideologies of mine that have developed over the years have to be changed. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:16:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670851 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670811 Now, I assume all three of these individuals had the choice of putting those videos up there, but we as intellectual beings should not assume that all blacks are like that. Another race that gets ridiculed a lot are Asians, especially on the Penn State campus. Now, a lot of them do set themselves up for it, yes, but not all of them sit in the computer lab until 5 in the morning or walk really fast and come straight at you and almost run into you, or can’t speak English, or are good at math and science, but most of them here are . But are all of them? NO. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:16:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670811 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670670 There are not a lot of minorities, but when there are, they are typically poverty-stricken. As we know, a lot of this is a result of determinism, but naturally the people of my area would not know that because they do not take the time of day to care so they feed off of the stereotypes that ‘all minorities are bums,’ or ‘uneducated’ (which naturally infuriates me.) For instance, pertaining to black people, we see the youtube videos of the woman ‘sitting on the toilet’, ‘my push-up bra’, ‘Antoine Dodgson’ as humorous. BUT NOT ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE LIKE THIS. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:16:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670670 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670584 Race is a term that is thrown around carelessly. In my opinion, I do not feel as though society understands the implications of the word. Not only is it often misused, but society tends to focus on it. ‘We’ feel as though by using race as an explanation of how someone looks, it makes the situation more ‘humorous’ or ‘interesting’. This humor is a result of all the stereotypes that surround us. For instance, where I come from is very discriminative. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:16:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-42/#IDComment207670584 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-35/#IDComment204546016 The largest factor or factors of why women see the world from a man’s perspective is…well…let’s observe. Listen to the way people talk, specifically what they say. Women have a set of expectations placed upon them because most men expect us to satisfy them, but when we ask for something that would be suggesting equal treatment, we rarely get the ‘ok’ that we’d give to them. Now, there are exceptions, don’t get me wrong. But clearly, I have not met very many. Let me give an example. When it comes to really personal things (and yes, please excuse me because this is about to get personal) when it comes to oral sex, women typically are expected to satisfy the male and go down on him, but men normally don’t expect to have to do that for women. Or on the flip side, women don’t typically question why they are expected to go down on a man and just want to do it ‘to satisfy them.’ But why are there not more men that think this way about pleasing women? Is it because we don’t speak up, ladies? Do we feel too pressured by the man because we know it’s a ‘man’s’ world? Or do we feel pressured about society in general because we know it’s not ‘normal’ for women to be really vocal about how they feel on these issues unless they are a ‘feminist’? I know I have felt pressured by men and society to go down on a man. Oh wait, I not only felt pressured, but I WAS pressured. And what did I do? Went with the norm. Am I proud of it? No. Because I know that’s not me. I’m the kind of person who does something that I want to do because I WANT to do it. Not because someone else tells me I should. And did I let society pressure me in the past? HELL YEAH. I can’t tell you how many times people have not taken me seriously in high school because I was ‘the good girl’. Is it because I never wanted to? Yes and No. I wanted to do it with someone that I felt comfortable with. Did that someone ever present himself? Nope. Did that person that I did it with here at college ever present himself in the right way?(meaning I was comfortable with him?) Nope. I fed into society because I was considered a prude. Do men have these labels? Nope. And why not? Because society has shaped us to be this way. If a girl is a whore, it’s bad, but if a man is a whore, he’s a manwhore...taking the derogatory word used for a woman and just throwing it right in there to be used as a ‘man’s’ term. What is it about society that gives men the power to be represented so well? Because they have always been given more of the power. And we women let them have it. Now, I have no problem with men having power...but I want it to be more evenly distributed. So why do we see the world from a man’s perspective? Because that’s what we’ve been taught through media, social interactions, family, etc. That’s what we know. And unless we make a conscious effort to try and defy the ‘norms’ and act on it, our kids and future generations will see it in the same way. Fri, 7 Oct 2011 22:50:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-35/#IDComment204546016 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-21/#IDComment201573852 It is funny how much stereotypes shape the way we think and respond to everyday events. Knowing this, it did not surprise me one bit that the woman was not expected to be stealing the bicycle. Let’s think about this: for so long, our society was shaped by the woman tending to the male by cooking, cleaning, etcetera and the male was expected to protect and provide for the woman. The man did most if not all of the repairs to anything that needed to be fixed. They never saw woman as being able to do the ‘dirty’ work and still may feel so to this day (which, in my opinion, majority of men definitely do.)Naturally, this ideology sticks in our brains, whether that is the normative circumstance today or not. Therefore, when seeing this female, men specifically feel as though they have to provide assistance to her because woman are seen as more ‘helpless’ when it comes to ‘manly’ tasks. Another idea I thought of is literature that has influenced us since who knows when. Think about Shakespeare: women were typically seen as helpless because they were seen as being fully portrayed as dependent on the man and could not take care of themselves. Or even, think of movies: the woman is seen as the ‘damsel in distress’ more often if not. Therefore, there are so many misconceptions that people feed off of that warp our idea of how women are portrayed. As for certain races, I am going to use the media as another example. Think about pictures you see in magazines or commercials on television. There’s a black man and a white man. The black man is normally posed in a very aggressive way: arms crossed, menacing expression (yet sexy ;) ), and looks like this big tough guy. Now picture the white male: you almost get the sense of Godliness and physique. Media paints a picture of him being harmless and more of the ‘good’ guy. So why are certain races seen as innocent you ask? Look around you! Media warps our minds. Obviously, just because he is black does not make him anymore harmful than the white dude. But the media makes us believe that! Or for any minority for that matter, they are made to be seen as being more intimidating than white people because of their ‘race’. Let’s return back to the t.v. show. Both men were wearing the same style. So why automatically assume that the ‘minority’ is up to no good? No one will actually say it, but people automatically assume that they would do something wrong over the white male. The white male dressing like that would be categorized as a ‘wigger’. Notice how there’s no slander against white males without being taken from another ‘race’? Why? Because society f’s with our minds? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Sat, 1 Oct 2011 02:38:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-21/#IDComment201573852 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197668595 Manouchka has so many beautiful visions .When someone has a talent like this, it needs to be expressed and executed, so I feel passionate about helping her. In an effort to advertise, maybe she can exhibit her products and accessories at the marketplaces. This way, people will be not only aware of her artwork, but how it looks as a finished product. She can explain how she develops her crafts and in the interim, can possibly bring in eager job applicants. In order to develop her business, she needs a promising location that is relatively convenient for the public and where people will know it is there. It also should be bigger than what she already has so she will have more room for her products. If she had shelves where she could fit more of her work that would be helpful. These personalized products could sell in an urbanized area, so if there would be any way of transporting them, she would make a lot more money. Euclid has a lot of potential with her business. She has all of her ideas in her head, she just needs tools to execute them. She definitely needs more materials that are smoother. It does not mean that the articles have to be of silk, but something where her images will not look as rough. She could also use basic things such as toothpicks and sticks in order to smooth out the paint so it is easier to dry. An item such as an ironing board would also come in handy too because then she can lay all of her items out on a smooth surface, and maybe even a iron to press the pictures once she is finished. They also mentioned that manikins are in high demand, which is something that could easily be transported. As for deliverers, maybe her husband could use word of mouth and try to get people from his workplace to contribute. As for training, she mentioned how she got started. She said that people she knew would come to her with articles of clothing and ask her to make designs out of their dress and shirts. If she is looking for people that she can employ, I wonder if those individuals that came to her would be interested. My thought process is if they were intrigued enough by her artwork to have her do designs for them, then they obviously are interested in works of art. Therefore, maybe they in turn would be intrigued to learn how to make them themselves. As a result, they are benefitting Euclid in addition to themselves. Also, maybe they can help provide her with deliverers by networking with people that they know that need jobs. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:03:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197668595 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-8/#IDComment193852474 When pertaining to athletes, there are certain characteristics that come to mind. For men, I always look for the big, broad back and big arms. These qualities demonstrate upper arm strength, which is necessary in a lot of sports. However, I know a guy that can lift me up above his head, and I’m not tiny. However, he is not built that way, but he is athletic in another sense: he has an 8-pack, so he’s predominately strong in his abdominals and core. I exercise myself, so I know that if you have a strong core and abs, they are the central part of your body, so it supports everything else. I have been able to do close to 40 push-ups at one time because my core was really strong. Therefore, big arms and back are very useful when it comes to athletics, but the core is especially essential. Another thing I think of for men are big legs. Muscular legs help with jumping among other things. Also, height is also something I automatically think about because you have more of an advantage in sports such as basketball for jumping, football for blocking, baseball for strides when you swing, soccer yet again for jumping (especially for goalkeepers) among many other assets. For women, I think of toned arms, but not like men’s that are buff, but more lean. I feel like they typically have broad shoulders as well. Also, they are not normally big-breasted and have a tiny stomach. Yet again, they would have a strong core and abdominals, but not necessarily an 8-pack. I also feel like they have hips but not too big. They’d have toned legs and also be tall. For me personally, I have broad shoulders, decently sized boobs but not too big, I have toned arms, I do not have a tiny stomach but my core is relatively tight because I do planks, I have narrow hips, I am tall, and I have toned legs. As a former athlete, I have a lot of advantages with this body type. I played goalkeeper for soccer, so I was really tall and intimidating in the goal (I’m not just saying that, I’ve been told) ; My upper body strength has helped me with every sport I have played because all really utilized it. Not having big boobs helped, because sliding and diving back to bases in softball didn’t hurt. My core being tight really helped because if I had a fast break in the goal and had to block the ball I wouldn’t get the wind knocked out of me. In addition, my strong legs helped with jumping. Disadvantages would be not having abdominals because even though my core was decently tight, it wasn’t as affective as it could have been because I didn’t have the abs. Also, not having wider hips caused me to develop hematoma on my leg from hitting the ground so much in goal. Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:48:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-8/#IDComment193852474 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-3/#IDComment191333736 I feel as though when people refer to themselves as Africans they place it in the context of literally being born and raised in Africa. My guess is that they feel as though they did not need to immigrate to a place other than where their ancestors came from. Even if the individuals considered as African Americans were sold into slave labor as we discussed in class, maybe Africans felt as though those individuals in the slave market could have always come back. I feel as though Africans know how different of a life we live in the Americas, specifically North America. They are aware that we have a lot more benefits here than they do in Africa, so I would imagine they would also be bitter to the fact that African Americans would choose the life they are living over their own bloods. In addition, African culture is so much different than that of the Americas, so even though African American individuals are African but live in America, they could feel because we have a different experience here that we will not understand their culture and the rituals that they were born and raised to perform. They also may feel as though we do not respect their beliefs and customs because we did not live in Africa all of our lives. Another idea that they could be considering is that African Americans blood could be ‘mixed’ with blood of other races because there are versatile backgrounds from the Americas. From my understanding of African culture, they typically marry individuals of the same bloodline (I’m sorry if I’m mistaken), so this idea of marrying amongst other people that do not share their heritage may seem strange and possibly even offensive to them. Even if African Americans think they are not that different from Africans, to the African people, they live totally different lives. Just because they are the same ‘race’ does not mean African people have to consider African Americans to be one of them. Africans have been raised with completely different social backgrounds than those in the Americas. Their culture is something of their own. As we all know, North Americans can have numerous cultures. By being apart of a melting pot, all of our ancestry blends together to form one unit. On the contrary, the African people’s ways of living were all they have ever known. To be compared to a group that has lived a completely different lifestyle, just because they have African in the name, may seem absurd to them. Of course I’m hypothesizing all of this, but it makes sense (to me at least). So next time we think to compare people based on a similarity of one word, let’s think again. Fri, 9 Sep 2011 04:20:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-3/#IDComment191333736 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment188935612 As we discussed in class, race is something that is socially constructed and should not matter. For me, I find people of other ‘races’ intriguing because I realize how society can affect people on many different levels, and it allows me to gain a better perspective of how I can change the idea of social norms in my personal life. Even though I am a woman and face discrimination in certain forms, I am ‘white’ and have had more privileges than individuals of other ‘races’. If more people were able to date other races, our world would slowly but surely come to accept that physical features are not what define a person. On the contrary, we all came from the same evolutionary path, God, or whatever your belief is. We are all human, and underneath our skin we all look the same. On an even more personal note, the only guys I have ever dated have been black. Both of them were very good-natured people who value what they have in life and cherish their family and friends. Just because they are black does not mean I looked at them any differently. They are men that had treated me better than any guys in high school ever had, and that is all that matters to me. Should that not be what it is based on? Not the color of our skin, but how someone has a positive influence on our life.? Now do not get me wrong, they had their bad moments…but don’t all guys? And to flip it around, don’t all girls? No one is perfect. Not even ‘white’ people. Just because we are white does not mean we are ‘pure’ or innocent’. One person is not superior to anyone else. When it comes to awkward moments, there are not many situations I can think of. However, there is one night I can reflect upon that was uncomfortable not because I was walking with a big, tall black guy, but because he shared inner thoughts and feelings that I did not know how to respond. We walked past a group of ‘white’ people that stared at us, and he said “I love how they look so scared of me when they walk past, as if I’m going to hurt them or something.” In that moment, I realize how black men have a negative stigma with being aggressive, mainly because of media, and I did not know what to say. I obviously cannot understand what he is going through, and in that moment, I almost felt ashamed of how, as a ‘white’ individual, I have more privileges than others whom I really care about. Therefore, I completely agree with the idea of interracial dating. Fri, 2 Sep 2011 07:42:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment188935612