en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2408508 Comments by mgc5099 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment144391313 Unfortunately in present day America, society tends to look down upon immigrants and shy away from them. This is upsetting because we were all immigrants at one time and we all immigrated to America from other countries. None the less the hatred and dislike is more noticeable then ever in society as you see social slurs being tossed around left and right. Although there might be some reasonable reasons to dislike immigrants such as the tax issues and many of them work off the books but overall most of the reasons people dislike immigrants are childish ones and should be ignored. How can we ever progress as a society if we cant assimilate immigrants into society? If I am not mistaken America is known as the land of the free and by someone being disliked just cause they are not natives is a bit ridiculous to me. Immigrants are portrayed badly because everyone assumes that they all work for low pay and steal jobs from natives. Eventually people have to accept the fact that people are going to hire whoever is going to work for less and it is not merely based on race or them solely being immigrants. In addition, Americans are not welcoming when they see foreigners in general because they fear change and in a sense look at immigrants at aliens, seeing them as unconventional people. Americans need to stop being so ignorant and stubborn and learn to adapt with a society that now includes immigrants. There is no way of getting rid of immigrants so Americans need to find a medium where immigrants can coexist in society. There are bigger problems in the world that have to be dealt with but somehow Americans always find a way to bring immigration to the top of the list in various elections. To say that immigrants are portrayed badly as a whole is an exaggeration because even though they are taking part in illegal affairs, they still contribute to our society by working in the workforce and being active in the community. It seems to be a select handful of people who have held on from generation to generation of preconceived notions about immigrants and there actions. The stereotype of an immigrant will probably remain the same for many decades unless people learn to adapt to having them in society and not looking down on them simply because they are foreign. Just like any other stereotype it takes time for them to cycle in and out of society but the only way that they change is if the people who have these thoughts change first. Lastly, the mobility of immigrants in society will remain stable until people learn to swallow there pride and accept these people into their culture. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:17:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment144391313 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/is-nepotism-a-good-or-bad-thing-in-the-long-run-119-blog/#IDComment142794082 To question whether or not nepotism is a good or bad thing is a very challenging thing to do just for the simple face that at time it seems right while at other times it seems wrong. Nepotism is defined as favoritism to a related party regardless of merit. Now I'm sure there are not many people out there who have no favored from nepotism because everyone has or will sooner or later but the dilemma arises when nepotism goes to far. In class on tuesday we discussed affirmative action as a sense of nepotism towards minorities just so minorities can have the same opportunities as others even if they were not as intelligent. Of course as previously discussed the classic example of affirmative action is college admission and whether or not colleges do have a race quota and accept other minorities solely based on their background. In my personal opinion I feel that affirmative action and nepotism can be both good and bad, The good that nepotism drives is that in the end someone is benefitting even if they do not deserve those benefits but instead know someone. The negative part of nepotism is that it drives jealousy and raises the question about whether or not the person got what he or she deserves when in essence someone else may have been more deserving. A good example of nepotism is knowing someone in a given workfield and getting hooked up with a job. Is it fair that some people get jobs higher up than others in the workfield just because their uncle runs the company. The obvious answer is no but this will continue to go on because thats how society has let it develop. We have become so accustomed to beneffitting off knowing people that nowadays the most common word is networking. In 21st century America it is now about who you know and what networks you have rather than what you know. At times this makes me wonder and think about how much of a factor school will play in the upcoming demos. If family members and friends of friends consistently do people favors then the educated will simply be beat out of jobs just because they don't know someone whos high up. So the morality of nepotism is quite hard to judge but it seems to me that it falls as a counterproductive term because it only leads to more internal and external problems amongst other. Unfortunately this will not change in society because it is stapled to our culture and it's simply the way it is. Furthermore in the short run I see nepotism as a good thing but in the long run I see nepotism as being detrimental to our society because it drives jealous amongst others and spoon feeds some people who are not as deservant as others. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:09:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/is-nepotism-a-good-or-bad-thing-in-the-long-run-119-blog/#IDComment142794082 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/what-do-you-think-of-the-291-statistic-and-what-number-would-you-pick-119-blog/#IDComment140505515 To be perfectly honest I feel that a 29:1 civilian to terrorist kill death ratio is a bit extreme and inhumane in a sense. I can not say that I feel that it is worth the lives of 29 civilians just to kill one bad guy. For the United States to declare this to me is shocking because I thought we had more of a heart than that. Yes there clearly are terrorists present but is it worth killing 29 just to be satisfied to kill one terrorist. The numbers to me don't match up but I can see where the U.S. is coming from because they are trying to get rid of terrorism as a whole. Unfortunately this task is easier said then done and requires the U.S. to step outside of there comfort zone in order to achieve this task. When it comes to terrorism for the most part, morality as a whole is thrown out of the picture and it comes down to going into a given place and taking out the bad guy no matter what the repercussions. Ironically, when we look back on what we did in certain places we feel a sense of guilt and sympathy for how many innocent civilians lost their lives and families. But as we've done repeatedly in the past we do not turn our heads too far but instead move on with our lives and become content with the fact that we killed this given terrorist. I do not necessarily agree with the process but things will not change. If there would be a number that I had to pick it would probably more along the lines of 10-15 per every terrorist and in no way am I saying I am in favor of killing innocent civilians but at times innocent lives will be taken for a common good, there just should be a limit. But quite frankly, it is easy for me to say this in a blog but if I was the country that was under attack I don't know how I would react. To think that so many of my innocent friends and family members are dying just to catch one bad person would not add up in my head. This is why I am glad that I am not in the position of the government and have to make decisions and quotas like these. I do not know how people can live with themselves knowing that innocent people are dying indirectly by there hands. I can only imagine how the soldiers must react to this when they hear the given quota because in no means can it be easy for them to kill innocent bystanders. Lastly, I feel that know one should declare who should or how many people should die in replace for a guilty life, this is just an act of playing god and unfortunately no one can do that. Wed, 6 Apr 2011 15:56:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/what-do-you-think-of-the-291-statistic-and-what-number-would-you-pick-119-blog/#IDComment140505515 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138916563 Since I am from Staten Island and I live in one of the five boroughs this is an everyday occurrence for me. Throughout the day I encounter people of all ethnicities and they often speak amongst their own language. Now in my opinion I do not find it offensive when two people speak another language around me but at times I do feel a bit uncomfortable. I do not take offense to it because everyone is entitled to speak their own language and have their own discussions but at the same time if I am standing near you there is a good chance that you can talk about me in a different language without me knowing. Not that it gets me that unconfortable, but there is always that question roaming through your mind about what those given people are saying. I guess at times I take it for granted since we live in America and we primarily speak english, so when I hear others speaking their native language it catches my ears right away and i tend to tune in. I was lucky enough to take 4 years of spanish in high school which tends to help me out when those of Hispanic decent are having a typical conversation and I can catch bits and pieces which makes me feel a little better. At times when I am in Manhattan where there is a total mix of ethnicities, I find myself lost in a 5 conversations streaming in all different languages. It is moments like these which make me appreciate living in New York where there are so many people mixed into all different cultures and ethnicities. I feel that those who take offense to others speaking another language around them are a bit ignorant because they cannot see where these people are coming from. America is supposed to be the land of the free which also includes the freedom of speech no matter what the language may be. Therefore as an American I can understand when a certain minority group speaks in their own language because it preserves there nationalism amongst themselves. Lastly, since I am of mixed decent I can say that I am comfortable with all cultures because I can relate to where they come from and at times I am sure they feel a bit uncomfortable when others speak different languages them then. But as Sam always says, were all gonna die so does it really matter? Although that doesn't exactly relate to the topic, Sam does have a point and when it comes down to it little things such as people speaking in a different language around you shouldn't bother you that much because we are all of the same race. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:54:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138916563 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137024202 From my own personal experience throughout my life there has not been much that has made if difficult for me to date outside my race. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I dated a person of every ethnicity or background but for the most part my parents are open to who I would bring home. Although my parents would like for me to marry a Jewish American women, if i do not it would not be the end of the world since after all my father is catholic and my mother is jewish. My parents respect my decisions when it comes to females and relationships and that is one reason why they have gone smoothly so far. I could honestly say that I never had a problem when i was dating any girl up to this point when it came to my parents, family or anyone in general. Of course everyone has friends who will rag on them no matter who they date just out of jealousy but they do not make it difficult for me to date outside my race. I am a very open person who likes to explore and I do not only seek to conformity. Sam also mentioned in class that interracial marriages are on the rise and in a way this makes me very happy to see that people no longer have boundaries when they are looking for that special someone. When it comes to love or lust, it shouldn't matter what race the person is as long as they make you happy and they have respect for you, your friends and your family. Now on the other hand, some of my friends parents are not open to them dating a black women for example because they have there preconceived thoughts about who their son should marry. At times i have even seen my friends parents make them end their child's relationships because they did not like there significant other for some unknown reason but it all stems back to who they want their child to date and later marry. Honestly, I feel as though some parents need to give their kids some more space when it comes to teenage and future dating in order to allow them explore and meet people of all backgrounds which would allow them to possible find "the one". Currently in America, parents are starting to do this which will only benefit future races to come and hopefully one day erase the race barrier when it comes to dating. In addition it will also improve relations amongst a parent and their child and truly exemplify what relationships are about. There is no doubt in my mind that whites will continue to date whites and other races will stay within their own races but by exploring we will only overcome these race barriers dealing with relationships which will only benefit society. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:51:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137024202 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/is-this-an-action-of-white-supremacy-119-blog/#IDComment135410149 In all honesty I hope this is a joke because it represents sheer ignorance on Penn State's behalf. For a school with the majority of it's students white, this is honestly pathetic and out of line. This student or person to wrote this should be ashamed of themselves because they are only paralyzing our schools reputation. Even if it was a joke, it is nothing to laugh about because it serves as a sign of racism as well of ignorance. I'm sure most students on campus did not find this alleged joke funny and probably are reacting in a similar manner as me. Despite not seeing this "white power" notation near the bus stop, I can only imagine that many non white people were extremely offended by this childish stunt. By a minority or even a white person seeing this it brings about a feeling of uneasiness amongst students because racism is still prevailing in our present community. Unfortunately, most students and other people who see this will not take this serious enough and take action which only allows it to continue on campus and in America as a whole. I feel as if sometimes people fear speaking out because they don't want to go against the normal or against what people say. They simply feel that if no one else is speaking up why should they? In a way they might be right because no one truly enjoys confrontations, but it gets to a point where someone must step up and do it. Until someone speaks up about childish stunts and pranks such as these, they will only get worse and more offensive. In addition, Penn State might not be the most diverse school but we should do as much as we get to try to make it diverse and welcome others. By people writing white power at bus stops will not make anyone want to attend a school or even feel comfortable for that matter when there are thousands of schools in the nation. Furthermore, it still puzzles me why someone would even write white power when the school is predominately white. The only logical explanation for this would be that the person who wrote that is extremely insecure and felt the need to voice their inner cynical feelings on a bus stop rather than venting to someone like a human being. It's people like this who hold our society back from advancing through this racial barrier and allowing us to live in a true world of peace. Even little attempts such as maybe a person who saw this act being done could help us fight against racism and discrimination that is still present. Lastly, people should either learn to not hide their face and be racist like a coward or not voice their feelings at all. Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:31:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/is-this-an-action-of-white-supremacy-119-blog/#IDComment135410149 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/how-can-we-save-our-scarce-resources-119-blog/#IDComment132680209 Unfortunately, in present day America we take our resources for granted and this question does not run through many of our minds. People stay ignorant to the fact that eventually our resources are going to run out due to the population constantly increasing. As the population continues to grow our resources are becoming more scarce but this is probably the last things on the minds of most Amercans. I doubt that most are going to stop consuming resources even though they are well aware of this and it is for this reason that future generations are going to suffer due to our greed. So to answer the question I don't think there are many ways that will be productive in saving our scarce resources because it all depends on the people. If people aren't going to change there habits and remain stubborn, then our resources will continue to be consumed at a rate in which 100 years we will have none for those generations. In the video, the guy mentioned that a possible idea would be to make a certain age in which you can have babies, I'm unsure if that is legal but I know it would not work because people are not going to wait to have babies if they are with their loved ones. If people just consume a little less then this could make a big difference in society because once everyone starts contributing by recycling or using less, then it will effect the world as a whole. In addition, if people start to purchase hybrid cars more often this would also help since it would limit the amount of oil they are consuming and we would then be able to conserve more since oil is a resource that is scarce as we speak. Gas prices are currently over 4 dolalrs where I live and Im sure its higher in other places and will continue to skyrocket into the summer. If we were to use less gas then prices would gradually go down which Im sure would benefit most Americans in this economy. In addition to gas, people need to start to conserve water because over time the amount of water we will have will decrease. I know many people who also take this for granted and take 30 minute showers as well as keeping their hot and cold water running during baths. Furthermore, if people begin to use a little less and conserve a little more then we would be better off as a whole. BY being a little less stubborn and ignorant, we will be able to benefit future civilizations and ensure that they have the essential resources to live and carry on future generations.Without changing yourself today, we will not be able to benefit people tomorrow. Sat, 5 Mar 2011 20:44:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/how-can-we-save-our-scarce-resources-119-blog/#IDComment132680209 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130117733 In present day America, most people are content with their lives and the last thing on their minds is openly admitting that they are racist or discriminate certain races for that matter. Most people in America tend to hold in their feelings under their skin and in the heat of the moment their true colors seem to come out. If people were not reluctant and expressed their true feelings about other races then I feel that the world would have a lot more tension but then would slowly ease down over time since everyone came clean. No matter what the case may be, Americans are extremely reluctant in admitting that they are racism and unfortunately things will probably never change because as a society we tend to be stubborn and ignorant to the fact that we discriminate a good portion on the time. For example, there are some schools in America that are known as private schools and some of these schools have all white students. If that is not discriminating or being racist, then I don't know what is. However the only people to blame for this are ourselves and we are reluctant to take blame for these flaws in America. This only contributes to making America less united even though it seems that we have a strong sense of nationalism. I find this as a false sense of nationalism in a way because if there is racism and discrimination going on, then how can we be united as a country and claim to be the land of the free. Discrimination is a topic in America that is kept in the closet or in the dark so to speak because most people feel uncomfortable when talking about the topic because it forces them to share there inner feelings with others and people shy away from doing this. From my personal experience, I don't consider myself to be racist or even for that matter sharing my feelings about race. By letting out my inner feelings to others I feel as if it only eases tensions and enhances the relationship you have with the other minority or person you are associating yourself with. Until we start to open up to people about our true feeling and admitting that we discriminate at times, there will continue to be tension between certain races. Americans are also blind to the fact that we as a race have never been really discriminated against and in a way we take that for granted which makes us ignorant when we take part in discriminating. Envision the white race as a minority the next time you discriminate someone based on color, sex, race ethnicity etc and imagine how they feel when they are supposedly living in America which is the land of the free. The day American begin to be less ignorant and stubborn to the practice of discriminating will be the day we can define ourselves as a free country. Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:07:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130117733 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-can-we-make-people-more-aware-of-the-slavery-that-is-still-going-on-119-blog/#IDComment128981011 Slavery is an issue that has been present not only in the history of America but in the history of the world for many centuries. Dating back to as old as ancient Greece, slavery has always been a problem in the world and will continue to persist for who knows how long. It might have shocked some people when I said that slavery has been dated back to ancient Greece as many people can’t think of slaves being anything other than black. The fact of the matter is that the original slaves were not black, and even the slaves now a days are not predominantly black as we learned in class. Although black slaves have been put through many hardships and tests throughout slavery, they were not the only slaves in the world. The majority of the population is often uneducated when it comes to the topic of slavery believing in the common stereotypes of slavery. One of the common stereotypes that I mentioned is the idea of all slaves being black. Another belief of the uneducated public is that slavery has ended and there is only paid labor in the modern world. That is definitely not the case as everyone in sociology has learned in the last class. The best way to educate people about slavery is simply by educating them or having more people go through college. Before I had gone through my several years of education in middle and high school, I was “ignorant” and insensitive with the topic of slavery. After going through those several of education, however, I learned that slavery was not always as what people had told me and that there was a lot more to slavery than meets the eye. It is important to educate people about slavery through classes and signs as that might help change a lot of the negative attitudes and racism that exists in the world today. Education is the best way to help make people more aware of the ongoing slavery and help possibly stop it. In fact during the course of this blog, I learned some interesting facts about slavery. There are still between 12 million and 27 million slaves in the world. The reason why the range is so big is because slavery is very illegal and underground. It is also the fastest growing criminal industry in the world right now surpassing human trafficking and predicted to eventually surpass drug trafficking. These are some crazy statistics that got me to open my mind even more to the idea that there are still millions of slaves currently around the world working in extreme conditions right now that we consider terrible. This is why it is important for the population to become more educated about modern day slavery. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:27:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-can-we-make-people-more-aware-of-the-slavery-that-is-still-going-on-119-blog/#IDComment128981011 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/why-do-you-think-racism-continues-to-be-a-problem-throughout-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment126845335 As always when I was scrolling down through the questions, the question about racism caught my eye because I find that it is a very heated topic and one that is hard to talk about topic with others. People tend to not talk about racism because no one wants to admit that they are racist or even that they look down upon any race. Racism continues to be a problem in the world because we allow it to be a problem. The only way that racism will stop is if people are willing to change the way they view people and unfortunately there not. Everyone already has preconceived notions or thoughts about certain races that were passed down from generation to generation. Since the racism runs in the family timeline and they promote it in there households it only makes it worse. Unfortunately, Racism did not always exist and it was something we created over time due to social interaction and social depravity. Even in modern day America it is as if we are regressing in our path to stop racism because it seems to be expanding wherever you look. White Nativists will always look at all immigrants in a negative way because they feel that they are an alien race and do not deserve to live on the very same soil that they set there feet on. This is upsetting because we claim that we are the land of the free and yet such hate groups still exist across America. If the government was to get involved then maybe things would be a little different but they can not change who we are or how we were brought up. Such reasons make me believe that we will never be able to fully eliminate racism in America because it has been dug so deep into our culture and society. Certain minorities will always be looked down upon for certain attributes or for not being good enough and that is not morally sound. Lets face the simple fact that although some people may accept change, everyone fears it and most people enjoy the way society is. This is one of the main reasons why i chose to take sociology because when I saw it was about race relations I thought it would be interesting to see everyones vie won racism and how people interact. Furthermore, by Dr Richards stirring up heated debates about race and stereotypes it allows us to open our eyes and see that racism does exist in society and that we should improve ourselves. If each of us are willing to be a little less racist towards other groups, then the world would be a much more peaceful place where we would maybe one day seek a Utopian society. Wed, 9 Feb 2011 04:55:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/why-do-you-think-racism-continues-to-be-a-problem-throughout-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment126845335 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/interpreting-names-for-people-of-one-race-who-act-like-another/#IDComment125348861 As i was scrolling through the videos of questions from today's class, of course this one was the first one that caught my eyes. Since I am from Staten Island, New York I have herd of such terms as oreos, twinkies, crackers, wiggers and pretty much anything you can think of. I just find it odd that somehow Americans always name things in relation to food. This is why its no surprise to me that we are an obese nation. Aside from the food nicknames, Americans seem to fall in love with shortening the terms of races and simply referring to Chinese people as Chinks, Japanese people as Japs, and blacks as blacks. I find this very upsetting in society that we have to shorten ones race to downsize them and persistently put down their race. Since I am jewish, I am commonly referred as a Jew and I guess I am fine with that. But back to those who act like other races, if people want to emulate another race then let it be. I don't think Americans remember that one of the principles of this great nation is free will and how one can do as they please. It's none of our business to stereotype or generalize and refer to an urban white person as an Oreo just because he emulates the urban African American culture. Other example's of this include cross dressers who tend to mock the opposite sex by dressing like them and of course being creative Americans we tend to slander such people with such names and Homos, Tranny's and you pretty much get the jist. If we were to be a little less nosy and stop worrying so much about random peoples lives then society would be much better off. If Americans learn how to interact better and allow society to develop as it should then we would be able to take another step in the steps of a Utopian Society. Clearly, the Utopian Model is unrealistic but so much hate in the world is driven by jealousy and race relations. We just all cant seem to get along and we always have to find the little insecurities in others to make ourselves feel a little better and boost our self esteem. This whole topic is quite comical to me because it is seen the most in America and rarely in other nations. I guess land of the free is a bit too generous because those who are getting bashed for emulating another culture are not exactly free in America. I'm pretty sure that in places like China, India, and Thailand people are not calling each other names for emulating American culture. To say the least, it is no ones fault but ourselves because we are too stubborn to change and for this reason society will continue to have poor race relations. Once we can overcome our ignorance and realize that not everyone's is the same, will be the day when we can call America the land of the free and actually mean it when we say it. Wed, 2 Feb 2011 06:05:10 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/interpreting-names-for-people-of-one-race-who-act-like-another/#IDComment125348861 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/could-g-d-be-a-she-119-blog/#IDComment123813234 As always, Dr Richards never fails to ignite the class and open up our minds to new ideas and thoughts. By mentioning that God was a she in class the other day, it brought up a great question about what is the gender of God. The reaction of the class was one that was shocking because most of them referred to God as being a male. In my opinion I do not depict God by gender but rather as a supreme being who in reality can be anything. I feel as if God is not a concrete object and it could be anything ranging from a male, female,animal, fish or even a bird no one honestly knows. As far as I know, there is not one religious text that says that we must call God a male and refer to him as a male whenever he is mentioned. Everyone is entitled to there own interpretation of what God is and what gender it possesses. Being a Jewish male, I am not going to say that I am heavily religious but I will occasionally attend Shabbat and read the Torah out of respect and principle. When I am at temple we refer to God as a being and don't solely depict based on Gender and judge God on that basis. Even if God is a female would it change anyone's views on the world? I mean honestly is society that ignorant that we would not be able to accept that fact. I really hope that is not the case. Whatever the case may be God is known as the creator of the Earth and Adam and Eve. At times many people even in our sociology class think way too narrow minded which is why I find what Dr RIchards does as ingenious. BY constantly imposing controversial questions to the class it allows the students to open up their minds and look at the other perspective. Sure God could be a she and Dr. Richards wants us to acknowledge the fact and not look at him with 3 heads when he makes comments like that. At times we need to stop being so ignorant and allow ourselves to see the world in a broader spectrum and I feel like that is one of the morals Dr Richards wants us to get out of this class. If we learn to accept that things are not always as clear cut then they seem and not seek to conformity then society will be better off. Furthermore, God can be a she and quite frankly everyone in society at first might not be okay with accepting it but overtime they would learn and adapt to gods gender no matter what the case may be. Lastly, since sociology is the study of society and God is the creator of the world and society we live in, it is crucial that we gather a greater understanding of what exactly God stands for and how we interpret it in present day life. Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:16:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/could-g-d-be-a-she-119-blog/#IDComment123813234 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122363408 I thought that the class activity that we did on Thursday was very intriguing and quite clever. By Dr. Richards picking random people with different ethnic backgrounds from the class, it allowed us to open our eyes and see how little we know about race. Since he chose 2 students with 4.0 GPA's it made the activity more stimulating because everyone assumed that these selected students would be able to group their classmates by race without a problem. Unfortunately the task was much harder than it seemed and people were shocked by some of the responses that the 2 students got after their grouping. Although they were right for the most part, I found it interesting how one ethnic background was misinterpreted for another just by claiming that they looked alike. This refers back to American society and how we stereotype and assume that if people look alike then they come from the same background. This rings true sometimes but as Americans we are very stubborn and ignorant to race relations. Instead of giving people a chance to open up and claim who they are, we automatically group them by physical appearance and stereotype them as being Asian, Indian, African American, Jewish and etc. Dr. Richards showed this later in his slide show when he made us guess what ethnic backgrounds the four students in the picture came from. To only strengthen his argument about half the class guessed wrong about these people because they assumed their background through physical appearance. I feel that this is a major flaw in society because it leads to disunity and a lack of nationalism as a whole. Were supposed to be the land of the free but in essence we are all not treated equal. Immigrants do not have the same true opportunities as an American who is native here for the simple face that most Americans are not too fond of immigrants and fear that they will take jobs from them. Americans need to learn to open their eyes and stop being so narrow minded because it will only benefit society as a whole and lead to a much more peaceful nation to live in and interact with each other. Although Dr Richards may appear to seem racist at times, he is not being racist the least he is just trying to open our eyes to deal with real world issues and only better American socialization. Even in the video of the subway system and the picture of the chinese students that were photographed it showed how we perceive certain races. For example most people who have been to Chinatown in Manhattan probably refer to everyone they see as being Asian or Chinese or Japanese without even knowing who they are as a person. In my honest opinion, it is quite sad how stubborn and ignorant we are as a society but it is a work in progress that will only evolve over time by people interacting with just more than their eyes. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:05:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122363408 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122358351 soc 119 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:46:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122358351