en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/6248362 Comments by mschoenfeld93 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/18/voices-from-the-classroom-302/#IDComment624910946 Both times we have video chatted with Mazair (?) have been very special experiences in class. Hearing his very kind words about Boston and also just listening to his passionate desire to connect with Americans is really eye-opening. I have learned throughout this class and different life experiences that it is very easy to stereotype Muslims and Iranian people in very negative ways. Rarely did I ever stop to think that the Muslims I was hearing about in the news were extremely radical and not reflective of the Muslim people until I started to really talk about it in this class and think more on the issue. Mazair is a perfect example of how ignorant so many American people can be about what type of people Muslims are. A Muslim student in class raised a great point when he said that all Muslims cannot be judged by the acts of a few radical people just the same as all Christian people can’t be characterized by the Westboro Baptist Church Christians. Hearing Mazair’s sincere words of condolence for the victims of the Boston bombings was a truly moving experience. It almost made me feel guilty in a sense because here he was telling us how truly sorry he was for our losses and yet very few of us even thought to say the same thing back to him because we are too naïve. What happened in Boston is something he is faced with on almost a day to day basis and yet when it happens here we all act like this is the only place where this type of stuff is going on. We should all be equally as compassionate to Mazair and his people as he is to us, and seeing him take the initiative really had a huge impact on me. I would love to meet him in person and get to know a lot of his friends because I am sure I have way more in common with him then I think I do. I have to say that my favorite part about this class is the times when we all get to reach out and speak to a community that we would not normally speak to. It is interesting to learn about these communities and the ways we perceive them, but to actually speak to the people of these different backgrounds is a completely different story. I personally think Sam should make video chats like this with different people around the world a bigger part of the classroom experience because I think it has been the most enlightening stuff thus far. In the end, creating these connections is really what I feel like the class is about, and through these video chats I think Sam is helping open the barrier between everyone around the world. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:33:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/18/voices-from-the-classroom-302/#IDComment624910946 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/05/voices-from-the-classroom-294/#IDComment614107389 This is an interesting question because it is something I’ve never really given much thought to before. I have heard a million different guys all say that they like foreign girls, but I never stopped to think how often I have encounters with minorities in situations where I’m drunk vs. not drunk. I have never noticed that guys don’t regularly go up and talk to a female minority that he didn’t know previously while sober, but it doesn’t surprise me that this girl feels she is approached more by guys that are drunk for a few reasons. The first reason is simple; guys often are much more inclined to approach a girl they don’t know when they are drink vs. when they are sober, minority or not. However, I feel there are also some other things at play here. For one, I believe even if we do not recognize it consciously, there is a certain culture divide that may subconsciously prevent an American guy from approaching a foreign girl he does not know. This may not always be the case, but speaking generally, I feel that American guys would be much more likely to approach an American female that he doesn’t know over a foreign girl he doesn’t know. Although I would have never realized this on my own, I too think I would be much more comfortable approaching an American stranger over a foreign stranger just because I have been trained to think I have more in common with the American stranger just by a quick glance. The dynamics between Americans and non-Americans are always interesting to dissect, but I think they become even more interesting when you are talking about an American and a non-American of the opposite sex who are interacting. When the idea of sex or intimate feelings come up, everything changes. It is no surprise that American guys would approach foreign girls when they are drunk because many guys have that “infatuation” with foreign girls to begin with, and when people are drunk they just act on instinct rather then rational thought. They are no longer as conscious about the racial barrier which is why they are more likely to strike up a conversation. It is very interesting to me to hear how the girl asking this question feels about this topic on the other side of the issue. Just from how she spoke about the issue it seemed as if she had a lot of experiences where she was approached by random American guys when they were drunk, and not nearly as many experiences when they were sober. It almost seems that she is slightly offended in a way because the idea of this socially constructed racial barrier is much more prevalent when she is in sober situations. On the other hand, I do think it is very hard to generalize this subject completely because it definitely varies depending on the circumstances. However, it is still interesting to think about and try to put a finger on what it is that might be stopping us from approaching people who look different from us when we aren’t mentally impaired from alcohol. Mon, 8 Apr 2013 01:33:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/05/voices-from-the-classroom-294/#IDComment614107389 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/21/voices-from-the-classroom-274/#IDComment603404499 To me, this question if fairly simple to answer. Although this may seem like cynical way of thinking at first glance, I believe that all humans are innately selfish beings. They want to do anything and everything they can do to ultimately benefit themselves. This does not mean that people cannot sometimes be selfless and giving, for that is part of our nature, however I feel at the core things come down to self-benefit. I remember having a conversation with a friend of mine in high school who was trying to argue that even doing something for others can be considered a selfish act because, as he argued, people do these acts more because it makes them feel good about themselves when they do. Now, I do not totally buy into this way of reasoning because it is slightly too cynical for me, however I do believe there is some truth to this logic. Any opportunity someone has to better themselves they will obviously take, and this should not be taken as a bad thing. Bettering oneself is the key to a successful life and although too much selfishness can be a bad thing, being selfish sometimes is not always a bad thing for each individual. Relating this to the question above, I too would definitely take the internship if it was offered to me and could benefit my future. I do realize that this could potentially be taking away from someone else’s chance at getting the internship who may actually be better qualified, but I would relate this scenario back to what I mentioned earlier. It is in our nature to take the opportunities that will benefit us, and even if I did feel bad about taking someone else’s spot who is technically more qualified, I would not feel bad about the fact that I was doing something to benefit myself. I’m sure if taken the wrong way this way of thinking just sounds very selfish and unsympathetic, but I personally feel that if I were given the opportunity to get an internship through a connection I would make the most of having that connection and take the job. I would totally be aware of the fact of how lucky I am compared to some other people in this world who do not have the same connections but have the same skills, but I do not believe I would let that stop me from doing something that could potentially better myself. Perhaps I am just selfish and am trying to justify this to myself, but I truly believe that the drive to better oneself involves making some decisions that could be seen as selfish. However, I do not think it would be wise to potentially stunt our growth as human beings just because we feel bad that we are lucky enough to have connections to the business-world or whatever the case may be. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:31:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/21/voices-from-the-classroom-274/#IDComment603404499 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/16/voices-from-the-classroom-270/#IDComment598094112 This is a very interesting question because I reap benefits from being a white male every single day, however very rarely do I ever stop to think about all the different ways I benefit simply from being white. This question is particularly interesting when looking back at my high school years going to an all Jewish, all white school in an affluent suburb in Maryland. Back in high school, everyone always made reference to the fact that we were living inside of a bubble, which was absolutely true, however none of us ever really realized the effects of living outside that bubble because many of my friends never stepped outside of it. I only went to this Jewish Day School from 9th to 12th grade, but most of my classmates and good friends had been going there since pre-school, so this life was all they ever really knew. I do not think I had a bad high school experience due to this all white, all Jewish bubble I lived in, however I do realize now I had a very limited high school experience. The reason I think this is an interesting question to apply to my high school years is because I now realize I did not reap as many benefits from being a white male because I was surrounded by all white people. In a scenario where there is a mix of many different races, the benefits of being white are usually very obvious. Sadly enough, I believe that people (employers, friends, strangers) are less intimidated by white people then they are by other races. This is because white is the predominant race in America (for the time being) and so people, generally other white people, feel more of a sense of comfort and identity in other white people. Once I came to Penn State, the big bubble I lived in during high school was instantly popped once I got here. The sad thing is Penn State is not even a very diverse school in the grand scheme of colleges around America, but there is a hell of a lot more diversity here then I ever experienced in high school. Thinking back on my time here, one thing sticks out to me more then others in regards of benefiting from being white. I am a part of greek life here at Penn State, and I have since realized that there is a very low percentage of non-white students in greek life. There are certain “all-black” frats or “all-Asian” frats, but in terms of greek life as a whole and each house having a big mix of races, I really do not see much diversity at all. As sad as it is to say, being white and going through the rush process definitely provided more benefits then I can even realize. It is not that my fraternity or other fraternities are disinclined to have people of different races in the frats, it just so happens that each new pledge class for many fraternities is primarily white. Although no one talks about it, there is very clearly a subconscious racial distinction made when fraternities are picking new pledge classes. Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:36:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/16/voices-from-the-classroom-270/#IDComment598094112 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/01/voices-from-the-classroom-265/#IDComment583180940 This is a very interesting question, especially because it is something I used to think about all the time. When I was younger, the fear of death or the fear of a loved one dying would haunt me and keep me up all night in fear. I have since grown out of this irrational fear, however I do not feel I am completely comfortable with the idea of death even now. It is not the fact that everyone will die eventually that scares me, rather it is the fear of dying at a much too young age. I often think about how nothing is guaranteed in this life, and how at any moment everything could change and just like that you might never see someone you love ever again. Or, it could be you that no one will ever see again. That thought scares me still. However, whenever I feel I am overwhelmed by this fear, I always remember back to something my mom told me when I was much younger and my fear of death was much more severe. She told me that nothing in this life is guaranteed, but you cannot go your whole life living in fear of things you cannot control. This is something that stuck with me and I often remind myself of this. I feel like it can sometimes be hard not to be cynical knowing that we all have a limited number of days on this earth, however this is a fact of life that cannot be changed, and we cannot let it control our lives. In fact, I now think the very opposite. Because we have a limited number of days on this earth, we must live every day to the fullest and appreciate all the little gifts life has to offer. I know this sounds cliché, but often times I really do force myself to stop and appreciate life for what it is. Yes, I know I will die someday, but hopefully that day is far, far away and I will have lived a happy, fulfilled life when that day does come. Sometimes I find that I am more scared of a loved one dying then I am of dying myself. I think its because when I die, it will all be over and I will not be left be left in sadness and suffering mourning my own death. However, the thought of a loved one dying would leave me with all this suffering and sadness. That still scares me to no end, and I do not even like thinking about it. However, as I said earlier, I remind myself that I cannot allow this fear to control my life. I have no control over how many days anyone has on this earth, so I cannot bother wasting my days away fearing something bad will happen that I ultimately have no control over. I feel this is the way everyone should live their life, or else you will make yourself highly unhappy and will live in fear for the rest of your days, and after all, who reallys knows how many days we all have… Sun, 3 Mar 2013 03:03:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/01/voices-from-the-classroom-265/#IDComment583180940 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/20/voices-from-the-classroom-251/#IDComment579163850 I was a little bit confused by the end of this question, but I will attempt to answer it based on what I understood him to be asking. Relating back to what we talked to in class, I find it very interesting how Sam raised the point that when it really comes down to it, we are all people just the same. Whether we are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, or any other type of race, none of this matters when you look closely at our genetic make- up as a species. Though the color of our skin may be different or our dialects may be different, we all are the same type of being on this earth. This is a fairly simple concept, however I feel it is one that gets entirely overlooked when dealing with race relations. I, myself, have never really thought about human beings this way, and personally I feel it is a wonderful way to look at other people. For me, what this does is put everyone on an equal playing field. Even if you are comparing a very wealthy white or black person living in America to someone much poorer in the Middle East or Haiti, we can say that these two people are equal in their importance on this earth because they are both human beings. It does not matter that one is wealthier then another, because wealth does not make you a superior being; you are still human no matter how much money you have. Unfortunately, our society is constructed in a way where something like wealth, or more commonly something like race, can put someone above another person. If you look at the world through this view that we are all people, you realize how very stupid it all is. It is all socially constructed and every person just simply buys into this way of life because that is what they are taught. But by having conversations like we have in class and really taking a moment to think about why you feel someone is different from you, it helps put things into perspective when you think to yourself, “that person is a human being just like me.” The thing that really helped me start thinking about different people this way is the video we watched in class where the narrator refers to all humans as monkeys. Hearing human beings being equated to monkeys, which I also learned in class we really are just glorified monkeys who have evolved slightly more then the chimps we see in the zoo, was very eye opening for me. To think that we all evolved from this same place and yet we have now created all these social statuses and racial categories really just makes the whole idea seem silly. Of course, I still will conduct the rest of my life within the socially constructed standards that I grew up with because I really do not see a point in the near future where people would be willing to adopt this mentality. It is crazy to think about what the world would be like if everyone thought like this, but unfortunately us monkeys have evolved a little too much for our own good and we now think that one monkey is better then another monkey based off of socially constructed ideas. Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:11:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/20/voices-from-the-classroom-251/#IDComment579163850 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/voices-from-the-classroom-250/#IDComment573731780 I personally very much enjoyed our Skype chat with Sam’s Iranian friend, and I think his presence in class that day really helped to drive home some of Sam’s points that I previously did not fully understand. In fact, the Skype chat helped me fully realize what the whole concept of world in conversation is really about, which is it simplest is truly about just bridging the gap between our culture and the many others around the world that we may not fully understand but yet we still make judgments and rash generalizations despite our lack of knowledge. Personally, if you had asked me what I thought about the Iranian teenage demographic and what I though they were like, I know for a fact I would not have described them how Sam showed us they were in class. The pictures of their nightlife looked drastically similar to American nightlife that I am accustomed to, and that was very much a surprise to me. Sam was totally accurate in his depiction of our culture in that I had a bunch of preconceived notions about these people based on absolutely nothing since I had never spent the time to research or look into it at all. So, after being pleasantly surprised by that, our Skype chat with Sam’s Iranian friend really helped drive home the fact that we are not so different from these people that we perceive to be anti American and dangerous. What really struck me was just how genuine Sam’s friend was and how open he was to meeting Americans. The simple fact that he lives in a place where if under very unlucky circumstances he could have been arrested by his gov’t for speaking to us was very eye-opening and truly showed his support for bridging the gap between us. Seeing his dedication and genuine interest in getting to know what Americans are like really helped push me to want to become more willing to open my eyes to the facts in front of me instead of just judging off of misinformation and lies. I personally think the craziest thing about this all I was shocked how immediately close I felt to Sam’s Iranian friend. It seemed as if I already knew him in some way, or at least that I wanted to get to know him after seeing him speak with such compassion and genuine interest in understanding American culture. I friended him on Facebook as soon as it was posted for the class to see, and looking at his pictures has been even more eye-opening. Never in my life would I think I’d be friends with an Iranian person that I did not actually know personally at all. However, I think the fact that I now am after Sam’s class truly shows the power of what Sam is trying to do and I also think it is proof that something like this really can work if everyone just opens their minds and takes the time to stop the hatred that is all around. I know that I forever will think of Iran and Iranians differently after last class, and I think that was Sam’s goal all along, so bravo to Sam for an incredible lecture that really followed through on all the things Sam says he is working to achieve. It’s people like Sam that will hopefully one day help bring an end to all this senseless fighting in the world between two cultures who really don’t understand each other. Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:53:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/voices-from-the-classroom-250/#IDComment573731780 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-237/#IDComment562244231 Although I am not 100 percent sure I understand the phrasing of this question, I personally believe that upon first glances/first encounters, how a person looks is the biggest determining factor in how I interpret their race. Although I realize this is stereotypical, I do not feel that I differ from most people in our society because we as individuals have a natural inclination to stereotype. It is not as if I see an Asian person or a black person and I feel I automatically know everything about them just because they are a certain race, however when I do see people of different races it is natural to think about the stereotypes of those races and it is not necessarily in a negative way. I personally thought it was very interesting in class to hear the Korean girl stand up and tell everyone that she feels she could classify herself as white, because I know if I were to see that girl walking down the street I would never think "oh, this is a white girl." Neither would most people because just by outer appearance, it is clear to see that she is not white. However, that is not to say she cannot feel as if she is white, because in many cases their are people of different races and from different countries that are born in America and raised no differently then any white kid in America. Personally, I feel that it is totally acceptable for someone of a different race identify themselves as white, however it is just something that will never be something that will hold any value in society because in the end it is your nationality and you heritage/origins that defines what race you are. Moreover, it is also interesting to discuss what you might think about someone just based off their race and without talking to them and then comparing it to what you think about that person after you have gotten to know them well. For example, on campus I see a lot of Asian students, and I know that many of these students are actually foreign students that are truly Asian, and then there are many other students that are simply Asian American. Because there is a mix of this demographic, I never know whether or not I can assume that Asians I see on campus are American or foreign without talking to them and seeing if they have an accent or not. And in a completely non-racist way, I feel as if that knowledge would change my first thoughts about these other students based off just looks if I know whether or not they are American. Of course, this is totally unfair and I, like everyone else, should get to know someone before making assumptions, but that is not how our society works. So, to answer the question as I understood it, I personally think how someone looks is what shapes a person's opinion most about their race. Mon, 4 Feb 2013 04:32:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-237/#IDComment562244231 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-233/#IDComment555732380 I personally believe racism is still very prevalent in our society today. It has evolved since the earlier part of this century and has become much less intense and malicious, however I do not believe it has been fully eradicated from our culture. In my every day life, I tend to encounter a racist comment or see something racist, however it is a different type of racism then what was considered to be acceptable back in the day. I no longer see people spewing racist comments toward a certain race directly to their face, but rather I will be watching tv and see something blatantly racist that most people laugh at. It almost seems as if society thinks that since we no longer accept calling a black person the n word to his face that we are not racist anymore, however peoples willingness to laugh at racist comments is still very much a sign that our society still accepts racism. I won’t lie, I often laugh if I hear a racist comment that does not completely cross any boundaries, but I am no different then most other people in our culture. When I actually sit down and think about it, it is upsetting to realize that our society seems to struggle so much with fully eradicating it from our lives. However, given our past with racism, I firmly believe that there will always racism between different races. It is too engrained in our DNA for it to be taken care of. This may seem like a cynical way of looking at it, but if you were to turn on the TV and watch a show like “Family Guy” or “South Park” you would see the overt racism that is still alive in our culture. Take the comedian Lewis C.K. for example. He is a white comedian, however much of his stand up act involves him using the word “nigger.” He does so in such a way that gets the crowd to laugh at his use of the word even though it is so obviously offensive. Even though I laughed at much of his stand up myself, I was still aware of the fact that the things he was saying were extremely racist. That right there I think clearly exemplifies our problem in society. We recognize when something is racist but that does not stop us from laughing at it or even indulging in it ourselves. This class has truly made me much more aware of the racism in our society today. Even in class we laugh at racist things people say or specific topics we bring up that fall under the category of racist. I hope that one day it will be something that no longer exists in our society, however I do not have a lot of faith that this day will ever come. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:22:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-233/#IDComment555732380 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/12/07/voices-from-the-classroom-223/#IDComment549522008 Since class has begun, I have actually found myself in a couple of racial confrontations. However, I am hesitant to use the word “confrontation,” because none of these situations have led to a big argument or fight, but they were situations where I consciously thought to myself that I noticed something racist. To provide some background, I live in a fraternity house with nearly 40 other guys. I would say it’s a good 60% to 40% of non-Jews to Jews living in the house, so there really is almost an even number. However, despite the fact that there are many Jewish kids living in the house, myself being one of them, I notice that often times the non Jewish kids make jokes about Jews, usually when talking about topics concerning money or sports. Most of the time these comments do not bother me because I know these kids are my friends and are just joking, but the other day I heard a racist comment against Jews that I actually found to be very offensive. Many of the kids in the house were getting a group of kids together to go play basketball, and one of the other Jewish kids in my house said that he wanted to play. A non-Jewish kid in my frat responded to him, “no way dude you’re way to Jewish to play.” Of course I knew the kid was joking, but for some reason his comment and the way he said it really pissed me off. I immediately got mad at the kid and told him he was being racist and it wasn’t funny, and the kid who said it was actually surprised that I got angry by the comment. Usually, people will make snide comments about Jewish people, sometimes other races too, and no one gets offended because we know people are just joking around. I was not mad for long at the comment, however I realized something in that moment that I live in an environment where a person can’t express anger over a racist comment without being ridiculed by his friends since they claim they are just joking. Even if they are, I do believe there should be a line drawn somewhere so that people aren’t made to feel uncomfortable when expressing their discomfort by racist comments. However, I know that I am being a slight hypocrite about this because there are many times where I find myself laughing at a racist comment or joke even if though I realize it’s racist and unacceptable. I feel many people do this and so it makes it easier to disregard someone’s discomfort with a racist comment if they laugh at other racist comments. Truthfully, it is not just in my frat house where I hear racist comments, it’s everywhere. I believe our society, or at least our generation, is largely racist in the sense that most people will make a racist joke or laugh at someone else’s racist joke even though they know it is wrong. I am not sure it is a problem that can be easily changed because it has become so engrained in our society, but I do think it is something that should at least be addressed if anything is ever to be done about it. Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:20:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/12/07/voices-from-the-classroom-223/#IDComment549522008