en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2394966 Comments by mth5100 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145232857 It is a common fact that enlisting in the service for some people will build up their confidence and maturity, but there should be a positive progression in these soldiers and officers. I believe that the officers did know many of the things going on where they were stationed but failed to do anything. I think they feel that it was fine to kill as long as no one finds out. This could have been stopped if the officers were stricter with the soldiers and knew where the soldiers were at all times. Many of the soldiers feel that they hold so much power since they are armed with weapons and invading other countries. With that mentality, the soldiers in this article feel that killing others is something that displays their “manliness,” and their strength. This article should be a wakeup call for not only the people enlisted, but also the government in creating harsher punishments instead of a slap on the wrist. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:36:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145232857 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145232829 This article is very disturbing to the extent that the soldiers went. There are absolutely no excuses in killing the innocent civilians and inappropriately “playing” with them and taking pictures. Smoking marijuana and getting drunk every night is another thing that looks bad too. This is going to give a negative image to United States citizens. Although the army does great things for our country, it is these instances that are reported in the news and gives false impressions. It also makes it look like soldiers waste their time. They need to realize that they are in another country and should have respect for it. The war is something serious and puts a lot of stress on the soldiers, which is understandable, but they should not be there if they cannot carry out their duties properly. Even though they are searching for the Taliban, it does not give them the freedom to kill people who appear to be innocent. These soldiers represent the United States and should be reprimanded from their duty. There needs to be a strict screening test for citizens trying to become soldiers so cases like these do not happen. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:36:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145232829 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143267267 People in this society question what is considered a man and a woman. Many people do not accept or think it is moral to get a sex change, but it is whatever the transgender feels right to them to what they should be considered. Once you identify as being the particular sex of choice, I feel that transgender should not be an option since you are picking either male or female. This man seems to be in the lower class and is struggling to make ends meet with his son. All of the surgeries he had done probably cost him his living expenses. He should not be judged on his character, but his job performance is what really counts. As more of these taboo issues appear in the news and people see it more often, it will subside. I think this is a great case for activists and people who are prochoice because this will send signals to readers that the United States still is having unequal treatments. With time to come in the future, transgender will be more accepting and will not be an issue. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:07:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143267267 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143267225 This is a pretty difficult, but interesting case. I did not really understand why they fired Mr. Devoureau because it said there are discrimination laws in New Jersey that ban discrimination of gender identity, but that law must have been instated after he was fired. I feel like gender identity should not have played a role in this job, especially for just monitoring urine sampling. Society is becoming more accepting with homosexuality and I think transgender is just a little behind that. The sociology with being transgendered is that, like it was stated, this man did everything that boys did when he was young; and although many girls will have a low percentage of being transgendered, this guy had the mindset of being a boy and changed. I think that being a transgender was not a choice, but it was in his biology that he was supposed to be a man in the first place and it should not be his fault to be blamed. Mr. Devoureau did nothing that would affect the job position so there should not have been any discrepancy. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:07:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/transgendered-complications/#IDComment143267225 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment141136846 I would like to know what kind of living situation this man was in before he was put in prison. Was he financially stable or was he on the verge of debt? Who had any influence on him to do the act that he did? What kind of area did this guy live in? He did quote “Seeing videos, movies and television shows gave me this false impression. Watching how women in those environments accepted the treatment given to them by men only added fuel to the fire.” His surrounding area where he lived probably gave him the impression that women were supposed to be treated unkindly with the media playing a role too. Murder must have been the reason why he is in prison given the limited circumstances, so he must have had some sociological force that has driven him to do his act. I find it really interesting in reading how this man came up with all the ways that a woman should be treated. He must have had some kind of therapist to get him to where he is now, which is a big change for the better. I think he finally has come to terms to what he has done and wants to put everything behind him in the past. He needs to find things that will keep him busy; otherwise, he is going to have a miserable life. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 01:36:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment141136846 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment141136831 As soon as I began reading this post, I immediately assumed that this man had done harm or offended a girl that he might have been in a relationship with at one point in which got him into prison. It always seems to be the case for all the prisoners that serve time to finally figure out their wrongdoings, seek out religion, and end up wanting forgiveness. Readers can tell that this must have been sincere from the story he wrote. He knows how a man should treat a woman, but did not see that in the past. I feel bad for the guy because he knows what he did was wrong, but rules are rules, and even he probably knows that he should be in prison and remain there for a long time. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 01:36:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment141136831 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment139247417 Religion is not practiced as much as it was a couple generations ago. Many people back then went to a religious school where there was at least one religious class that nuns taught. Religious schools now are still educating students, but the costs to attend are high and many people are not in great financial stability at this time. Spirituality is a different topic, but it may last longer since more people could relate to it more. Mathematical models might be helpful to hypothesize, but I would think a trend in survey responses would give researchers an idea, although it would be difficult to do. It will take a long time for religion to completely go extinct, which I do not see that ever happening. The bible will always be reproduced for consumers to purchase and churches will still house many elder people who feel that church is a necessity at their age. I think God will always be someone who many people will hold onto as the creator of Earth, but the role of practicing religion will surely decline because future generation will not have the same relationship as previous generations had with religion. The factor of shear laziness to learn about religion might also account for the uses to decline. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 01:08:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment139247417 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment139247055 It really is difficult to say how religion will play out in the future. This article does bring up some valid points. As the future progresses, religion can only remain the same or decrease in practicing or believing in some part of it. Religion will never increase in practice. For example, the only way religion will be passed on is from religious parents teaching their children about it or a local Sunday school. The children will most likely consider themselves as having some kind of religion, but as time carries on, there will probably be children who will grow and might end up not believing in a religion. The next possible generation of those children will have a higher chance to not have a religion due to their parents not having a particular one; this is if another unaffiliated person is married to one of these children. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 01:06:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment139247055 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/fear-2/#IDComment137294066 The family must have had money because the father had a sports car and an airplane, but he decided to get his child hand me down clothes and ripped socks. Usually people with money are more likely to have normal lives compared to people who are on the verge of getting kicked out of their home for not paying bills. All the memories imprinted onto and throughout the prisoner’s life that they could not live normal lives. Prison might have been the best choice in their life so that they do not have to worry about anyone else but themselves. The prisoner found God while in prison and seems to have been coping with everything better and is not going to commit suicide, although the memories still are haunting. All the fear and anxiety just kept building up inside through the years and it finally hit the prisoner to go as far as killing the parents. The prisoner was on a path to doing something to this degree due to neglect and abuse. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:57:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/fear-2/#IDComment137294066 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/fear-2/#IDComment137294043 This article is very powerful in the sense that the audience get to hear about the unfair life of a prisoner who is portrayed as condescending by their family. The prisoner is always living in fear due to beatings and rapes in their childhood. This is one case that I feel that the prisoner does not deserve his punishment. The whole story is very peculiar because the prisoner was the only child that received harsh treatment and even the siblings taunted the prisoner. The prisoner even said that the parents were normal outside the house, but were very manipulative. There seemed to be no logical explanation to why the parents were so threatening to their child and must have had some kind of neurological problem. They even knew that their child might try to kill them one day; the prisoner would have a higher chance of killing them due to all their inflicting pain inside. It is even more surprising that the people around the prisoner did not see anything wrong with the picture and did nothing to help the situation. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:57:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/fear-2/#IDComment137294043 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135906379 Many people have the misconception that being raised by homosexuals will automatically have the child being homosexual when that is not the case. As what the video in class explained, it may give a better percent of children to come out if they are homosexual just because their parents are, but the chance of them actually being homosexual is the same chance as it is in a heterosexual family. These parents have the best intentions for the kids and want nothing more than to just raise them to the best of their ability as they can. What impact did Zach have on you and did he seem like any other nineteen-year-old? As this society is changing, keep in mind where you stand and what truly composes a family. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:45:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135906379 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135906365 Zach Wahls had given a testimony that truly can enlighten others who watch it. He spoke on behalf of his family about how same sex marriage has not had any impact on who he was as a person. He described how his family was not any more different than other families in the country. His parents have raised him and gave him the love and other parent would give. After watching the video in class, it showed me that many homosexual parents have provided the same if not better care in children than many other families. All these parents want to do is not be judged for having the same life as many individuals have and to just move on in the world. This country is progressively changing and becoming more open in terms of homosexuality and within the next decade, I think that the subject will be even more accepting to the country and will continue to be more accepted as time moves on. Zach clearly is an intelligent and seemingly “normal” person, unless you see a 99% percentile on the ACTs as being not normal! The people in the courtroom were all moved by what he had to say. He really is fighting and trying to show people that being raised by homosexual parent should not be a factor in raising a child. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:45:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135906365 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132208184 When someone knows someone else who wins something as great as one million dollars, there is bound to be someone who is going to want some part of the winnings, or at least try. In the case of the death of Abraham Shakespeare, it went over the edge when a woman, with personal troubles of her own, befriended him and eventually murdered him. She even wrote letters and made calls to the family pretending to be him after he went missing. She must have been in financial despair judging by her actions she had taken and also by her irrational thought processes. The lottery is so far out of reach for thousands of people that it takes a toll on some people in the worst ways. This article should be a lesson for readers to keep in mind. What would you do if you won the jackpot? Would you digress from your normal life or act the same? How would this affect the people around you? Thu, 3 Mar 2011 21:55:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132208184 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132208127 Big money is the prime factor that influences lottery winners into spending all their winnings on many items at one time without a plan. However, the winners in this article have taken the opposite approach and use their money wisely; in fact, it is the people surrounding the lottery winners which shape their social interactions with one another in a negative manner. The woman who won the $1,300,000 spent her money wisely, even shopping at the Salvation Army for new wardrobe, but her family and people she worked with changed their relationships for the worst and let money get the best of them. The man who helped his sister with the surgery procedure also used his money sparingly and has experienced no problems with other people. Both of these people have one thing in common; they did not let money change who they were before. The invisible strings of these two individuals shaped them to manage their money well and to live their lives with a positive attitude. Both individuals also had a plan to keep them from spending their money on unworthy items. As discussed in class, people have a better chance at getting struck by lightning than to win the lottery. Thu, 3 Mar 2011 21:55:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment132208127 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130429754 If a child was lost in a big city, such as Manhattan like this story, they would not know what to do if they were not allowed to talk to strangers; they could end up in more serious trouble such as getting hit by a car or wander off somewhere else in a worse-off area. Like Sam has said, 99% of people will help since it is a serious issue. Many parents have always been told by their parents about not talking to strangers, but they need to realize that is usually not always true. The movies, media, and other news resources capture kidnappings by making it seem like they happen all the time in the news, or over-exaggerating situations in movies, when kidnappings are rare in today’s world. The location to where kidnappings take place varies and can happen anywhere, but I feel like bigger cities are less prone to having kidnappings to do the high capacity of people who are around. I think that this man would not have done any harm to the child in all reality. There are many people In New York that are in poverty and this man may have just wanted to commit a ransom for money. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:31:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130429754 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130429734 This video is very disturbing in the sense that the man tried kidnapping the young boy in broad daylight, while people were around, and smirked off when he failed. This kind of kidnapping is very rare; generally all kidnappings are rare, but usually they are home abductions, at night, or involve someone who knows of the other. While keeping in mind the rarity, parents should not be afraid about what someone could potentially do and they need not to digress from telling their children about talking to strangers. In the case that a child were to get lost, it is better for the child to ask for help by talking to a stranger. However, a child should be educated about doing it the right way, by not getting into a car if someone asks, possibly go inside a store and ask an employee, and ask someone who is surrounded by people. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:31:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130429734 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment128752099 The invisible strings on the man seemed to have been pulling on the man in the right direction, but his “hormones” pulled him in another direction. His personal troubles are very similar to previous articles of the men where they all reflect on their lives and try to figure out how they got themselves into prison. This man, however, is back on track to where his invisible strings had initially pulled on him. He just needs to realize that there are others that are in his same position as him and that he can change the way the rest of his life is going to be. I think this man needs to talk to a psychologist or sociologist to help this man come to terms with his life. He realizes he has made a mistake and with all his sympathy he has shown in this article, it goes to show that he really is a good person at heart, no matter how his invisible strings influence him in making choices. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:35:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment128752099 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment128752075 I found this article to be very interesting in the fact that this man grew up in a well-off, loving family and yet, he ended up in prison. In many cases, the family has some influence or outside forces that lead the person to do an act of crime or misdeed. The man did not seem to have misbehaved in his childhood, but once puberty struck, he turned to drugs and sexual endeavors. I think it is a little humorous that the man uses words such as grenades, landmines, and “DTF” because he reminds me of a character on The Jersey Shore. Those characters have some characteristics that this man has within, but this is getting a little off topic. In all honesty, I am not sure what really would cause him to go down the wrong path. The man blames his acts on his hormones, but I think the man has bigger problems. Another factor to his wrongdoings is that the man states that his hometown had no effect on his actions, but once he hit puberty, it led to drugs and women which were easy to access in his town. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:35:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment128752075 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127205412 It was interesting at the end how he mentions GOD has forgiven him. I interpret it as his life was relinquished and how his life could be in much worse conditions. It sounds like his murder had involved a car accident; except for it was not an accident since he was under the influence. He took someone else’s freedom away from them and forever changed the shaping of the lives around him. From a sociological view, I am not sure if this man was actually on the path that could lead up to the incident. I think that this man was maybe in college and was just not thinking after a night out, when he stepped into his vehicle. I guess alcohol was the outside force that got him to do that. Although he is forty-eight years old, he is scared. He just needs to look outside the realms of the invisible strings and understand that others in his shoes probably feel the same way he does, so that he can change the way he feels and try to make the best out of the rest of his life. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:18:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127205412 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127205389 This man can almost be compared to man in the article “The Other Side of Life.” Both men knew what they did was wrong and feel like they deserve to be in prison. Ironically, “Remember” is in the “Getting Life” section which can be interpreted in two different ways. The obvious answer is he is in prison for life, but he has made it clear that he understands his life from a different viewpoint compared to when he was twenty-two. I feel sorry for the man because he is wasting away by the style of this article. Everyone that he once loved is now gone, except for his mother. He feels worthless and knows he has gotten what he deserves. The man’s freedom in this article is a lot from the man in “The Other Side of Life.” This man has been through a lot with all the pain he has put the victim’s family through, likewise with his own family. He dwells on the all the suffering and I do not even know if he can come out it at the age of forty-eight. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:17:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127205389