en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3548624 Comments by pandababy28 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/29/voices-from-the-classroom-83/#IDComment231724204 Sam always opens my eyes to different view points that I had never actually thought of before. That is one of my favorite reasons for taking this class. It became pretty obvious to me a couple of years ago that the real reason that we entered Iraq was not because we thought they had weapons of mass destruction. It was simply because we want their resources, especially their oil. One of the main things that I had never thought about before was how the other countries in the Middle East viewed the United States. The medias in both countries take images and twist them to be against either Christianity and the United States or against the Middle East and Islam. It really opened my eyes to what they must think of the United States based on the media that is shown to them. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned this year is that the media really distorts things based on what they want you to hear and see. They only give you one side of the story and do not give you the opportunity to make your own opinion. If you want the real story behind things you have to do a little more research then just turning on the news. I really enjoyed getting to see the other side of the news and become more educated on how the Middle East really views us. To them, the United States is made up of a bunch of Christian extremist who just want to kill them for their resources. The resources that belong to them and their country are being stolen away for the United States gain. The worst part for them is that the United States does not care who gets in their way and will kill thousands of people just for the oil. It is no wonder that they have such negative opinions of the United States. I think that the best way to get out of the war is to find and actually use in large qualities other forms of natural energy. The resources are not going to last forever and we are going to have to find other ways to get resources, so why not start now and save people’s lives. This would solve many of the problems that we have in this country including the oil crisis, and would help the economy because if we developed a new form of energy then it would be money that the United States would gain. If we removed our troops from the Middle East, it would save lives and maybe restore the reputation of the United States in the eyes of these countries. Fri, 2 Dec 2011 16:43:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/29/voices-from-the-classroom-83/#IDComment231724204 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment225462147 I cannot speak for the entire general public who would be viewing and making an opinion about the situation, but to me it makes absolutely no difference whether this man is white, black or whatever color. Race to me is just such an insignificant detail compared to the alleged crime. I think the bigger issue here that should be focused on is the fact that child abuse happens. It is much more common of an issue than we care to acknowledge or realize. This is the issue that we should be focused on rather then the race of the man who is charged with the crime. I do believe, because I am not that naive to think otherwise, that some people would have a harsher reaction if Jerry Sandusky was not white. Racism exists and if this man was black or brown, the reaction may have been even more extreme and harsh then it already was. One of the factors that I think would play a part in the judgement of the crime is the race of the boys who were being physically assaulted. If it was a man of color who was sexually abusing a boy of color, that might cause a much different reaction then a man of color who was sexually abusing a white boy. The reaction would be much more severe if a man of color sexually abused a white child, because the white people would have a fit. It is an awful thing to think about with such a serious crime, but I really believe there is some truth in this statement. You never want to admit it, but it is true. Instead of focusing on the main issue, which is the fact that children are being taken advantage of and physically harmed, people would focus on the insignificant fact of race. This question is an interesting one to pose because we are in a race class, however, I think it is not the most important thing to focus on. We should be focusing on victims in this particular situation and other victims who suffer every day from sexual abuse. This is the issue that needs to be addressed and people need to stop being uncomfortable with the issue and be able to openly express themselves. I think people should be able to feel comfortable discussing their issues whether it be abuse or just every day to day things. People also need to help people who have fantasies about young children and help them realize that you can have thoughts like this, but you should not act on it. The issue of child abuse must be addressed and soon to help these children in need. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:59:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment225462147 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/09/voices-from-the-classroom-32/#IDComment219641390 I truly believe that the amount of money you have has very little to do with how happy you are. I think happiness is extremely subjective based on the individual who is judging the situation. It should be about how you view yourself and your life, rather then how someone else sees you, however this is not always the case. Many people take the opinions of others and let other people determine their own happiness. To me, this makes zero sense because only you know what it going on in your life and only you can determine whether you are happy. Money can really help make life just a little bit easier, but I do not think it will make everyone happy. Someone who has nothing but is surrounded by love and support may be some of the happiest people you will ever meet. Their are also rich people who are some of the meanest, most miserable people you could ever meet. Money cannot buy happiness, because it cannot make you feel true love and it cannot give you a genuine loving family. I think in this society money is seriously over valued because when you die, you cannot take it with you. I have seen people who grow old and try to save their money rather then enjoying their life. If you spent a majority of your life earning it, why not be able to enjoy it while you still can? I think it may be easier if you have enough money to live on to be happy, but I truly do not understand the idea that people have that money buys happiness. Money is really relative based on where you live and the lifestyle you have. It is also relative based on what you want in life and want you value. If possessions are something that you want, then money is going to be important to you. People are in constant competition to have the latest and the greatest products, however their is always going to be the next best thing. Consumer goods and things cannot buy happiness either. For me, happiness revolves around the having a happy and healthy family, having friends who care about me, and keeping in mind how many great things I have in my life. I choose a career path not based on money, but one that I know I will wake up every morning wanting to get to work because I will be making a difference in the lives of other people. To me happiness is so much more then money and being able to buy material things. It is about doing things that make you happy like improving people’s quality of life, and putting a smile on someone else’s face. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:03:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/09/voices-from-the-classroom-32/#IDComment219641390 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-63/#IDComment216841815 When white people are asked whether they think they will be better off financially then their parents, only twelve percent answered that they thought they would be. The opposite response is seen when they asked the same question to black and brown people. This could have something to do with the general socioeconomic status of white people as compared to black and brown people. In general, most white people have a higher family income then black and brown people, and many white people are very well off. If your parents are very well off and have a lot of money, it might be hard to assume that you are going to better off then they are finanically. It might come off as arrogant to assume that you are going to be able to make more then your parents, especially if they are very well off. This is not always the case for many black and brown people, whose parents may not be as well off. If your parents do not have that much to start, you can be optimistic that you are going to be better off then them. Also, if your parents are not that well off financially, you may set your mind to working hard and making sure that you put yourself in a position to better your life and give your children the opportunities you may have never had. This is not always the case for some white people who have had everything handed to them and may not see the benefit of working hard. They may also assume that they will be able to live on about the same, or less then their parents make and be satisfied with that. This is obviously not the case for every white person and it is not the case for ever black and brown person either. If you are trying to explain the trend however, I think this is a reasonable explanation as to why there is such a major discrepancy between the results. Another possible reason for a response like this is that many of us come from homes where both parents work. Our individual salary by itself may not be equal to the two salaries that are coming into the home from both parents. In a case like this, it would depend on what our significant other does for a living and how much they make if we are going to be financially better off then our parents. At this point in our lives, many of us have no idea who we are going to marry, and especially not what they are going to make. I sincerely believe that the discrepancy seen in the results is due to the differences in socioeconomic status. Fri, 4 Nov 2011 15:51:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-63/#IDComment216841815 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-57/#IDComment213441479 The Native Americans are the indigenous people in the Americas. They were here first people to have settled homes here and when the European settlers came in, and eventually the United States government, they pushed them off of their lands and claimed it as their own. Generations later, we are still talking about what the right thing is to do about rectifying the situation. I do not think their is an easy solution to this problem because of how much time has passed by. I do not think giving the Native Americans back their land is the right way to go at this point because generations of Europeans and now other people as well having been living on their land and it is their home. It would be unfair, now to rip these people from their homes and give it back to the Native Americans for many reasons. The first reason is the Native Americans who would be getting it would not know the land at all because their people have not lived on it for many generations. The second reason is it would be hard to make people leave their homes without a justifiably reason for making them leave. The third reason is it might cause the rest of the population to “declare war” on the indigenous people to get what they believe is rightfully theirs back. The blood shed it would cause is avoidable. I think the best thing to do for these people is to try to improve their situation if they want the governments help. They have their own culture and beliefs and I believe that if we help them, people would expect them to assimilate to the American culture. This is not necessarily something that they want or need to better their lives. They have a rich culture that has survived for centuries and by forcing them to assimilate we may be doing their people a disservice. I think we should offer them some resources that might improve their lifestyle like better medical conditions, education, and awareness of issues that may improve their life. Some of these groups may not even want help and may even resent any help that is offered to them because they may not want to lose their culture through modern conveniences. Their is no real solution to this problem because it is a delicate situation all the way around. The best thing to do is to offer help to these people in any way they need to improve their lifestyles, but not force anything on them that they do not want. Genuine guidance and help may be appreciated by the Native Americans, but I am not a Native American, so I cannot speak for them. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:33:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-57/#IDComment213441479 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-49/#IDComment210282407 Historically Black Colleges and Universities can be a great thing. They allow people of color to go to a school where they are surrounded by people just like themselves. These people may have had similar situations in their lives and are able to relate to you well. It allows them to go to a school in an environment that they may be more comfortable in. At historically black colleges and universities, a majority of the people are black with very few exceptions. The question is, will this really benefit someone in the real world? Their are a lot of different cultures and people in this country, and at some points in your life, you may have to interact with different types of people. I think you could compare going to a Historically Black College to attending a Catholic college or university, because in both situations, you are surrounding yourself with other people who have a similar culture. One Catholic college that I personally visited looked like their were a bunch of clones walking around. They were all white preppy kids who went to private Catholic high schools, who for the most part came from families who had a lot of money. For some people, they need this type of environment where they are surrounded by people who are like them, because it helps them to be comfortable. I think that it may be more beneficial for people to go a place with more diversity because this country is made up of a lot of different people. All colleges, in general though, are going to have similar types of people because it is a selective process to get into top schools, so for the most part, students with the highest income and access to the best education are going to be the ones attending top schools. I think for some people who come to Penn State, this is a very diverse place with people from many different backgrounds and who come from all areas of the countries. For others, it is less diverse then their hometown and they look around and only see a particular kind of person, whether it be white, black, Asian, Hispanic or whatever they are not used to seeing. I prefer to go to a college where their are many different kinds of people, because that is what the real world is like. For people who attend HBCU and Catholic Universities, they are only seeing a small percentage of people who are in the United States. It is going to be hard to constantly surround yourself with people who think and look like you constantly, so why not put yourself out there and allow yourself to meet people who are different then you. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:04:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-49/#IDComment210282407 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/blog-about-happiness-for-soc-119-and-learn-something-useful/#IDComment207483756 Happiness is something desired by almost everyone in our society. I really enjoyed reading this article because it helped me get a new perspective of happiness. Happiness can be defined differently by almost everyone and having a set definition of “happiness” makes no sense because people want different things out of life. I found it fascinating that the places with the highest life satisfaction rates are the places with the highest suicide rate. People perceive all these people to be happy, but what does happiness actually mean? It is physically impossible to be happy all the time because sometimes things in our lives do not go our way. Society, however, makes it seem like you should be happy all the time, but I can almost guarantee that people are not always as happy as they seem. My Dad has a saying that I think is good advice in that you cannot allow yourself to get too high or too low, and you need to moderate yourself to be consistent. I really feel that this follows the theme of the article because everyone is going to have good and bad days. The best thing for people to do is to try to just moderate their lives and live without thinking about happiness at all. If the idea of happiness is eliminated altogether, people might be “happier” because they would not be trying to be happy to fit in with society. People feel like their are so many societal pressures to be happy that it starts to take a toll on people. They need to biggest and the best things to keep them happy, but that is not what happiness is about because, as mentioned in the article, that will quickly fade with the next best thing. Another great point that the article makes is that money does not buy happiness. It can make your life a little easier but it does not make you automatically a happy person. Some of the most miserable people I have ever met have a lot of money, but they are miserable because they did not do everything they wanted in their lives. They were so busy worrying about keeping the money they had and making more because they can never have enough money. Also, living in a society where their are many choices can also create stress. It creates unnecessary decisions that do not have to be made. People really need to take a step back and think that at the time the decision they made was the right one and stop thinking that their life could be different if they made a different decision. They should accept their life for what it is or decide that they want to better it and work hard to get their life to where they want it to be. Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:47:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/blog-about-happiness-for-soc-119-and-learn-something-useful/#IDComment207483756 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-29/#IDComment203675450 I think knowing what you would do if you had a child who was born a hermaphrodite is not an easy thing to say. Choosing the gender of your child when you do not know what the child is like or giving the child an opinion is extremely difficult. Like every decision a parent makes early on in their child’s life, it can create resentment later on from the child if the parent makes the wrong decision unknowingly. Although very different situations, I think it is similar to deciding whether you should give cochlear implants to a deaf child. That child may grow up never knowing about the Deaf world and who they would have been if you had not made that decision for them. Parents in both of these situations are trying to do what is best for their child because they want their child to live a happy and healthy life without being teased and bullied for being different. A parent cannot possible know what is the right decision for their child in either of these situations. I watched a show once about this girl who was raised a girl but was having feelings for other girls. She was being teased for this and she talked to her parents and her parents admitted to her for the first time that they had made a decision for her when she was born. They choose to make her a girl because they felt that was the right decision for their child. The daughter realized that she was not meant to be a girl and cut her hair off and started dressing and being a boy. These parents in this situation just wanted what was best for their child, but at birth your child cannot give their opinion. The question is, however, does a young child every truly know what is best for themselves? What age would you allow your child to make a decision if you left them with both parts? I sincerely believe that sometimes decisions should be made because it would be confusing for a child to grow up with both parts. It would create an identity crisis at a young age that could be avoided by the parents making a decision. It is one of the hardest decisions that a parent would ever have to make for their child, but I sincerely believe that a decision should be made. Even though it may come out later that you made a wrong choice, giving the child the opportunity to have an identity with a particular sex may be very beneficial. Personally I think I would have to make a decision for my child, but I would have expert doctors evaluate whether they think the child is more of a male of a female. Thu, 6 Oct 2011 02:23:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-29/#IDComment203675450 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-18/#IDComment200900755 I thought the videos of the three people stealing the bicycle was fascinating. All three of these very different people made the observers have a very different reaction. The white man evoked some reaction, but most people walked by and didn’t do much about it. The reaction to the black man was completely different however, and people walking by immediately drew attention to him and called the police. The white woman was the most fascinating of them all because the people walking by actually stopped to help her even when they knew she was stealing the bike. I think the fact that most of the people passing by were white and older in age may have had an affect on the results that were seen. Most of the people were older and the older generations in this country at this time are more prejudice then the younger ones. Although racial issues are not as prominent as they used to be, people still are extremely judgmental especially on the basis of race. I do not think it is a conscious decision that these people were making, although I cannot say that for all of them. One of the things that this video makes me wonder is if that woman was not as pretty, would the same reaction to her have occurred? If she had been heavier or wearing different clothing, would these men been as quick to help her? I personally believe that because they viewed her as a pretty woman, that is why they were so quick to help her steal the bike. If her appearance was different, being not as well put together or heavier or any number of things, I can almost guarantee that the men would not have had the same reaction. I would really have liked to see the reactions of the people with a black woman or a white woman who was not as pretty. I cannot predict what the reaction would be, but I think the white woman who was not as pretty would not have had the men trying to help her as much. I would really like to see this experiment done again but with more factors controlled. I would like to see both the black man and the white man dressed exactly the same, with the same socioeconomic standing, but maybe in a different area this time. I felt that the black and white man were not dressed the same which could have affected the results that were seen. I would also like to see the difference in different types of woman of all shapes, sizes and races. I think different results would be seen for all of these people. It is hard to say how I would react in this situation because I have never been in this exact situation. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:54:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-18/#IDComment200900755 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197421823 One of the things I found inspiring about the Haitian people in these videos is that they are not looking for a handout. They are willing to work hard to earn money and do not want anyone just giving them the things they need. Clorene Blaise makes her own embroidered or screen printed apparel. It is amazing the quality and the skill that is put into each and every article of clothing she produces with the limited raw materials that she has. I agree with Professor Richards that she needs her own label and identity because she should get credit for making high quality apparel. She is so willing to work hard and is talented in what she does. If she has more materials available to her, she would be able to produce even more products, but unfortunately, in Haiti the raw materials are very expensive. I think it is a great idea to help her get more materials from the United States that can be purchased for less here. It would be pretty simple to buy the material here that is produced in bulk and to allow her to pay in installments. By allowing her to pay for the products, you are just acting as a “bank” and the business is completely hers. If any one did more then just provide raw materials and not make her pay, it might become a selfish act to make money by saying that she owes you some of her profits. The business stays completely hers if she pays for the materials. She also could use new machinery like an up to date screening machine and new sewing machines, which she could pay for if she was fronted the costs. My suggestion would be to pay for the materials she needs and have her pay off the costs as she is able to make more money. I have no doubt in my mind that with new materials and machinery, she would be extremely successful. With the new machinery, she would be able to produce larger orders, that right now she cannot accept. I am not suggesting that someone go in and give her materials for free and just take profits because I do not think that is what Clorene really wants. She is willing to pay for all the materials, she just needs someone to front her the money. I think that someone who has some extra money and is willing to do a good deed, could really help her make a successful business. I also really love the bag she made out of used jeans. I personally like it just the way it is with the sparkles and the star on it and I would definitely use it as a beach bag. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:38:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197421823 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-8/#IDComment193337510 An athlete cannot be described simply by just physical features. Certain features can give a person an advantage when playing a sport, but it doesn’t make them great at it. It takes time and practice put into a sport to become a great athlete. It also takes motivation, heart, and the drive to be the best and win. No great athlete was born being great. They may have been born with more natural skill then another person but having natural skill doesn’t mean you have to be great or even good for that matter. I have seen many players in my time playing sports who had the potential to be great but could never be bothered to put in the effort. They were satisfied simply being good but not outstanding. I have also seen players who didn’t have the most skill, but they worked so hard to improve their skills that they became great. I played volleyball for a long time and some of the traits that benefit a volleyball player is having agility, quickness, hand-eye coordination, being able to jump and a certain amount of height helps as well, depending on the position you are playing. Although these qualities can help, I have seen tall volleyball players who were terrible at the game because they did not possess the natural skills to be a good player. I have also seen players who were smaller, but dominated at the net because they had a natural instinct for the game. I strongly believe that being an athlete is so much more then just physical characteristics. For me personally, my height gave me an advantage to play volleyball. I also have an eye for the court and am good at reading what the opponent is going to do with the ball. I was also a great leader and held my team together with my sense of people. This might not be a physical attribute, but it was extremely important in tight games where the team needed to stay together. I also put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the game because I loved it so much. I played year-round for four years which helped me improve my skills further. Every time I stepped onto the court I gave it my all because my personality does not allow me to not fully push myself to be the best I can be. Some of the traits that I possessed that held me back was that I was not the strongest or most muscular player. I was able to get around it because of my sight on the court, but it forced me to be smart when I played. An athlete cannot be made without some natural skill, however skill alone does not make an athlete great. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:58:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-8/#IDComment193337510 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/07/questions-from-the-classroom/#IDComment191228539 The human species has created the term “race” to identify people. In the past and even today, this has been used to classify, stereotype, and overall belittle people. What does “race” even mean? We are all just human beings that only differ in our exterior appearance, but every person looks different and has their own distinctive features. People have evolved to look different because of the different environments they live in. No one person is exactly the same in physical appearance, personality or ideals. The problem is, their is a natural human tendency to categorize things. Our brains tend to automatically place things, whether it be people, animals, or objects, into categorizes based on their appearance because that is the easiest way to organize information. People tend to look at each other and place them into a category based on physical appearances instead of realizing that physical appearances are not the only things that make human beings unique. People should just place other people into the category of human beings because that is what we all are. No race is better or more superior than any other. Race is a concept made up to justify imperialism. Especially in this country that was build on the ideas that every man (and woman) is created equal, the generations are finally starting to embrace this idea. Times are changing and the prejudice and stereotyping of the past is slowly fading with every generation. It is not perfect by any means, but it has definitely improved. Our generation is not nearly as prejudice as our parents, who are not as prejudice as their parents. Different “races” have been mixing for generations (even though prejudices existed) and now most people are not a pure race. I hope that the racial stereotypes and racial lines that seem to be drawn will slowly disappear because we are all just human beings. Although it would be nice if this could happen, I still question whether these prejudices and race lines will ever really completely disappear. In my opinion, people will always judge other people simply based on physical appearance. This is not necessarily an issue of race, gender, or culture. It happens within all types of people whether they are the same culture, race or gender or not. In school, we are all taught that you shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover,” however it happens all the time. People will take one look at another human being and not even give them a chance simply based on their physical appearance. Completely eliminating races would require people to stop judging other people based on their physical appearance. I do not think this is going to happen in the near future because people struggle looking passed the physical “imperfections” of another person. Thu, 8 Sep 2011 21:59:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/07/questions-from-the-classroom/#IDComment191228539 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/08/30/double-helix-and-god/#IDComment188440653 Today in class, we spoke about how the double helix is a symbol for God. The double helix has been a representation for God as far back as Ancient Mesopotamia. About fifty years ago, the double helix was discovered to be the shape of DNA. An interesting question that could be considered is, is this a coincidence or is there some connection between God and the double helix. I find this to be a fascinating topic because the double helix is not a common shape like a square, circle or triangle. It is completely unique in its structure and shape. DNA is also individually different in everyone which is complemented by the fact that the shape of the double helix and the fact that it is barely seen in the natural environment, if at all. I still sincerely believe that their must be a divine power that created life. I understand the scientific evidence, but I am still a believer in a divine power because their are things that cannot be explained in my eyes simply by science. I am a Roman Catholic and a believer in God and all the power he possess. I am also a believer that everything happens for a reason. I think that the double helix being a symbol of God is a representation that God created each and every one of us and gave us unique DNA to be the person we were meant to be. To me, this does not make me question my faith at all. I simply believe that the double helix is just another symbol for whatever God or Gods a person may believe in, because different religions have different ways that they think about God. Spiritual people, for the most part, believe in a divine, all knowing power that guides them and protects them in their life. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the double helix is a symbol for God because the shape of the double helix in DNA makes a person who they are. None of the ideas about a divine power or God are incorrect. I strongly believe that beliefs in a God or multiple Gods are simply different perspectives on a similar issue. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about God and the impact their God has on their own life, whether it be big or small. I also believe it is extremely important to respect everyone else’s religious beliefs, even if you don’t think they are necessarily right in everything they are saying. No one believes exactly the same thing, even with in the same religions, because many of the religious books were written hundreds of years ago and can be interpreted differently. The double helix is a symbol for God, but it does not change how I feel about my religion. Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:52:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/08/30/double-helix-and-god/#IDComment188440653