en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2404968 Comments by psu36 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment142411579 like women like all of the sexual and “rockstar” type treatment, which turns out to be the exact way to mistreat a woman. While this shouldn’t be our scapegoat, it surely doesn’t help the cause. I guess the prisoner found out now that you can’t treat women like objects as they do on TV after probably being out of a relationship for some time now. How and/or why he realized this is hard to tell, and is probably even a hard question for him to answer, but now at least he can try to use this letter and try to get teachers and professors like Sam to educate with it to try to put some good morals back in this world. While it is hard to rectify past relationships with women while you are in jail, I think that this prisoner did just that the best that he could, following up his powerful letter with a sincere apology that will unfortunately probably never be heard, seen, or maybe even believed by the women who he had abused in his life. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:26:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment142411579 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment142411535 This post was a beautiful piece of writing. I feel like the prisoner pretty much nailed everything girls want in guys on the head. The way this post was written just added to the seriousness of the post. It was written so sincerely and with a lot of thoughtfulness, which just bleeds through every single word that this prisoner wrote. I honestly don’t think many women would be able to write a better paper on how men should be treating women. This post is even more powerful and moving because he doesn’t realize this until he is in prison and not really in a relationship anymore due to his life sentence. The main lesson I see in this paper is when he mentions about how long it took him to realize this. And the reason he gives is the way the television, movies, and music portray the treatment of women to the general public. This statement is 100% true. The media today has manipulated the thoughts of men. They have made it seem Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:26:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment142411535 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137422646 Another good point is the enormous impact of social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. This allows people to see what is going on with the people pretty much around the whole world, and as people see more people doing one thing, they are automatically inclined to follow suit, which is where the invisible strings come into play. The numbers really are shifting and they are predicted to only grow in the countries that are discussed in this article. The kicker for me is that Ireland went up to over 4% unaffiliated because Ireland is probably the most catholic country in the whole world. While that number still isn’t high, it went up from .04% in the 1960s and sociologist actually do predict that the majority of the Irish in Ireland will become unaffiliated rather that stay with their historic deeply rooted Catholic roots. While the numbers are there I believe organized religion will never die out. It will survive just as any other of the smaller beliefs, including atheism and agnosticism, have stuck around for all these years. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:46:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137422646 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137422632 Organized religion is something that has been around since almost the beginning of man. We have records of it in the Bible. It was obviously popular in some way because in the early 1500s, a man by the name of Martin Luther started the Protestant faith because he did not agree with some of the beliefs that the Christians and the Jews believed in. These faiths have grown and flourished since then along with Christianity and other religions. It is interesting and surprising initially to hear that organized religion is becoming extinct. But after putting some thought into it, I could see where the organized religions would be dying out. Why more people are claiming to not be a part of an organized religion is beyond me, but I know it has something to do with the invisible strings. As the article states, it is more appealing to join the majority that it is to be part of the minority, and right now in some countries, the majority is leaning towards not being a part of a religion. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:46:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137422632 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment134322600 But, in other cases, some of the winners don’t know how to control themselves and they end up losing all of their winnings just as fast as they won it, and that would be a huge disappointment to anybody. This is one example of a possible transition from one social system to another. Another example of a tough transition would be that once your name gets out that you won, you could possibly have a target on your back. That target is in the sights for all the jealous people, those people could steal from you or harass you, or, unfortunately, end up killing you, which is what happened to one Florida winner. In conclusion, the negative effects of actually winning the lottery can be pretty big. Just like any transition into different social systems, winning the lottery is one that could be tough to get used to. Being a lottery player, these stories made me think if it was actually worth it to put the money into the lottery and actually being lucky enough to win. Some of these stories and the realization of how the change of being wealthy sort of deter me from trying to win that big jackpot. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:28:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment134322600 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment134322561 Whenever I go and buy a lottery ticket, of course I think of what it would be like to win that big jackpot. I think about what I will do with all the money and all the wealth that comes with the luck of winning. One thing that I don’t think about is if the transition to a wealthier lifestyle would be easy or not, because you would think that it wouldn’t be hard to get used to since it is most Americans’ dreams. But the introduction that Sam posts makes me think otherwise. Whenever you think of any major transition in your life, it is usually a pretty long process that takes a pretty big toll on your social and psychological life. When becoming a millionaire in a matter of a day by wining the lottery, you would think that all that could come out of the process would be nothing but good and happiness. In many cases, this is what happens and the winner does what he or she would like to do with the money to make themselves and those close to them very happy for a very long time. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:27:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment134322561 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment130665386 This is the point that Tim Minchin is attempting to humorously make. He says that his wife is special and he loves her a lot, but if it didn’t work out or she all of a sudden “fell from something high or contracted something bad”, he would be very sad, but statistically be able to find another soul mate to spend the rest of his life with and be happy. He jokingly says that his wife is special, but that she falls within a bell curve, which is somewhat true. The bell curve might not be very big, but other people can fall within the same bell curve as well. In conclusion, it all depends on the invisible strings that factor into everyone’s lives. These strings act as sort of a lottery. The soul mate that you will meet in your life seemingly depends on luck. That is what Minchin is proclaiming when he says that his wife is one in a million, but he thinks there is another girl out there in the 9.999 hundred thousand people that he will be compatible with. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:43:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment130665386 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment130665335 Tim Minchin brings up an interesting point in this very humorous song that he sings. He addresses an issue that many people may not want to believe, but in reality it will be true 99.9% of the time. The fact that we, as humans, only have one “true love” is something that might exist, but most likely there is someone out there who you will love enough to take the plunge with. This might not be the most romantic way to look at the situation, but it will probably be true, according to the law of averages. This is mainly due to the invisible strings that nudge us along throughout our whole life. The invisible strings are “controlling” us our whole life. The strings force us to do this and that, they make us meet certain people who can have a major impact on our life. The strings influence us to start relationships with the people who we make connections with, and possibly, spend forever with. The strings also influence us to break up with these people, and if we didn’t break up with our first mate, persay, we would never have met the next person that we started a relationship with. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:43:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment130665335 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128492759 A good point is brought up whenever you think of China. Seeing as how the country has been trying to regulate the population by having the “one child rule”, and killing off any child who wasn’t the firstborn, this would be a great practice in order to control the population and helping save the resources so that everyone can use them. So maybe in a couple of years, China will adopt this thought of polyandry, but I can’t see it happening here in the U.S. due to all of the sociological factors that go into it. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:06:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128492759 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128492743 While the thought of the way the people have to live in the Himalayas, this concept of polyandry seems to be a common sense way to live. All of the resources are scarce and it is a good way to start controlling the population of a country. One nice aspect of polyandry is that the brothers have the choice to participate or not. This may not be a “free” choice, per say, but the choice is there. I could see many of the families kind of pressuring the younger brothers into marrying the young girl that the family picked for the boys. But the installment of better education and satellite dishes for televisions might have an impact on the future of polyandry within the young people of the country. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:06:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128492743 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128492685 While the thought of polyandry seems absurd to most of the people in this country, it seems to make sense for the people of this area. This concept that mimics polygamy, is a strange way to live, but it seems like it is the only safe way to live for these people in the Himalayas. I, for one, would absolutely hate for me and my own blood brother to be married to my wife. This concept is over my head. The sociological differences demonstrate the sociological invisible strings that come into play. The strings here are forcing the people in the Himalayas to do this and be comfortable with it in order to live a comfortable life together. I feel like this would not go over well here in the United States because polygamy is looked down upon here. This is just way out of the norm that was established in the United States, which has to do with determinism. This determinism shapes us using the invisible strings. Seeing as how this way of life is out of our context, I believe that polygamy or polyandry will never strive in a culture like the one that we have right now. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:06:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128492685 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127415606 The things that he does remember all have to do with the situation that had ended up with the life sentence. This whole ordeal seems to have corrupted him until the last sentence where he proclaims that a “might and all-powerful” God has forgiven him. I find this to be amazing. It is amazing that after all of the things that he can’t remember and all of the people that seem to have almost given up on him for whatever reason, that he has found God and seems to be very humble given his whole life situation. The invisible strings that are prevalent in this man’s story show an interesting way of how they affect somebody and how they can shape our lives. The invisible strings had an influence on this man to do something that he shouldn’t have done, and now the strings had influence on him to turn to God and now he seems to be making the most out of his life changing situation. It seems to me that a lifer can go two directions in prison with little or no outside support: either hate himself for the rest of his/her life or try to find God and find forgiveness through Him. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:01:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127415606 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127415563 This letter by a prisoner sentenced to a life sentence seemed to be the most direct letter out of all of them. It was a very powerful letter that got me thinking about what it would be like if I had ever committed a crime and got a life sentence out of it. The emotional things that he can’t remember hit home for me, especially when he talked about his family, friends, and relationships. The man who is writing this has obviously spent most of his time in jail thinking about his past, but all he can think about is how he ended up getting a life sentence. This is a very emotional piece that contains a lot of heart and thought. It is obvious that the only thing on this guy’s mind are the who, what, where, when, and why’s about the whole situation that landed him in jail for the rest of his life. For me, it is extremely hard to feel like I can’t remember anything before I would have been just a young man at the ripe age of 22. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:01:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127415563 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125841734 The last guy in this video automatically conforms with the social norms that are instilled in the elevator. In the video, it shows that the man is a little confused to what is going on, and why it is happening, but he goes with the flow, so to speak, anyway. This can happen for a variety of reasons, be it out of curiosity or just trying to not stand out. A humorous aspect to the experiment with this man is that he does not notice anyone holding their hat at first, but when he does notice, he immediately takes his hat off, wondering what the hell is going on. Then all of a sudden they all put their hats back on, and the man follows suit. The invisible strings in this example are very prevalent and sociological “need” to be “normal” is rather funny. This video shows the power of conformity. While this is a much smaller scale where it is easier to single one person out and make them uncomfortable, it is a very effective video that shows the real power of what a thought of being “normal” really is. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 05:55:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125841734 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125841704 The invisible strings in this video are humorously obvious and effective in the situations demonstrated. These sociological experiments go to show anybody just how effective these strings are, especially over time. The transition into conformity can be very subtle, just like the first guy. This guy tries to be “normal” as we would usually see it and is facing the door of the elevator, but the other people choose to face the back of the elevator, which becomes the new “norm” because the majority of the people are doing it. This guy feels the “force” of the invisible strings, but initially tries to ignore the fact that everybody is facing the back. He takes a look at his watch and tries to become “normal” without being obvious about it. I think that this is evident in everyday life. Many people try to ignore the fact that they are falling into the new “norms” but go through with the transition into conformity anyway. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 05:55:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125841704 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124461676 Another factor is how much the school stressed the importance of sex education, and whether or not they used to have the funding for it by the state, seeing as how they are a school that is located in a low income area. Whether or not the funding is there or not, sex education should be a priority after the school finds out a small percentage of the student body is pregnant, not after the number rises to over 10% of the student body. In conclusion, while the boys and girls there have the freedom to make the choice to have sex, it isn’t necessarily a freedom to actually get pregnant. It can be a “choice” to get pregnant, but actually getting pregnant does involve a lot of luck, unless the girl knows at what point in her cycle she is and she knows at what points she can get pregnant. While a lot of factors go into this, I believe that you do have the “freedom” to get pregnant, but it isn’t always a “choice”, because of all of the medical factors that go into getting pregnant. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:00:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124461676 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124461624 After seeing that 90 students, or 11% of the student body was pregnant at one high school I thought that it was absurd. Everybody has the freedom to make the choice to try to get pregnant, but actually becoming pregnant doesn’t happen everytime that two people choose to try to get pregnant. This is what blows my mind, because actually getting pregnant definitely involves good timing and often times involves a lot of luck, good or bad. This fact makes this statistic very mind blowing. While many of the students can have unprotected sex, this doesn’t mean that every girl who has unprotected sex actually gets pregnant. This is where the timing and luck come into play. I think that it is amazing that this happened to that many girls at one high school. But after putting deeper thought into this situation, it might not be so absurd. There are shows like “Teen Mom” on MTV and other movies and shows that focus on teenage pregnancy. This almost tries to show society that it is “normal” or that it is okay to be a parent at such a young age. These shows have gained popularity and most definitely have that kind of impact on society. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 02:59:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124461624 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cj%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment123571075 soc 001 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:52:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cj%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment123571075 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122450411 I also think it is odd that vacuuming the house is on this prisoners list of basic freedoms, seeing as how that when most kids are told to vacuum the house, they always give a sigh or a whine because they would rather be doing something else more fun. I think it is amazing that even after listing all these basic freedoms that he will never have again, he still realizes that he has freedoms that he has of his mind. He claims he is freer now than when he ever has been. He knows that these freedoms will never be taken away from him and that he can make some choices that can still shape his life as it is now. He realizes it isn’t the same, but he dwells on it in order to keep him going after what has happened in his life. This shows his true appreciation and knowledge of what it means to be ‘free’, and that he still has inspiration to keep going because of these simple, but not so little freedoms. Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:43:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122450411 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122450360 “Freedom to me is like wallpaper, we know it is there but we pay it no mind.” The first line of this letter from a prisoner with a life sentence made me sit here and think. This statement is very powerful and makes you think about the meaning of the word ‘freedom’. We all make hundreds of choices each day, and usually pay no mind to the amount of freedom that we have in order to make those choices. It is hard to even think about not having any of the things on the list that this prisoner wrote in his letter, which is something that I know I take for granted every once in a while, not out of ignorance, but probably just because it becomes a routine of daily life. It is hard to understand deep appreciation until you don’t have it anymore. Some of the things you would never think of, like hearing a dog bark or petting a dog, are in this list of some basic freedoms that most of us probably never think of as part of our everyday life. Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:43:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122450360