gdp's Comments

World In Conversation : Week 8 – Lesson 14: Affirmative Action

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 03:18:33 +0000

I agree with you, I too was shocked to find out that white women benefit the most from AA. It is interesting to hear that you have had first hand experience with AA. I have worked three jobs now and have never personally dealt with cases revolving around AA, but I do believe that there are subliminal reasons behind actions companies do to benefit them (the tax break example for instance.) It is interesting to hear you discuss how it has been hard for you to get hired in PA due to the amount of nepotism you have experienced. I actually had similar thoughts running through my head when hearing Sam discuss the ideas behind nepotism.

World In Conversation : Week 8 – Lesson 14: Affirmative Action

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 03:14:28 +0000

In our final lecture Sam discussed Affirmative Action and the interpretations that each of us has on it. Affirmative Action itself can be more complex than what we see at the surface. Many people have a generalization that Affirmative Action is just as simple as “that black associate is paid more than me” or “that black person got the job I should have gotten.” From the legal classes I have had at Penn State, it seems that the greatest misconception people develop with AA is that they begin to blur the lines with issues of Discrimination and Prejudice. While they all develop from the same overall idea, AA seems to delve into more of a complex source of issues. For instance, AA directly addresses people who believe they were a sole minority being discriminated against. As Sam stated in lecture though, only a small percentage actually apply to this regulation. To me, I found it most interesting that white women and people of the middle class gain the most from AA over any other class. Consider this a misconception, but I always believed that people of the lower class would apply more for AA because typical jobs held by lower class people are often riddled with legal nightmares (discrimination, unsafe work habits, etc.) It made me begin to wonder if AA is something that people of a lower class either do not face as greatly as middle class workers, or if they simply are unaware (or uneducated) on AA and the benefits and protection it offers workers facing such situations. Personally if I had not attended Penn State I would most likely never have heard of AA again and would not have even considered it a regulation available for protecting workers from discriminatory practices. I think it is interesting to add a section around the legal protections of cultures into this course as most of what we have covered over the past few weeks revolve around the ideas and structures of cultures and their identities, yet we have not divulged greatly into what has developed because of discrimination and injustices to protect them. The final point of this lecture that struck me was how Sam asked the class how they planned to search for a more equal society when getting out into the workforce. I think it is important to note that, as we as a culture become more diverse and open to other ethnic cultures, we will slowly and perhaps subconsciously begin to move into a workplace and social setting that finds programs like AA less and less needed in our organizations. For now that seems like a long stretch, but with the rapid transformations our society has been taking in regards to social ethnic development, it could be an idea that is not too far from attainable.

World In Conversation : Week 7 – Lesson 13: Immigration

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 02:21:16 +0000

It was definitely interesting when comparing the immigration of our people hundreds of years ago to America versus today's immigration. We seem to be facing a new wave of immigration that we are not quite yet aware of how to deal with. An interesting thought to me is that we, once immigrants ourselves, quickly became "King of the Hill"... who's to say that new immigrants won't soon begin to take over and redefine the complete demographics of our societies. It is no doubt we are already seeing a shift in cultural happenings. I did like your point when stating you had never heard of a positive reaction to illegal immigration. When I thought back upon the debate topic, I haven't truthfully heard one either. Typically it is a negative and often hate filled message when political figures and citizens discuss the topic. One could beg to differ if there is any good coming from this migration of people, or if we altogether are seeing a redefining of what it means to be "American" in a multicultural nation.

World In Conversation : Week 7 – Lesson 13: Immigration

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 02:16:48 +0000

The topic for lesson 13 is so wide in range that it’s hard to define what exactly we are looking for in the first place. There is no doubt that immigration is by far one of the most polarizing topics of our time, particularly when it comes to jobs and homeland security. As pointed out in the lecture, illegal immigration continues to affect our society and our labor force as statistics show dramatic increases in employers investing resources and money into illegal immigrants. In my senior year of high school my government class did a research project on illegal immigration and whether it was helping or hurting American society. Back then I researched information across the internet, read varying arguments for and against illegal immigration, and even researching the typical life of an illegal immigrant in American society. Then, my decision on immigration was very clear. I believed that harboring citizens in our country with no record of their existence was a direct security threat to our society and our people. The subject of job security has been brought up many times, mainly because people see illegal immigrants as the sole cause for American job loss and unemployment. As stereotypical as it is to follow this generalization, it seems that data is proving this to be the case. In Sam’s lectures he proposed that not much has changed in the form of information on immigrants overtime. I do believe that many Americans are uninformed as to what the nature of immigration si really like now, and most people feed into news programs on CNN and Fox where they are constantly bad talking immigrants, instilling fear and resentment into the American society. At any given time you can turn a channel on TV and watch a series about border police units hunting down illegal immigrants and even killing them for trying cross the border into America. It’s actually an unfortunate event to think that people are risking their lives fleeing from their homeland all just to try and survive and potentially make a living for themselves and their families. A final point I’d like to make on the immigration debate is that I do believe there is a very dark side to this story. It’s no question that border disputes have, adversely, opened up a very strong drug trade route between America and Mexico, and many illicit and illegal drugs flow into the US from Mexico on a daily basis. This is definitely one of the more serious consequences of having illegal immigrants entering the US. I do believe that it is in all Americans best interest to take a more active role in listening and searching into the details of illegal immigration because it seems to be the “silent” problem that is quickly multiplying throughout our country.

World In Conversation : Week 7 – Lesson 12: Multiculturalism & LGBT

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:08:18 +0000

I like the fact that you pointed out how Sam clarified gay parents are almost guaranteed to foster loving environments. I believe one of the greatest debates right now is the rights of gay marriage and, although some states have begun accepting gay marriage license, there is still a long way to go before equal rights are common among all states. I think we can relate the lessons from last week to this week by stating that many people opposing homosexual views are stuck in a stage where their own identity and beliefs, to them, trump all others. A last point that I would like to make which I also made was that kids raised by gay parents can live just as equal, if not better, a life than kids raised by straight parents. I think because it is such an "odd" circumstance people don't want to accept that a different way of doing things in society could be equally beneficial, if not more to children's lives.

World In Conversation : Week 7 – Lesson 12: Multiculturalism & LGBT

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:55:48 +0000

In this week’s lecture we discussed the concepts of multiculturalism and LGBT rights in today’s society. I was impressed that we discussed LGBT rights because it wasn’t an initial topic I expected to cover during the session. One point I thought was interesting that Sam pointed out was the comparison between straight parents and gay parents and the type of living environment both parents can offer their children to raise in. When thinking about this, I believe that there is opportunity for any child to be raised in an unsure environment, and there is always potential to be raised through a rough childhood. One problem I could see with a child being raised by a gay couple is that they will feel somewhat confused at the fact that they do not have both parents there to provide what a mother and father can each provide normally to a child. On the other hand though, being raised by a gay couple also means that the child was saved from a foster home and was taken into adoption to be raised by two loving people, regardless of gender(s). I think one of the happiest joys in life for a foster child is to be taken into a loving family and given the opportunity to finally experience a more “normal” childhood. I must say that this truly is the only class I have had in all four years at Penn State that openly talked about LGBT relations. Many of the other classes I have taken at Penn State regarding demographics in society nearly always skipped over LGBT relations. For some reason it seems to be the “hush hush” topic when it comes to the varying cultures of society. I think a strong point to be made here is that not only do the statistics for the number of people considering themselves “gay” keep rising, but as well that there is a greater societal push for equal rights for gay and bisexual people (marriage). Fifty years ago, considering yourself “gay” would have been highly looked down upon by members of society. While it still strikes a negative tone, the idea is much more common and becoming more accepted as a widespread movement in culture. A final note that I would like to touch upon is the laws against homosexuals currently enacted in some places of the country. I thought it was completely mind blowing to think that some places consider being homosexual illegal and other places commit people to jail time or committing sexual acts. In a society where we seem to be moving toward a more progressive and equal understanding of each other and the differences that make us unique, I find this to be extremely reclusive and hindering the potential for societal expansions into better relationships.

World In Conversation : Week 6 – Lesson 10: Stages of Racial Identity – People of Color: Stages 1-4

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:07:48 +0000

I too thought that it was interesting to hear how Penn State divided up the living situations on campus, kind of shocking and appalling to me. It is very true that being moved from your community into one that is so racially diverse (like Penn State) is a hard transition to make. The most sensible option for Penn State would be to divide up the races that live together, not segregate them, so that everyone can learn from the start how to adapt and socialize themselves into a diverse racial setting. I like that you also mentioned that many Asians identify themselves as White. It makes me wonder if truly they judge the basis of that decision on the fact that they perceive white people to receive more adequate treatment and better opportunities in life. It is true that our norms are shaping people from a young age to develop preconceived notions about race, and it seems to be heading us down a pretty uncertain path.

World In Conversation : Week 6 – Lesson 10: Stages of Racial Identity – People of Color: Stages 1-4

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:02:27 +0000

The second phase of our lectures on racial identity, I felt, was more provoking and strived to unearth the real roots behind the phases of pre-awakening, awakening, etc. I think one of the most solid points from the lecture came in terms of people of color and the certain discriminatory practices that come into play when trying to obtain housing. I have lived in two apartments now and have never had issues when dealing with housing discrimination, so it’s hard for me to understand how people can choose to discriminate against other races when providing housing. I also thought, as always, that the videos presented in this lecture were thought provoking and really turned an idea that I had into something else. For example, in the video where the colored girls were comparing themselves to white girls, especially when talking about hairstyles, I felt was a pivotal moment in defining the types of social construction perceptions that each of us may have. I recall watching a documentary on TV a few years back about a black girl living in an all white rural town. She was often stared at and talked about when she would make simple grocery runs or would go out to eat. She had an envy of the white girls in the town because they always had the attention of men and she even went to the extent of trying to change how she spoke and enhanced her skin with skin dye to try and look more ‘normal’ in the town. After comparing this example to the points brought up in lecture, a scary thought came to me. Just how much pressure from society does it take for one person to try and conform their identity to a completely different set of norms? For as many black people who I have met who have wished they could be white and have the same opportunities as white people, I have also met white people who wish they could be black. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard a white / black person say “If only I were white / black”, things would be different. I have heard this in school, on the job front, and even in casual public conversations with other people. I mentioned this point many times, but I feel our society gets to a point where we become confused with what we want, who we are, and who we think we should be to fit into societies norms. I feel because of this we tend to bounce back and forth between the stages of racial identity presented in class. I put this question forward in our voice thread but I think it warrants discussion from anyone willing to answer: Can we / how do we break down the barriers blocking us from moving up the stages into an all accepting, racially equal person?

World In Conversation : Week 5 – Lesson 9: Stages of Racial Identity – White People: Stages 3 & 4

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:16:31 +0000

I also thought it was extremely important to introduce Guilt into the lecture as it is a resounding effect that many people often feel from pursuing racism. For everyone that experiences these stages however, I do believe there are people in this world that are so unadapted to society that they skip the entire Guilt process and only focus on having a racially abrasive mindset. It's these particular individuals who propel the racism process and harbor a dangerous and relentless pursuit of cultural racism that fail to develop and move society forward into a coherent and accepting culture. If we can move on from anger and fear into acceptance and understanding, I believe that we would discover a more progressive and innovative society.

World In Conversation : Week 5 – Lesson 9: Stages of Racial Identity – White People: Stages 3 & 4

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:06:11 +0000

This week we continued with the final stages of Lesson 5 in which we saw how white people transition and make decisions about judgments on other races based on certain ideology. To begin the lecture, professor Richards states that white people try their best to comprehend and perceive people of other races as being equal in race. More directly put, white people try to see everyone alike. This can create a lot of confusion and misdirection in terms how interaction between people. It is my personal belief that MOST people do try to set aside their feelings of prejudice and judgment and try to analyze and develop relationships with other humans on a level deeper than just skin color. I, myself, try each time I interact with a person of a different race to see them as just another human being, no matter the color of the skin, their accent, or the clothes they wear. I believe that, today, much of the white attitude is slowly progressing to a more optimistic and accepting profile. The fact that we, as Americans, now have a president of black decent is a personal strife that most would have not been seen a few decades back. I believe that not only do white people go through stages like this, but most all people go through stages where they are constantly putting themselves up against another race and trying to compare and divide differences to come to better terms of understanding. One of the greatest examples I can use to exemplify my point is the feeling that most people of Muslim decent receive when seeing a person of American decent, particularly after the recent Iraq war. As we learned, in their country they see the sides of Americans teaching children to be warriors of God, to defend religion and to carry out extreme measures to spread his word. When faced with an American, it is most likely that they go through the same stages in their mind to breakdown and dematerialize any stereotypes that may arise. The final point I’d like to make about this lecture, which I believe Professor Richards stated, is that not everyone goes through these stages. A few people I know are very open minded to other races and cultures and never feel threatened or “out-of-place” when around them. I believe much of the fear and racism that we are developed with comes from the socialization we have at a young age not only from our parents but as well surrounding forces such as environment and community. The more close-minded a society is, the greater the chance that a white person (or any person for that matter) will find themselves hung up in the stages of the race cycle.

World In Conversation : Week 5 – Lesson 8: Stages of Racial Identity – White People: Stages 1 & 2

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:11:55 +0000

I like that, even though you aren't white, you took yourself out of your racial role and tried to see form the viewpoint of a white person. I think people of any race can learn a lot by doing this, yet it is something rarely anyone ever does. I also thought you had a great and interesting point when stating that white people typically state "I am white" when pronouncing their race while people of other cultures typically state "i am Indian, I am Asian" etc. I find myself usually stating that I am white because it is the term that has been embodied in me since I was young, and coming from an all white community, I use to never look any further than what I was told. Great points on the lesson this week!

World In Conversation : Week 5 – Lesson 8: Stages of Racial Identity – White People: Stages 1 & 2

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:07:28 +0000

While watching this week’s lecture I couldn’t help but be completely engaged in the idea that people of some races and ethnicities are completely blind to the stereotypes that others label on them in society. In reviewing the two stages of racial identity for white people, I noticed that I myself have often been caught up in the first stage (pre-awakening) and have often almost transitioned back and forth between the first stage and the second. As a general rule I try not to stereotype anyone into a certain bracket or category, but try to see everyone as a “human”, not a “muslim” or a “black” and so on. One of the more interesting clips of the lecture was when we looked at www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com and the Dave Chapelle comedy skit. Being white I don’t normally consider what other races may consider a white stereotype, but after watching those examples in addition to Weird Al’s “White and Nerdy”, it becomes easy to see how other races may classify white people by certain trends or characteristics. I do believe that we as a country are slowly getting better at crossing boundaries and accepting people of other races over into a different race boundary. As a generic kind of idea that runs throughout any part of this course, I do believe that racism is slowly diminishing form society, though unfortunately we may never see it truly decline. Coming from a small town of nearly all middle-aged people, there comes times where instances of stereotyping and racism are displayed in public, particularly if someone from another race (black, Asian, or Latin) moves into town. The last topic I would like to touch on was the end note where Professor Richards began to talk about the meanings behind “Political Correctness” and where the concept was established from. Its true that today many preach about being “politically correct” yet fail to achieve such standards. The video document of Robert Byrd was a prime example of this. Additionally, I found the video of the immigrant road sign to be not only funny, but somewhat scary in context. Many of the people who viewed the sign used some form of racial profiling to depict what stereotype the sign was or wasn’t depicting. A comment that stood out most to me was when a black pedestrian commented on how the family depicted clearly wasn’t intended for black citizens because the pictures did not have “afros”. This weeks lesson was a great lesson in bringing more eye opening concepts to the class, especially when broken down by race. AS a white student I found it to be invigorating and interesting to see how a dominant race is viewed by more minority races.

World In Conversation : Week 4 – Lesson 6: Race and Ethnic Inequality

Thu, 9 Jun 2011 02:40:13 +0000

Hi easygoing96, I agree with what you say when you state that black and brown people know whats going on, and I would argue that all races do to, but putting it into statistical numbers makes the arguments that more powerful. It is true that everyone is responsible for their own actions,. and I do believe that this also plays a part in the Freedom vs. Determinism debate. The final point that I'd like to comment on is how you stated that crimes are judged differently based on someones skin color. I see where your point is being argued but I have to argue that much of where accusations come from are from society itself. I believe that if a white person hears of a black person killing someone, they perceive it as being much more heinous than if a white person hears of another white person killing someone. To me it seems to all boil back down to how we as society have been socialized into an ethnically divided culture.

World In Conversation : Week 4 – Lesson 6: Race and Ethnic Inequality

Thu, 9 Jun 2011 02:31:13 +0000

June 8, 2011 Professor Richards lecture today on inequality between racism touched base on much of the concepts we had previously reviewed but in better detail. I was somewhat shocked to see him making an example of the black kid at the beginning of the lecture but realize that, of all my classes I’ve had at Penn State so far, this one is definitely the most daring one reaching to prove a point. What I love so much about each lecture is how deep Richards will go and to what visual extents he pushes in order to get us to understand or see a concept better. The idea that most struck me in the lectures for this week was the idea of the “King of the Hill” being able to control everything simply because of the power he has gained. In lecture Richards spoke of how sometimes we stumble onto being King of the Hill from pure luck, other times through people we know or even times where we use brute force to get what we want. Richards explains that those who control the mountain control everyone below them, and in the case of sociology, it is usually one ethnic group controlling another or many more for that matter. Immediately what I thought of was the arrival of European whites to the Americas in a time where Native Americans owned the land. Through the use of force and bribery, whites were able to push Native Americans out of their homes and quickly became the race that was “King of the Hill”. While I do see Richards point as to how luck can cause one person or ethnic group to simply become king of the hill, I have to say that, throughout history, I believe it is determination and perhaps sheer greed that causes most to rise to such powerful states. When black slaves were brought to America, whites continued to remain powerful, suppressing them into slavery and forcing them to fulfill daily obligations to their owners. Today, of course, we could argue that the kings of the hill still remain white, but as our country and the world itself continues to diversify, we are quickly seeing a manifestation of equal power rising to the top. With all of this said, after the lecture my mind began to think, if whites have controlled the top of the hill for so long, what would it take for another race to overthrow white power and gain control of the top of the hill? Will it ever happen? I can only guess that we as Americans will continue to see a growing diversity in our ethnic population, and as this growth continues, more and more races are going to hunger for the power that lurks at the top of the hill.

World In Conversation : Week 3 – Lesson 5: Social Inequality

Mon, 6 Jun 2011 03:42:28 +0000

I love the fact that you pointed out Prof. Richards demonstration of stereotyping by pulling the groups of students up to the front of the room. It is an obvious truth that we make assumptions about people solely based on their skin color, whether we like to admit to it or not. Another point that you mentioned that I enjoyed form the lecture was seeing the positive results of the SAT scores in comparison to family income. At first this isn't something I would generally characterize as having a positive correlation, but as studies show, it helps to have income. I do believe it is true that someone of low income can still have every opprtunity, if not more to succeed in education but I do believe having the availability of resources around as much as those from middle and upper income families do certainly doesn't hurt.

World In Conversation : Week 3 – Lesson 5: Social Inequality

Mon, 6 Jun 2011 03:38:37 +0000

Lesson fives lecture on family income and income inequality was interesting to me on many levels, particularly the by the fact that income inequality among races generally isn’t talked about that widely in America. True we do have those who compare the typical income inequalities between men and women and as well between black and white working folk, but rarely do we see articles that classify income by Asian, Caucasian, African American and Latino nationalities. An interesting point to this to is that it is not income based on individual work revenue, but is actual measured as family income. I think a strong point to be made here is how cultures view varying working conditions and at what age working conditions may be suitable for other members of the household. For instance, in my family my parents always believed I should start working as young as possible to learn the responsibility that comes with earning money. Additionally I was taught how to respect the things I bought with my own hard earned money and actually ended up buying my first car with the income I made on my first job at age 17. Some cultures, however, may view working at a young age as depriving one from the ability to learn more and spend more of their time focused on schoolwork and furthering their education to help them gain better, more prospective jobs for their lifetime. An interesting factor to look at when considering income levels among varying races are the jobs that each ethnicity may hold. For instance, there may be strong correlations between white workers being more divided between blue and white collar jobs, whereas Asian cultures may be more prominent in white collar sector opportunities. These types of factors would greatly skew the data and the interpretation we may have on ethnicities and jobs held among them. A final point about lecture 5 that I found interesting was the discussion among race and professional sports that was brought up throughout the lecture. I believe that by defining a certain sport or professional player based upon a demographic is viewed by many in society as racist, but in turn is quite normal when you look at the evidence. For years I have heard many people say that “basketball is a black mans sport” simply because African Americans dominate much of the professional ranks of the NBA. This is also common when discussing the NFL and how dominated it is by African American players. I think there are many take away points from this lecture, especially when it comes to how we view income inequality among races. As I stated earlier, this is a subject not commonly touched upon in popular news media but one that is certainly worth investing the time and research into.

World In Conversation : Week 3 – Lesson 4: Ethnocentrism

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:25:14 +0000

KelseyLenox, I like the fact that you stated that even though your boyfriend is in the Air Force and that, currently being in Iraq, you were still able to put your views aside and see the likenesses and radical extremes of both sides. We really are fed a lot of “American pride” to digest through television, news and other media and, while I am all for American patriotism, I do believe there can be a point where boundaries are crossed and some Americans end up becoming assigned ‘radical’ just as some Muslims do. It is scary to think that some Christians will go to such crazy and extreme measures simple to instill fear to persuade others to a certain belief. I also liked your last point that stated that, even though the Quarn calls for violence, not all Muslims follow it. I think this is comparable to many Christians today. A subject that can relate directly to this is the fact that many of my Christian friends believe in God fully and would never distrust their faith, however the Bible calls for no sex until marriage, yet all of my friends have had sex and not one has even discussed marriage in their near future. I believe that when you break down the stereotypes and walls that surround cultures you begin to see that we are all human and aren’t that different after all.

World In Conversation : Week 3 – Lesson 4: Ethnocentrism

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:17:11 +0000

Week 4: Ethnocentrism I found this week’s lecture on ethnocentrism and cultural invasion to be the most diverse and interesting topic we have dealt with to date. My original post was going to comment on the ideas of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, however after viewing the lecture on cultural invasions, I believe that much is to be said about the topic. To begin with, I commend professor Richards for taking an extremely opposite look at the current state of problems with regards to Iraq and the US. It is interesting, when you break it down, to see how alike we are despite our differences. I appreciated the fact that we were able to see students and civilians from Iraq living their everyday lives just as we do. The photos from the college festivities were compelling as they seemed to resemble photos that we would see on any one of our friend’s facebook accounts today. I believe that the point of the lecture that was most interesting for me was when professor Richards turned the tables and began speaking in the mindset that we the audience were Muslim people, and the view that we saw as a different culture. Watching the videos, particularly the one relating to vacation Bible school, showed me just how alike Christian and Muslim radicalism is in promoting the widespread accounts of God. We as Americans view the Muslim people as radical for dedicating themselves to suicide bombing and hijacking airplanes, all in the name of their God. While I can affirm that I have never heard of an American suicide bombing a Muslim village in the name of Jesus, I think it is safe testament to say that there too are many Americans who would kill in the name of God, especially those who preach on damnation and eternal suffering for the nonbelievers. A great example of this kind of radicalism in America could be seen just a few weeks back when crazy radical Harold Camping decreed that judgment day would strike us all on May 21st, taking those worthy to heaven and leaving the rest to suffer. While most people did not take this seriously, there were equal amounts of people around the globe maxing credit cards, selling their fortunes and even committing suicide because they truly believed this type of profit would come true. I think this type of Christian radicalism coincides with the type of radicalism we see in the Muslim nation too, just on slightly different levels. Overall I believe that this lecture was a true and developed way of seeing just how alike two nations of people can be despite immense differences in culture and belief. For every Muslim wanting to kill an American, there is most certainly an American wanting to kill a Muslim and so on.

World In Conversation : Week 1 – Lesson 1: "Whad'ya Know?"

Mon, 23 May 2011 03:09:44 +0000

I really appreciate the fact that you pointed out how many people today are in the dark about racial issues, and its so true. I believe that we form judgments and opinions about racial groups for one reason or another based upon what we learn and are raised with through our parents and close friends who may or may not know the full detail on racial demographics. I also enjoyed the fact that you pointed out that the poorest 10% of Americans are STILL better off than two-thirds of the rest of the world who currently live in poverty states. I think something great is to be said about people who can live off only $2 a day and still maintain a functioning lifestyle - to us as Americans I think most would view that as a death sentence.

World In Conversation : Week 1 – Lesson 1: "Whad'ya Know?"

Mon, 23 May 2011 03:00:03 +0000

I really enjoyed the fact that the first lecture was all about reviewing the statistics from our pre-course quiz. I, like many of you, was shocked by much of the quizzes results from what had been divulged. While taking the quiz myself I used most of my reasoning behind my answers based upon my own opinions or thoughts of how or what it should have been. For instance, one of the most startling results to me was the fact that there are currently over 500 different identified native American tribes in the US today - an enormous number compared to the extremely low amount of news you ever hear regarding any native American heritage in the US. Besides the shocking results to the pre-course quiz, the mot impressionable result for me came regarding the question of which demographic had the highest attempted suicide rate in the US. With the large amount of press that typically circulates around members of the LGBT community who have committed suicide, I was speechless to find that the actual demographic group (Latino women) had the highest attempted suicide rate. Personally I believe that because Latino women remain a minority in America, any kind of knowledge of attempted suicides for any number of reasons typically goes under the radar. I think I can testify to the fact that much of the way we think about racial and demographic issues today comes from what we absorb through popular news media and opinion outlets. I can say that nearly all of the answers I divested came from what I had either heard or read through some news media form. The final note I would like to make is that I appreciated how in lecture the professor state how lucky we are to live in a country like we do as most of the other parts of the world are filled with poverty and despair. There is much to be said about the fact that most Americans can live solely based off the fact that we earn enough money to sustain a healthy and prosperous life. To think that there are people in this world (and many at that), who live off only $2 a day and can still sustain a healthy life is appalling. Again I feel as though this is another instance of a close-minded view that we as humans begin to form because we are unaware of how things really are in the world outside of our own. I think starting off the course with a lecture like this gives great insight into how different this course will be in giving us an "eyes-wide-open" view of the actual picture of racial and ethical disparity in America today.