en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2400952 Comments by pwr5071 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145283629 This story is sickening. What I fail to understand is how any human beings could ever do this to another, innocent, human being. These unfortunate Afghan civilians encountered unfortunate and brutal deaths, for doing nothing at all. It is the 21st century, and people are still committing atrocious acts like this, Americans nonetheless. From, the so called, most democratic country in the world. There are so many tragedies that go on in this story, with the first being the death of innocent civilians. The one particular story that really upset me was the first one, recalling the unnecessary murder of the 15 year old boy working on the farm. He was obviously no harm to any of the soldiers and was the unfortunate recipient of an exploding grenade and a barrage of bullets. Could you imagine soldiers of another country coming to America and committing such vicious acts of violence on innocent civilians? Neither could I. After finding the village leader to identify the body, the author revealed that it was the mans son. This story sounds almost made up, things like that only happen in the movies, not in real life, most people think. These men were obviously raised with improper values throughout life. I just find it so amazing that something so gory could be done to another innocent human being. The leadership in this entire story left much to be desired. The officer of this battalion clearly had issues if he allowed all of this to continue. But the real unfortunate part is that 5 low ranking soldiers were charged with the murders, not any higher ranking officers. Our military is more worried about preserving their image and shooing the incident off as a extremely rare occurrence in which nothing could have been done to stop it. I took the time to flip through the photos this “kill team” took throughout their various expeditions; some of these images were hard to look at. Completely mutilated bodies, some even being mocked by the American soldiers, like the author said “as a game trophy.” The fact that the soldiers cut off this 15 year olds pinkies and kept them in a plastic bag, with him at all times, is disturbing to say the least. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 03:30:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145283629 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143295955 This is a really interesting post about a topic that a lot of us students have mentioned in our blog posts. It is true, and relatively common, that people in prison get labeled by those who are not. The attitude that the public has right now is that they are better than prisoners, thus leading to the labeling of them. This is a label that will not only stick with them while in prison, but for those who get out it follows them for life. When possible employers look at a resume, 99% of the time they will automatically be turned off if they see you were in prison for a period of time. It is labeling like this that holds our society back and hurts people who have made mistakes to begin a new life. Labeling is also used for a variety of groups, mainly minorities, that aim to make them look bad or hate on them. By labeling, our society has relatively little chance to progress and foster in a new, more equal social scene in the future. Here at Penn State I see labeling occur on a daily basis. The “tier system” that has been created on collegeacb ranks different fraternities and sororities, with the higher ones obviously being considered the cool kids. These rankings create a lot of labeling in Greek life. If a sorority girl sees that you’re in a lower tier frat, good luck trying to get her to come over your house. The same can be said about frats if they know sororities are in a lower tier than their own, they will not be inclined at all to set something up with them. Without this site as a guide, people would actually be able to make their own decisions on whether they like the different people through getting to know them, opposed to checking a site and deciding they’re too cool to hang out with them. Labeling affects many different people in many different ways, but one thing about it remains constant, it is always going to offend or put someone down, even if they don’t deserve it. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 03:55:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143295955 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment141140954 Because we watched Gasland in class, I really was not surprised when reading this article. Oil and gas companies are worried about one thing and one thing only, making money. Gasland showed viewers a different side to all of the natural gas drilling going on across the country. It gave the little guys, aka ordinary citizens, a voice. Before that movie was made, everyone was turning their shoulders to the complaints of these people who had flammable water, explosions on their property, and animals with various side effects. Our government is incredibly ineffective when it comes to putting restraints on the oil industry in America. And before I read this article, I had very little background knowledge about this subject. However, it all makes sense when one thinks about it. The massive amounts of campaign funds that senators, representatives, and political officials in general, receive is absurd. And when you are getting this much money from the oil industry helping to put you in office, they expect to receive some kind of compensation in return. This is evidenced by Congress' inability to pass Obama's proposed bill cutting the 4 billion dollar subsidies that oil companies receive every year. What really upsets me about this is that our representatives in government are ignoring their constituents wishes to end the subsidies. Instead, our government officials are serving big business, thus making our voices go unheard. This is essentially corruption in our government, except it is so large scale in Congress that there can be little done to change it, even if the president is trying to influence the change. I see this as a huge problem in our government, not only in issues concerning oil but how well they represent their constituents in general. They are protecting an industry that clearly needs no government support. At a time when we are seeing cuts in pensions, schools, and many other areas, the oil industry is the last sector that needs the money. As stated in the article, Obama would like to see it invested in alternative energy, something that might be a threat to the oil companies in the coming future. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 01:59:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment141140954 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139241019 This letter shows the reader two different kind of people you will meet in life. As usual, you will have people that you can call friends and just that. They’re the kind of people you always say hi to and treat well. But, there is also a group of people who are your true friends, who will always stay by your side no matter what happens. When C. said that he received 5 to 8 letters a week from people in the beginning, at first that sounded like a lot to me. Then you figure that people are quite sympathetic when you first leave, but then it eventually becomes a part of your life that you have accepted, and they begin to forget. True friends and loved ones, however, will consistently write and try to keep it contact with you. As C. stated, being an asshole won’t get you anywhere in life. By being a genuine, nice person, more people will like and remember you in a positive way. I cant even imagine how hard it would be to have to leave for jail and be forced to leave your loved ones and friends and everything that is familiar, behind. Just entering a whole new environment and having to start all over must be so difficult. Another part of this entry that I found to be interesting was the part when he said the way prison is depicted is not entirely accurate. I will occasionally watch a prison show on TV and they make it seem like the worst place ever. While I’m sure some places are better than others, I can see how it is true that jail is never accurately depicted. However, since the word “jail” or “prison” is so negatively stereotyped, you are always going to hear more about the negative aspects as opposed to the positives. On some of the other posts I saw people commenting on how he murdered someone, but nowhere in his post did he mention why he had been in jail for 10 plus years. If this was the case he is incredibly blessed to have made so many true friends throughout his life. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 00:45:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139241019 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/b-s-response/#IDComment137604735 Like most people, I too believed that in order to receive a life sentence one had to commit a murder. I feel that this is because that is the most severe crime one can commit, and life is the most severe penalty one can receive. But B. is a victim of what I would call a loophole in our legal system. One could say that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time (which it sounds like he was) but to be serving a life sentence simply because you were guilty by association is ridiculous. A felony is one thing to charge a man with, but association with murder/homicide is on a completely different level. This is just another problem that this so called “democracy” we live in chooses to ignore. Why? Maybe because the number of people affected by such stupid laws are so low that it would hardly make a difference if there was a change. But, the truth is that such a small change would mean the world to a man like B. He is truly inspirational, from what it sounds like he didn’t get any advantages in life but to hear how far he has come today is great. The relationship he has with his family and the way he was able to build a relationship with his abusive stepfather is impressive. To tell you the truth, if I was in the situation that B. was in I’m not sure I would be able to forgive my stepfather. But, he is the bigger man here and has done just that. While not many people pay much attention to our penal system, those who do or hear things about it automatically associate a negative stereotype with it. I will admit that my perception was pretty negative when I first began this sociology class, it has dramatically changed since. These letters allow for us to gain a different view that we would otherwise never have to ability to see. I now realize that while there are bad people serving time, there are also many people that committed crimes but serving time has truly changed them. Hell, we could even say some of them are better people then us now. They have experience what it’s like to have everything taken away from them and if they could get that back they would take full advantage of all the small freedoms that life gives them. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:49:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/b-s-response/#IDComment137604735 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/14/kids-getting-life-how-is-this-serving-us-really/#IDComment135941793 When reading this article, the first thing that came to mind was astonishment. How can America, supposedly one of the most free countries in the world, be putting juveniles away for life? Pennsylvania by itself with 464 behind bars is unbelievable. This is something that must change, but since so few people are unaware of the issue (reading this article was the first that I had ever heard about it) the likelihood of that happening is quite low. Not only is this morally wrong, but legally wrong too. The fact that America signed different documents, which prohibit these kind of actions taking place is ridiculous. Similar to the situation at Guantanamo Bay, America is a part of the Geneva Accords, which demands humane treatment of prisoners of war, but our government tries to find shortcuts around this. Congress needs to take action and change the way our judicial system is operating with juvenile cases. Kids under 18 years of age are not fully matured yet and don’t always know what the right thing to do is. Granted murder is wrong and there must be repercussions that come along with that, but giving a 15 year old life with out parole is not the best solution. Time should be served, but there should be different programs put in place that help these juveniles progress with their lives so they don’t make the same mistake again. If they served time and were eventually released without any rehabilitation programs or counseling, it would most likely result with them ending up in jail again later down the road. The financial cost of keeping these kids behind bars is also another problem that must be dealt with. Our government spends far too much money, taxpayers money that people work hard for, to simply put citizens behind bars and make sure they stay there. If funding were put into different programs, which focused on rehabilitating the prisoners and determining what their problems are, then our jails would see a decrease. But, until that happens, our prisons will continue to be filled to max capacity and taxpayers will continue to contribute billions of dollars year after year. Our government needs to take a serious look at how they are reprimanding the American youth and evaluate whether or not this is the best way to dish out punishment. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:20:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/14/kids-getting-life-how-is-this-serving-us-really/#IDComment135941793 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment133951291 There is one major problem with the lottery; the majority of people playing are in the lower class of society. This usually means that they are uneducated, which is why they find themselves playing the lottery in the first place. If the public had any idea of the actual odds of winning the lottery, I'm sure it would deter a large percentage of lottery players away from playing. The other night when I was in Wawa, I observed a couple buying scratch-offs at the Pennsylvania Lottery machine. Both of these people looked highly unintelligent and broke. But, for some reason, they kept feeding their dollar bills into the machine one after another, buying tickets, scratching them off, finding out they had lost, and repeating this whole cycle. I was baffled at how someone could just piss their money away like that. But, at the same time, that is what the government's intentions are behind the lottery. Get people to keep playing, the more they play, the more revenue the government makes. The lottery is almost ironic, the government is supposed to be here for our best interest and to protect us, but the lottery is just the opposite. It's a self-imposed tax on citizens, if they decide to play, that has statistically low chances of producing a winner. I do believe in the statement that money doesn't buy you happiness. The problem with society in America is that we're taught to be materialistic and want the best things possible. The lower class is striving to be more like the middle class, and the middle class is striving to be more like the upper class. If people just realized that it's okay not to be rich, then society as a whole would be much happier. Lottery winners often lose their money because they think that material possessions are the most important things in life, but they are wrong. Happiness is. And perhaps, after they run through all their winnings and then have to sell their $5 million house and 3 mercedes, they will realize this. Until that happens, the strife and jealousy between different classes will continue and people will never truly be content with what they have. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:25:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment133951291 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130746067 We are afraid of things that are so uncommon because of the fact that we know there still is a chance of that event happening. However small it may be, the possibility of our fear coming true remains in the back of our mind. And then every once in a while, there is a rare occurrence, like this attempted child abduction in the video, that scares people and reminds them why they are fearful. That video was pointless; I do not understand how that could be the top news story in New York City that day. An idiot tries to kidnap a kid, while he is with his nanny nonetheless. But, I also am not a parent, so I don’t have to worry about my child being abducted. This would probably be one of the worst things that could ever happen to a parent. My elementary school was a 10 or 15 minute walk away from my house and I walked there pretty much everyday since I was in kindergarten. Keep in mind this was 10 years ago when society had a much different view on matters like this than they do today. Regardless, this new way of thinking that has swept across the country is bad for society. My dad has a certain term he associates to matters like this, “the pussification of America.” Kids across the country are now being excessively babied by their parents, to an older age as well. One idea that is relatively new to me is that experts are advising that parents should teach their kids to talk to strangers. This is the complete opposite of what I, and probably 99.5% of children are taught. From a young age, parents always stress to their kids that they should never talk to strangers and if a stranger approaches them to get help immediately. This is also taught in schools and becomes implanted into children’s memories. So if experts are saying that this is not what we should be teaching our kids, why do we continue to do it? If a child was lost and was told their entire life not to talk to strangers, they most likely won’t talk to any strangers. The sheer number of people who would be willing to help a lost kid out as opposed to abducting him is absurd. So, essentially, parents and teachers are actually harming their kids in the long run. Americans need to reevaluate their stance on social interactions because the current stance is detrimental to society. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:24:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130746067 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128996708 Big government versus small government, this is an issue that has been debated for centuries and will continue to be debated upon until there is no more government (which will never happen). While there are certain things that the government should be doing in order to protect the well being of it’s citizens, there are also other issues that the government should not get involved in. Evidence does show that breast-feeding is very beneficial in the long run for newborns and I praise the Obama family for drawing attention to it. But, there is absolutely no reason why our government should give citizens an incentive if they are going to but breast-feeding supplements. That is just too much interaction for the government to be taking part in. People should listen to Obama when he says how breast feeding will help lead to healthier children and the public should take his advice into consideration and choose their next step from that point on. As long as government is around, there will always be something that they are trying to regulate. Whether it be greenhouse emissions or stem-cell research, they are always trying to get involved one way or another. The Big Mac example could stir up debate between different political ideologies. While democrats would see it absolutely vital for the government to step in and tell their citizens “the big mac is unhealthy and we’re going to put a tax on it which will go towards the extra healthcare costs that result from eating them.” The republican view would say that people can make their own choices and if they choose to live an unhealthy lifestyle, they are going to have to tackle the costs associated with that later down the road. I feel that the government should take a more active role in the lifestyle choices Americans make. Not necessarily by stepping in and telling them what food they can and cannot eat, but by promoting a more active, health-conscious lifestyle. The amount of citizens (adults and children) that make terrible food choices on a day-to-day basis is disgusting. Instead of preaching about breast feeding and tax write offs, the Obama’s should be speaking about how Americans need to make healthier food choices, or at least live a more active lifestyle if they’re not going to change their eating habits. I’m pretty sure kids have a much greater chance of becoming obese if they are not taught how to live an active lifestyle and make healthy food choices than they are if they were not breast fed. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:25:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128996708 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment127459235 When I saw the beginning of this video I found it quite amusing to see that people were walking into the elevator and not turning around into the proper direction. But as I continued to watch, it started to frustrate me that the the one man would always do exactly what the others in the elevator did. Obviously, he wanted to fit in with the "norm" in the elevator, so he kept following the actions of the others. I feel that this is a major problem that is plaguing our society today; the lack of a sense of individuality. People constantly feel that they have to adjust to sociological norms instead of taking pride in their individuality. This creates an endless cycle that will be passed down from generation to generation. While conforming can sometimes be beneficial to society, like abiding by laws, it can be quite harmful in other situations because people cannot be themselves. If individuals cannot be who they want to be, a lack of pride begins to develop. It begins with the individual then progresses into society as a whole. A perfect example of conformity is right under our noses right here at Penn State. Every fall, a new group of freshman come to school. While some of them already have their minds set on joining a fraternity or sorority, the majority are undecided or unaware of it. When rush begins, everyone starts going out to the different houses to party and have a good time. Those who decide to pledge first semester have conformed to the thought that if you don't join a fraternity or sorority, your social life will suffer. As spring rush comes around, those remaining students who didn't pledge in the fall decide to give it a shot. They realize that their social lives have not lived up to the "Penn State party school" reputation and thus decide to pledge. If you take a serious look at conformity and the pressure that society puts on you, then your very own individual feeling of pride or uniqueness may suffer a blow. So before you buy that next shirt with the polo horse on it (which costs $40 more than a plain, unbranded polo shirt) just think about it. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 02:41:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment127459235 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment126024275 When I first looked at the title of this and thought about the context in which the piece was being written, I thought to myself it that it was going to be a rather unsettling. The first sentence absolutely changed my mindset and as I continued to read through, I began to feel a bit of remorse towards this prisoner. Obviously we are going to take freedom for granted because it's something that we're born into. I know that I take my freedom for granted, my choice to attend college, decide where I want to sleep every night, choosing what and when I want to eat breakfast. Those are just a few of the most simple freedoms that I have, but act as if they mean nothing at all. I guess this kind of situation pertains to the saying 'you don't know what you've got til' it's gone.' This prisoner has very few basic freedoms now and it's unfortunate that he can do nothing at all to change that. But, there is also a bright side here. He has admitted to his past mistakes and taken responsibility for his actions. His loss of freedom has resulted in him becoming more self-aware and thankful for what he does have. This journal is really quite powerful and should be read by more people just to make us all more appreciative of what we have, and how easy it can be to lose all of that. People need to take into account the small things in life, whether it be taking a walk through the park when we want, or coming home and laying down with your dog. It is these small freedoms that go unnoticed until people find themselves in a situation like this prisoner is in. Even though he is stuck in jail, this prisoner decides to look forward in life and learn from his past mistakes. While he is forced to live in a 6x9 cell every single day, I feel as if he has found freedom in himself. The freedom to know that with every new day there is a brand new amount of choices to be made and opportunities waiting to be taken advantage of. Sulking about in your past will not change anything, living every single day to the fullest, even if you are in jail, shows the kind of person you are and the kind of life you want to live. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 23:59:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment126024275 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment124447554 As a sociologist, I feel inclined to tell you not to make any rash decisions. Yes, things might not be going your way lately but who is to say that your luck won't change for the better. Everyone faces hardships throughout their life, we have all been there. Whatever reason you're doing this for, simply think it through. Say you lost your job, well go out there into the job market and start to look for another one, no one ever said you can't start over. Think about all those people who you would be hurting if you did commit suicide. Stop putting yourself first, think about your family, your friends, and how upset they would be if you did go through with it. If you're feeling alone, believe me, you're not. There is help available and it should not be considered embarrassing to seek it. This video really shocked me. The amount of people committing suicide in Japan is ridiculous, 31,000 last year alone? Obviously eastern cultures stress the concept of not bringing shame upon your family, but how does killing yourself not bring shame upon your family? Maybe I don't understand because I am American and grew up in a completely different culture. But, in my opinion, more shame would be brought upon my family if I committed suicide as opposed to seeking out help for the pain I'm feeling. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:20:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment124447554 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/21/letter-from-an-inmate/#IDComment122916104 There is always a common stereotype about prisoners, that they are scumbags and deserve to rot in jail. This man, however, has provided a different view into the life of an inmate and shows that some are much more sympathetic then we make them out to be. Serving life, without the possibility of parole is probably the worst thing that anyone would ever have to undertake in their life. Some would decide that calling a 6x9 cell with bars and concrete walls 'home' for the rest of their life would be too much and take their own life. Others, like this man, will push through their sentence and realize that what they did was terrible and that they deserve to be in jail. This piece is very appealing to me, my common perception about prisoners before reading this was that they deserve to be where they are and that most, not all, are terrible people. When watching shows on tv about life inside prison, the media always makes it out to be that prisoners still act uncivilized and should be kept where they are as long as possible. Well, obviously this man has committed the ultimate crime of taking another's life, but it seems to me that jail has changed his outlook on life. Even if he is civilized enough now to become a part of society again, he will never have that chance because he must be held responsible for his terrible acts committed earlier in life. Sat, 22 Jan 2011 04:24:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/21/letter-from-an-inmate/#IDComment122916104 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cr%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122327555 soc 001 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:44:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cr%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122327555