en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2398452 Comments by rza5033 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/were-you-surprised-by-any-of-basums-responses-or-his-appearance-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145296792 I think more than any of the responses to his questions, the part of the whole conversation that really struck a chord was the way in which he signed off the conversation. He wished all of the best of luck and blessed the rest of our year/educational career/life, which I feel is even so rare to hear in our society from our own friends and family. When we have Skype or telephone conversations, we normally answer the phone with a “Hey, what’s up.” Or a “I’m busy, do you need something?” There’s an urgency for the action that we are doing and therefore, a lack of patience or respect to the conversation with the person calling. In many countries it is rude to start a conversion without small talking for almost ten minutes first – things like the health of the person’s family, condition of the individuals business, new business in the person’s neighborhood, etc. are important to the person engaging in conversation – whereas in this country, people look down on small talk and would almost skeptical of a stranger if they were asking the condition of their family. Sometimes you can get a “Have a nice day out” from people at the end of the conversation, but it is rare, especially strangers. I wonder if most people are even engaged in conversations after their main points have been made or if they are already thinking about the ten other things on their to-do list or the next conversation that they need to have or the five back to back meetings they need to attend after the person that they’re talking to finally hangs up the phone. We treat our own people without the respect that many other country’s people treat their own. To hear that such caring words from someone across the world, who had probably stayed up late or woken up super early just to talk to us was mind blowing. He probably threw off his sleep schedule for the rest of the week to talk to seven hundred and some odd stranger college students – many of whom couldn’t afford to spend the thirty minutes to stay in class to listen to the conversation, but who would inevitably spend that time later on that day drinking or hanging out with friends or watching tv or surfing the web. I don’t know why it affected me so, but his sign-off just made me remember the positive things that come out of a community-based society and how sometimes I wish that Americans had more of an importance for it. We’re doing great things, but sometimes it seems like we sacrifice our humanity in order to achieve some sort of self-conceived excellence. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 05:01:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/21/were-you-surprised-by-any-of-basums-responses-or-his-appearance-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment145296792 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/14/what-does-it-say-about-our-society-if-schools-are-more-segregated-now-than-in-the-1970s-119-blog/#IDComment143221680 I also thought that the comment that Vice Provost Jones made about how schools are more segregated now than they were in the 1970s was really interesting. It made me wonder about what forces actually make us segregate ourselves and more importantly what makes us remain segregated. I think that although in many cases, it is important for the government to intervene and to set legal standards for people to abide by in order to have order in society, there are many times when government intervention leads to deep-rooted social changes, which aren’t as easy to take back as appealing a law. In the example of segregation, the government allowed and basically mandated racial segregation of public facilities. This set a mindframe in the people of America. That the segregation, which many of them had maybe secretly wanted, was now okay. Not only was it okay morally, but it was okay legally. The Supreme Court said it was okay, so it was also constitutional and just and fair and everything else that the people esteem the Supreme Court for. Suddenly a couple decades later, the government was forced to take those laws back. But in the mind of the people, the government had allowed racial segregation. Their reasons for taking the law back were “diplomatic and forced upon by the minorities who were unnecessarily complaining”. But segregation was still the right thing. So, the people took to social measures to keep intact what legal measures no longer enforced. Although many may think that this stream of thought is unrealistic, I really do believe that many people feel this way. We are much more likely to support decisions that we favor and are likely to ignore anything that contradicts what we believe. The white population wanted segregation because it kept their resources condensed in their areas. But to share their resources meant sacrifice. Why wouldn’t they support segregation? I think that when we make an unnecessary point to get rid of something or add something, society has a tendency to rebel. Although this is kind of like lemons and limes (not exactly apples and oranges…okay lame, I know. Just following my ridiculous stream of consciousness.) …so even if it is kind of like lemons and limes, a parallel can be formed by the Prohibition movement. There was a problem in society. The government took legal action to make a change. But the problem in the first place had been caused by them. It provided a mixed signal to the people – who chose to pick the side that they favored. Segregation getting worse should not be a surprise. It’s just like everything else. In the hands of the people, who won’t change it until it negatively affects them. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:19:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/14/what-does-it-say-about-our-society-if-schools-are-more-segregated-now-than-in-the-1970s-119-blog/#IDComment143221680 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/do-you-agree-with-foreign-aids-use-of-pictures-of-children-119-blog/#IDComment141734508 I am completely against the use of photos of children in order to publicize for charities, etc. and I do agree with his statement about sending the wrong message. It sends the message that the country is unable to support itself to the point that they are willing to exploit their children in order to get money from foreign countries. In my experience in India and Kenya and from what I have read about other similarly developing countries, parents are extremely protective of their children. These countries are community based societies, as opposed to individual centered ones. Although most parents in general are extremely protective of their own children, community based societies are protective of all children in their societies in general. For foreigners to come in and snap pictures of these children for publicity purposes shows not only that these individuals do not care about exploiting children for their own benefit but also that they are completely unaware of the culture in which they are a guest. I think that that is the thing that irritates me the most about foreign aid that uses pictures of children for their use is that it is a direct effect of cultural ignorance. We in the "western world" often think that we know what's best for every society and that what is good for us is good for everyone. I can understand the surface benefits of using photographs of children. It strikes a chord with most people - especially more so than similar pictures of adults. And for individuals whose sole goal is to raise the most money, it objectively is a great method to guilt people into donating, etc. However, these are real people with real communities and stories and real struggles. Just as we wouldn't want our struggles to be aired on the public broadcasting channels across the world, neither do they. They may be under served and have much less than we do, but they still have dignity. They are still a society with morals and self-respect. Money doesn't solve all of the world's problems. We must help these communities in the most organic way possible. After we are done helping these developing countries, they should not only be able to sustain themselves but we must also be able to look at these communities and hold the same respect for them as we do for the rest of the developed world. But as long as we exploit these populations, how can we even think that we are really helping them? As long as we exploit their children, we disrespect their family units and we undermine the future of the developing world. Therefore, although there is more than just "sending the wrong message" to my dislike of using pictures of children, I certainly do agree with the statement that he made in class. Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:22:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/do-you-agree-with-foreign-aids-use-of-pictures-of-children-119-blog/#IDComment141734508 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/what-was-more-enlightening-the-information-on-your-own-sex-or-the-opposite-sex-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139175317 I was more surprised about the information that was presented about my own gender. I think this is because I expected to be hear new information about the opposite gender, but the insight that was presented about the female gender really made me think - even after the lecture was over. My favorite part of the lecture was when Lori told us that everyone in our society looks through the male lens. Men obviously look through the male lens - well because they're men - but the more important part was that, even females look through the male lens. Why do we think that when we listen to what our body is telling us that something is wrong with us? Why do we think that our "lack of sexual needs," which actually are a need in themselves are not as legitimate and important as male needs? There are so many times when girls are in sexual situations, even if it is not at the point of actually having sex, and they're just doing what they think the guy wants them to do. But why don't they do what they want to do and just expect the guy to conform to the female's desires? As I'm writing this, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that concept. Females say that they are gaining equality in this world. But in the home, more importantly in the bedroom, when it can be said that most females are most vulnerable and most real - the underlying fact basically shines through. I don't think that it's possible to truly separate personal and business lives when it comes to gender inequalities, and I am most surprised at the realization that until we stand up for ourselves in intimate parts of our lives, men will always look to us as second best, especially if we don't even realize that we are ignoring our own perspective to align with theirs. That is not to say that the male part of the lecture was not also very interesting. It was curious to see what Sam had to say about the fact that men learn what they know from porn. It makes sense, but it made me think about where we really do get our perspectives on pretty major things in our lives. Men get their perspective on sex from porn, and women get their perspective from men...so is anyone really happy? And I wonder what sex and the physical parts of our relationships would be like in society, if everyone just looked into their own selves and followed their own instincts from the start. In general, both perspectives intrigued me, but the one on the female gender unexpectedly surprised me. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 19:02:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/what-was-more-enlightening-the-information-on-your-own-sex-or-the-opposite-sex-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment139175317 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137691639 This is a very interesting question for me. For a bit of perspective, I am a first generation American-born Indian. I am very much intact with my culture and religion. I went to Sunday School for thirteen years, danced and choreographed Bollywood and folk dances for our annual spring and fall shows for those thirteen years, am fluent in Gujarati, and can for the most part read and write the language, as well. The temple was 45 minutes away from my house while growing up, so whereas I had a lot of Indian friends growing up, my religious life is mostly focused on the personal relationship with God, not the social aspect of it. While I was in high school, I dated two guys, both of who were Indian and who I had met through my temple or friends who I knew through the temple. I grew up in predominantly white community, though, so the boys who I was attracted to as a child and in between those two boys were all white. I never actually dated any of those boys though for one reason or another. After coming to Penn State, however, all of the boys who I have been involved with have all been white. I personally care more about the person than the race at this point in my life. My friends, for the most part, really don’t care. My Indian friends will sometimes make a joke or a slight comment about it, but it isn’t ever hostile or mean. As far as my family’s reactions are concerned, I am not allowed to date, so I know that they really would not have reacted well to any of those relationships. However, with that being taken into consideration, they would have been more accepting of any of the Indian boys, if I would have been seriously involved with any of those, over the white guys that I’ve been with. They are relatively better than most Indian parents, though, because at the end of the day, they want me to be happy and if I found the man of my dreams, and he wasn’t Indian – I have an optimistic hope that they would eventually come around. It isn’t that they have a hatred for people that aren’t Indian, but it is a fact that if it isn’t discussed beforehand, the clash of two contrasting cultures can often create foundational problems in relations. At this stage in my life, I’m just kind of searching for myself and dating whomever is best for me at whatever stage I’m in. I’m not sure yet what’s going to happen in the future or whether I’ll make myself limit my marriage options to an Indian guy, but for now, I’m just going to let life decide that. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 11:56:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137691639 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/what-is-your-view-and-experience-with-white-privilege-119-blog/#IDComment135948416 I just read the article about the prisoner in the “Getting Life” section of this website. This article was indirectly a message about white privilege in a way that I am unable to explain. I am sitting here at a party and just remembered that this blog is due in three hours. I had hoped to simply find an “easy” question and quickly answer it and get back to drinking with my friends. But M’s story had stopped me in my tracks. I am almost uncertain how to feel about the situation. I do not know if this man is black, but I think that statistically, this story can be the same story of many black prisoners. On one hand, the man helped murder a good person – a person who wasn’t just a stranger, a man who was trying to help these kids become better people. What he did was wrong and more importantly it was illegal. He assisted in committing a murder and in a completely “by the books” society, that action warrants life in jail. But then you have to think about the fact that this man is just human. It is evident from his words that he has changed, as well. A change that he has accomplished over the course of time. A change that came only after his pivotal action of murder. But what would have happened if he had changed before his crime. Many of the people who commit these murders either commit them before they go to college or are simply individuals who, for one reason or another, were unable to attend college. I think about who I was when I started freshman year and who I am now. I have grown so much during my college experience and will gradate in less than two months a changed girl - someone who has had her fair share of crazy and not exactly legal experiences. Of course these actions were not even close to the caliber to taking a human life, but if I were someone else or somewhere else and not at Penn State, what’s the possibility that I would be in jail right now. What are the chances that I would have gotten caught underage drinking or smoking weed? Does that make me a bad person? I spend over 30 hours in meetings for extracurricular activities in hopes of making this university a better place and tutor for about 10 hours a week in hopes of helping my students do well in school. But that doesn’t change the fact that my illegal actions are wrong. Many white and non-black/Hispanic people are given this privilege economically and socially, and it confuses me. The justice system is supposed to held to the same extent for every individual. And it isn’t, and that really makes me sad about everything eles. This self-reflection makes me think if almost punish individuals too severely for a single action. Most people have cheated on their significant other at least one time or tried marijuana or drank underage…this man just made one cowardly mistake. Most “privileged” people can “buy” their way out of it or are given a lesser punishment from the beginning. But this man wasn’t. And for that cowardice, he will spend the rest of his life in jail. It’s a thought that I am almost unable to wrap my head around. I am unable to determine how I feel about the situation and that almost scares me. And I know that as soon as I submit this blog, I will go back to my half-drunken beer waiting for me on the counter, but the question of whether we, as humans, are honestly equipped to judge other humans in such a black and white sense will stay with me for a really really long time. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:04:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/what-is-your-view-and-experience-with-white-privilege-119-blog/#IDComment135948416 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/is-it-possible-for-affirmative-action-to-take-things-too-far-119-blog/#IDComment132508690 I do in some ways believe that affirmative action takes things too far, but not for the same reason that was posed in the question. I believe that it attempts to resolve an evident problem in our society. It recognizes the disparities and discriminatory gaps in higher education and the work force. The attempt of trying to attack this problem is not “taking it too far”. It is something that needs to be done. Additionally, to address the second part of the question – I don’t think that it limits the amount of opportunities available to the minorities. I believe that affirmative action does in fact give opportunities to people who may not normally receive it. Apart from these points, however, I am extremely against affirmative action. It does not give the disadvantaged or minority groups an effective solution to a problem that permeates to all aspects of life. It just unsuccessfully attempts to solve a problem at a point in a person’s life when it’s almost too late. If a society really wants to help individuals, the help must come when they are still being molded and developing. The influence would be most beneficial during the K-8 years. This is when students and people in general are starting to understand who they are and are exploring aspects of their life. A strong support system and proper education at this time in a person’s life would give them the skill sets to be a competitive applicant for college. A sense of actually earning their position in a university would establish a student much more than a feeling of simply getting a position because of one’s disadvantage. There are some students who do not have the academics and grades, but who have experienced life situations that still make them a qualified candidate. This would still mean the student is earning their position on their own and could be handled on a case by case situation. The point is that, if we want to do something, we need to do something that actually helps people. In the current affirmative action system, we give people admission into schools or jobs that they are not qualified for – thus essentially guaranteeing their failure or at least not ensuring the level of success that they are capable of. Instead of solving the infection that is discrimination and inherent bias, affirmative action simply puts a band-aid over it. Temporary relief to seem like the infection is being healed. If one truly looks at the problem however, the band-aid is hiding the underlying, serious problem as it gets worse and worse. It isn’t as easy as “putting a band-aid over it” in the name of social improvement, but it is what needs to be done if society and the government truly wants to resolve the issue. Sat, 5 Mar 2011 00:45:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/is-it-possible-for-affirmative-action-to-take-things-too-far-119-blog/#IDComment132508690 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128833801 I think the answer to this question has two parts: a social aspect and an economical aspect. To begin with, I think that the government does have a moral obligation to step in and prevent harm to its citizens when needed. I believe that acts like the trans fat elimination in New York City and illegalizing smoking indoors are wonderful steps towards protection of the overall population. It astounds me that the government gets backlash from the general population when it does something that will incontestably help the people. I understand that people want to make their own decisions and live their own lives, but we illegalize things like murder and certain drugs and drinking under the age of 21 and providing cigarettes to people under 18 – I don’t think diet and food is much different, especially because food is something that affects every single American citizen and resident. The moral aspect is supported and advanced by the economic part. The government controls a great portion of our country’s money and resources and invests them as needed. I think the same goes along the lines for the American population. If there is something that is either going to benefit a large portion of the population’s long term health, therefore preventing large expenditures in the future, I think that it is in the government’s interest to invest in their people now and save them money in the future. The American people are the government’s most important investment, and if they’re not making sure that their investments will be profitable or successful, their taking that powerful investment for granted. The article in response to Michelle Obama’s comment infuriated me. A great percentage of the American population, especially those of low socioeconomic class – who can’t afford to go to nutritionists and other upper level treatment when they are pregnant - is not aware of many of the benefits that breast milk can provide. It isn’t just a special connection between the mother and the baby. Breast milk is by far the most nutritionally beneficial food for a baby. It, without a doubt, helps the baby develop and grow in a healthy manner. Although I am registered as Republican, Republican Representative Bachmann came off to me as very uneducated and narrow-minded to me with her statements. I’m not surprised that she was able to breastfeed her children. If she had the money to buy that outfit, I can extrapolate that she had the money to buy a breast pump (which costs at least $70 – groceries for a month for some families). Additionally, breast feeding is something that needs to be taught, not something that the mother knows innately. Upper-class women who don’t have older women to guide them can afford to go to medical professionals and learn how to breast feed. If that same mother without any older women to help her didn’t even have the money for the breast pump, what are the chances that she will just make do without breastfeeding because she honestly can’t afford it? At least the tax write off is a step in the right direction and an undoubtedly good investment for the future of America. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:54:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment128833801 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/how-can-we-make-major-decisions-so-quickly-119-blog/#IDComment127356538 I was thinking about this after class and am really glad that you asked this question. I actually put that I wasn’t sure for both questions, so I can’t answer your question in the first person, but I can take a gander as to why our society as whole sometimes seems to be able to make such rash opinions on similar situations. I believe that a lot of it stems from awareness – not necessarily awareness about the topic, because we all can’t possibly know everything about everything. I think we more so need to be aware of our thoughts and why we’re thinking them. I’m definitely not saying that I’m perfect, but I do believe that my ability to think critically, at least for this question, comes from years of being on the debate team and in student government. I have read time and time again how much power the media actually has over the human mind and society has a whole and have learned to question everything. Unless you’re actually present when an event happens, it’s hard to determine what happened – I’m sure we’re all familiar with “he said, she said” situations. So we have to talk to different people, get information from different sources, and try to get a somewhat picture of what really happened. I don’t think that this kind of thought process in trying to figure out what happened is much different from trying to extract the ounce of truth from a rumor. I was actually really surprised when the curve after the second question completely shifted to the right. I thought that most of the people who were sure would have gone to that they didn’t know and people who didn’t know may have shifted to no because in my opinion, new evidence simply adds to your cache of knowledge, it doesn’t replace it. I think that sometimes we live in such a black and white world that we forget that there are an infinite number of shades of gray in between – all of which fall into “I’m not sure”. I think in the specific case of the question in class, the reality of the situation made a lot of people more keen to make a decision. We are so confident and able to express our opinions when they’re at the macro level. We can talk and debate about topics like abortion, death penalty, marijuana legalization, etc. when the topics don’t have names and faces. I’ve almost never had a conversation with anyone about any of those topics, where the person left with a different opinion than they came in with. But when we hear actual first hand stories about these things, we should realize that there really isn’t a black and white answer to any topic or even situation. We just need to keep our minds open and constantly have awareness of our thoughts and opinions and actions. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:17:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/how-can-we-make-major-decisions-so-quickly-119-blog/#IDComment127356538 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment125944647 I think that it is amazing that there can be so much variation among humans with just a 0.1% difference in our genome sequence. When you stop and think about the number of genes that are needed to make all of the different proteins that assist with the millions of metabolism reactions in our body, I guess it makes sense, but 0.1% is nothing. Its like a tenth of a penny, and 0.1% is a percent error that is so negligible that it is almost unattainable in any real life situation. But its that 0.1% difference that makes us think that were so different that we draw imaginary lines in the ground, etc. I personally do not think that we will ever rid of our differences or ever all look the same. Sure, if you look at population studies and ecology, the relationship between dominant and recessive genes, biologically dominant genes would seem like they should eventually become the standard, but genetics is so complicated that such simple logic cant be applied to it. With mutations and the sheer number of genes that the human body possesses, it is unfathomable to me that we will ever biologically look the same. We may evolve into another organism, or we may evolve independently into two or more different species, but I dont think that the human population, as is, will ever completely rid of the differences that make up the 0.1% variation that we have. But I think that this is a good thing. Race is only a problem because we make it so. Im a huge advocate of changing the world one person at a time and that person is yourself. Im sure weve all been in situations where weve tried to change someone even in situations where you know that theyre in trouble and that youre right. But unless that individual wants to change, unless its coming from within themselves, you cant change them. What we can do though is take accountability for our own actions and thoughts. We can make sure that we address hate crimes when we see them and defend our brothers and sisters in situations that we know are unjust. We can write letters to our legislature or reach out to others. We can go outside of our comfort zone and befriend people who dont look like us or speak the same native tongue as us or practice a different religion. In my opinion, that is the key to making race a problem of the past. I think that diversity and differences are refreshing. They give you a different perspective and should be embraced. The solution to the race problem is not to hope that it will go away or try to de-identify from your race. In my opinion, the solution is to learn to coexist and to respect others and yourself and to realize that although were much much much more alike than we are different, and those differences should be cherished. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 16:43:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment125944647 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/how-do-you-classify-yourself-119-blog/#IDComment124364368 I think that there are two levels of classifications. One that circumstance determines and another that you choose for yourself. And the way I see it, circumstance hasn’t determined as many classifications as i originally thought. Circumstance has chosen that I’m a girl (but I guess if I really wanted to, I could change that too), that I am the first natural American citizen in my family, that I was born in Boston, that I’m a Scorpio, that I was born into a middle class family, that I’m left handed, that my family now lives in Pittsburgh, and that I am of Indian ethnicity. Everything else that I classify for myself, I have chosen. My family is very important to me, so I have chosen to classify myself as a daughter, sister, niece, aunt, cousin, and granddaughter. Some may argue that relations are something that cannot be chosen, but I strongly disagree. There are many men who help conceive a child, but who are never a father. There are many people who have completely broken ties with their family. The way I see it, there’s a big difference between having a sister and actually being/classifying yourself as a sister. I additionally classify myself as an Indian and a Hindu. I can’t help my ethnicity, but I have chosen to keep in touch with my roots and to learn the language of my people and to adhere to the scriptures that support vegetarianism and yoga. I have chosen to classify myself as a science student, a student leader, a Republican, a hardcore Steelers-Penguins-Red Sox fan, a Penn State student who bleeds blue and white, a service oriented person, a mentor and mentee, a friend, and so much more. I really do believe that all of these parts of me come together to make up the person that I am. With that being said, however, I feel like there’s a big difference between “labels” and “how you classify yourself”. For example, there’s a difference between someone labeling me as a Republican and me classifying myself as a Republican. I support same-sex marriage and do not agree with the war in the Middle East, which are things than many people do not associate with the Republican label, but I am still registered as a Republic because of my economic views. Sure, taking probability into consideration, there are probably a couple people somewhere on this earth who are just like me, but relatively speaking, it is all of these classifications that make me a unique person. Yes, I am a human being. But I’m not just another human, I am me. It doesn’t make me any better or less than anyone else, but it does make me different. And I think that these differences are important because if we were all the same, talking and interacting with each other would be like hanging out with your shadow. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:51:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/how-do-you-classify-yourself-119-blog/#IDComment124364368 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122784041 I certainly did not envy the two 4.0 girls up front. But that feeling of discomfort was refreshing because it was the same discomfort when you were little and could remember your 12s times table – but you knew that you were determined enough that someday you would definitely learn them. I really dislike political correctness (being polite and mindful are totally necessary, but PC had gotten out of control, in my opinion), and the activity was probably as un-PC as it gets, and I loved it. It was cool to be able to prove your mind wrong and recognize that although you may be thinking something about someone innately when you see them, you can change that and stop that thought and look at them as a person. And although I think that on the whole, our class handled it awesomely, it kind of made me sad because it’s the attitude that many of us take when it comes to race. Why is there such a taboo on it? No one has a problem with people guessing their favorite color or favorite food or major – things that actually represent personal choices. Things that actually tell you something about the person as an individual. Why should race – something that the person had no control over – be such a taboo? In an ideal world, it’s the same as someone guessing their birth city or number of siblings or birthday. I really think that foremost, we need to learn to be happy with the color of the skin that we live in, and then, we need to learn to love the color of the skin that those around us live in. Until we learn to do that, we’re not really a melting pot or even a mixed salad – we’re just a container of oil and vinegar. “You may say that I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.” Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:09:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122784041 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122783367 I thought that the exercise was interesting on many levels. First of all, major props and thanks to everyone who participated in the exercise. Just being able to stand in the front of seven hundred of your peers is awesome. Thanks again. I thought the exercise was interesting because it made us actually think about our thought process. Sometimes racial prejudices are almost automatically programmed into our minds whether from the media, our family and friends, etc. And many people, I think, whether its consciously or unconsciously judge others based on these racial prejudices. But to realize that we cant even determine the race of most people just by looking at them, let alone be justified to judge them based on their race, was an important message, in my opinion, that was conveyed. There was also the biological aspect of it. Im a pre-med major, and after everyone told us what race they classify themselves as, it was really interesting to look at the individuals who considered themselves mixed and think about the different probabilities of certain features happening and realize how millions of combinations and shades of color there are between black and white, even when the parents of an individual come from the same race. But that was just the science/statistics nerd in me talking. The think that I thought was the most interesting thing about the exercise was the reactions from the people around me. Many people were appalled or looking around at those around them. The activity put most of us outside of our comfort zone Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:07:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122783367 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ca%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120820540 SOC 119 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 03:53:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ca%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120820540