en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3101260 Comments by sandangel12 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170493426 This was another interesting lecture and Sam’s insight into the issue really helped me to understand affirmative action and nepotism. I thought affirmative action’s purpose was to help discrimination and provide equal opportunities for all in society. So I was a little shocked that 10 percent of all jobs, admissions to schools, and various programs etc. are connected to some type of affirmative action program. So this means that affirmative action really does not affect our world. During class Sam ask a white, black, and Jewish person to help him demonstrate the reason we need to build greater equity. It seemed to me that regardless of affirmative action if the person cannot perform the job the white person always gets ahead. So if everyone was equal despite color or gender all would have equal opportunity at success. Nepotism was another interesting subject in the lecture. In my town nepotism is the town topic. It has been rumored and discussed publicly that the superintendent of schools has helped every family member to secure some type of position in the school district. Recently the community has taken a stand on nepotism as the superintendent of schools is retiring. This has prompted a search for a new superintendent leading some members of the council to seek someone outside of the area while others favor a local person. As of now it looks like nepotism may continue on here as the council has decided to hire a local individual versus an outsider. I enjoyed the conversations at the end of lecture with the boys and their thoughts about how to solve these issues. I agree that education is key as people need to understand these issues. Once people have an understanding of the issues we can come together and draw on each other ideas to put together a plan that would help put everyone on equal footing. I think to do this we must begin at the county level and work up to the national level. I had no idea that affirmative action existed at Penn State and had admission counselors that recruited black or brown people from certain cities. This gives these kids a chance at success. A merger was announced between a medical school and well known trauma center. It seems the school will open its doors next year and will have criteria for those individuals that will be accepted. I wondered if this is tied to affirmative action program as disadvantaged students, residence of the state, and students in the area will be given first choice for admission. This area is very poor and has many people of color. So I wondered if this program could possibly be provided to allow them an opportunity to succeed or if they succeed to encourage others to strive for success. Thu, 7 Jul 2011 01:58:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170493426 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170491879 I cannot believe either how these children will miss out on opportunities because of where they end up going to school. It is a great question about if anything has improved or worsened, I never really thought about until you mention that and I would like to know if it has. I really never thought about how advantaged it is just by being white. I agree with you I thought that idea about the pot of tax money was a great idea and also wondered about taxes for those schools and how they handle them. You have great questions and I was I knew the answers to them. Thu, 7 Jul 2011 01:51:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170491879 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169485053 This lecture had me thinking as well and I did think that Sam made several points that got everyone’s attention. I only knew some things about immigration and the government but like you said I did not know until now. One thing that really got to me was how businesses would manipulate the system. When Dr. Richards talked about illegal immigrants paying taxes I did not understand that until someone in class asked him how they were paying the taxes and thought it was interesting how they would either borrow someone else’s SSN or stealing the SSN and paying someone for it. When Dr. Richards brought up about immigrants and speaking English, I think that wherever you are migrating to, you should be able to speak the language. I do not think that you should give up everything about your culture or beliefs but I do think that when you are in a different country you should speak their language. Mon, 4 Jul 2011 02:51:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169485053 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169484415 I enjoyed the lecture on immigration and never really thought much about illegal immigration. I think this is probably because my great-grandfather was a legal immigrant from Ireland. He opened a small deli in Altoona and supported his family. My grandfather always tells us about the sacrifices made by his father so he could have a better life. He thinks that each generation sacrifices something so their children can have a better life. After Sam’s lecture I began to think about illegal immigration and the influx of so many Mexicans into our community. They are everywhere doing anything from lawn service, construction work, to picking farm produce in our area. Now I realize the controversy over them being allowed to work here in the United States. My parents had a room in our home dry walled recently and 4 Mexicans did it in one day. They were carried 8 ft sheets of dry wall up to the second floor, cut the dry wall, cleaned up, and were done in 2 hours. At the time I did not get the comments from my father about how many of them were actually legal. He also gave them extra cash for cleaning up as he said they do not get paid much for the work. After listening to this lecture and thinking back on the dry wall story it makes me think that we as (White Americans) a society have become so educated we may think it is beneath us to do menial labor. They are leaving their home looking for a better life just as my great-grandfather did so many years ago. It disturbs me that we seem to focus on immigration as bad and not realizing history is repeating itself. The letter read in class that Jackson wrote telling about the battle at Horseshoe Bend and the killing of the Creek Indians was horrible especially using the skins to make bridle reins. The Indians were not accepted in the culture then because maybe we did not truly understand their ways. This could be the reason we are so against illegal immigration---afraid that this influx of immigrants may begin to take over our way of life as we know it. Even though I am not sure how I really feel about the issue I think everyone deserves a chance at a better life. From a business perspective it seems like it is beneficial in terms of income tax paid (which I assumed they did not pay), money sent home to help their families, and keeping wages lower, which in the end makes money for the United States. In a way it seems like business is hanging on to illegals for their self-preservation. I am not sure about the solution to this problem but after this class it certainly has broadened my horizon and made me think more clearly about looking at the issues from both sides. Mon, 4 Jul 2011 02:48:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169484415 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168152577 I thought Dr. Richards lecture for this lesson was very interesting. I too have a friend that went overseas and just fell in love. She actually wants to travel more to different countries just to experience the culture. In high school I took French for three years and I was the worst in my class at speaking the language and could not understand it either. I feel the same way I think that it would have been better for me if I had started in elementary school. I am glad to hear that they are starting languages now at the elementary level. I just wish the language being introduced into the school system would have started earlier. During the summer I work at a day camp and part of my job is to announce when the children are going home, I have to talk to the parents in order to find out what their childs name and a lot of them have a heavy accent and sometime I cannot understand what they are saying. The one good thing is that I have someone with me who understands them a little better. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:48:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168152577 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168133315 The lecture on multiculturalism really got me thinking about the change that society is undergoing right now. It seems that has crept up on the United States and its people. I have heard my grandparents say many times to my parents “if the whites continue to educate themselves and forgo having children eventually we will become the minority.” I never really thought about this statement till today. It is true that brown people are beginning to dominate society. On a recent trip to the grocery store the English and Spanish language now dominates food items. In particular Green Giant vegetables got my attention with a picture of the vegetable and English and Spanish information on the label concerning the weigh, name, and directions to make the vegetable. Store chains are starting to cater to their customers. I saw this on a recent visit to Houston, Texas with clothing and cookware. I can also see the change in my own community, which was at one time 90% white it has certainly become more diverse with an influx of Russian and Guatemalans. Globalization is here and in order for us to adapt we must embrace this and begin to look at ways to better ourselves by learning more about a culture and its language. I thought it was interesting that the Rap and Hip Hop video depicting the different cultures shows that all over the world we are experiencing the same type of music. The second half of the lecture on LGBT is something that has been prominent in our generation. It is like Sam said a civil rights movement for LGBT. They just want to be able to live in society and be offered the same rights as straight people. I agree that they live in two worlds just as the colored people but the more accepting society becomes of this group less and less will be heard of “hiding their issue”. Even the military is starting to come around on this issue. The word flaunt is a strong word but sometimes you say things just because you have heard others use a term. You do not really think about the meaning of the term. I do not believe that LGBT want to flaunt their sexual orientation but again just want to be accepted in society. The business world statistics were surprising, as I did not know that many companies find this a non-issue. The other issue in the LG community is adoption. When Sam showed the slide comparing the function of the family the only difference is sexual orientation, which does not influence them being a family. I never really thought much about this issue and the raising of children in this situation. This class has broadened my knowledge about race, culture and has made me begin to see these topics in a different light. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:12:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168133315 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165642787 I found this lecture on racial identity to be very thought provoking. It was interesting to see race through another cultures eyes. The questions from students at the end of the lecture made a good point about how different areas of the country look at racial identity in other ways. The videos on discrimination were interesting as I never thought about color and it’s affect on someone obtaining housing. Discrimination did not just affect color but single parents with children and disabled people. These people too were not able to secure housing. The video of the colored girls discussing how they relate to white people by comparing hair types made me wonder if they really would like to be us. It seemed as though kinky hair was not the same as permed hair and lighting skin color made them feel white. What struck me the most was how they were engrained at such a young age to want to be white. Hair and skin color was an issue at this stage. The video about the research with the black and white baby doll was very interesting to me. I wondered in some of those clips if the colored girl had been programmed to answer white as when ask which doll they would pick and why she would pick this one---she seemed to hesitate like she really wanted to say the black doll was prettier. It made me wonder why it is so important whether we play with a white or black doll or both colors. Another question is why they did not try this experiment with other people of color. These videos really made me see that people of color know their color from early on versus white people who need time to absorb whiteness. The statistics about color at Penn State really hit home—although I knew it was a white school I never saw the statistics that make it so clear. It was interesting to see the cities that most of the kids are from and the minorities represented at Penn State. I never really thought about people of color having to balance two worlds. The Jena 6 rally showed how people of color wanted white people but yet they expected more of their race to attend. It seemed like it was their event but yet they did not want to offend the white race. The LL Bean and the immersion stage was interesting as I never thought about how people of color look at white people modeling clothes in a catalog. So they want to be like us in a sense. The discussion about the dorms is true as I remember having one or two people of color on my floor. My RA was a person of color which thinking about today’s discussion made me wonder if she was there to provide a sense of belonging to people of color. It gave them a tie to their ancestry. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:26:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165642787 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165625025 I have never realized there were stages of racial identity or knew that the stages are different for each race. I agree with you about the video associating white with good and black with bad. It was interesting how they picked and played with the white doll. I too thought they would pick the black doll. I have an American Girl Doll called Kristen, who looks like me blonde hair and blue eyes, and I was the opposite of the video. I wanted Addy who is black and came from a family of slaves. My grandmother wanted to know why I wanted a black doll instead of a white doll. I could not answer but just knew I really liked Addy. I guess this was a little like what we have discussed in class because my family talked me out of the colored doll. When I saw that video about the dolls it made me wonder why I was so adamant about having a colored doll. Did I know then the difference between our identities and want to know why we were different---this still haunts me 18 years later. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:04:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165625025 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164020290 There were many topics in this lecture that I thought were very interesting including guilt. Like Dr. Richards has mention in his lecture about parents using this tactic, it is so true because when I was little my parents would use that on my siblings and I, all the time. Even though we are older now they still try to use this tactic. I am the same way about feeling guilty every time I see a deer that is lying on the side of the road. When Dr. Richards mention the wet dog and the washcloth thing, I could not believe it because one I never heard about the wet dog and second I use a washcloth and was surprised that other whites did not use one. I agree with you I do not think that it means we are unclean but we just have different ways of doing things. Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:32:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164020290 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164009734 I think this class has exposed me to see race as more than just black, brown or white. Race is much deeper and it has all these different levels to explore and learn. I think when in a situation with people of color now I may be more apt to question the reason for the way they do things. A friend of mine from Pakistan recently got engaged and I learned very quickly the differences between us. I would like to understand why marriages are arranged but must admit I am a little fearful that my questions or responses might offend her. The video about the two white nationalist’s singers took me by surprise to see such young people promoting white society. The girls are being taught about whiteness from such a young age that this is all they will ever know and will not have the freedom to explore life. Too me this was kind of sad. I wondered if they will ever awaken and rebel against the beliefs they are being taught or have they been enmeshed so deeply that they never will question. In my mind I wondered how many people are in this movement and could they eventually cause an uprising between people of color making racial relations worse. Is it possible to have a similar situation that led to the holocaust? This is in my mind as I recently visited my sister in Texas and one of our educational days was spent in the museum dedicated to the holocaust. The re-visioning stage was very interesting especially guilt. I could equate to this as my parents use this tactic all the time and I usually feel bad and do what they want. I never thought about it in relation to people of color and how I benefited from racism. The part of the lecture on racial identifiers got my attention. I recently was out with a friend who was telling me about crackers----believe me I was lost as she did not mean food. It seems this is a common term used by people of color, which means whites. I never would have thought it was related to race. I think I will be more conscious of using terms unless there is full understanding as to the meaning. It is true that we identify certain things with races but in the end does it really matter, as we are all human beings. I think white people say dumb things sometimes because they do not know how to communicate with people of color and maybe this is their way of finding out more about the person or trying to fit in. They are not thinking about race. I want to continue to see more beyond just whiteness so that maybe we can improve and not obstruct racial relations. Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:09:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164009734 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163040767 The video White and Nerdy was funny as it depicted white people as nerds compared to other races. It some ways it is true if you think about it. I guess we are kind of nerdy. We must look like a bunch of political correct, educated, better than others, and people that others look up to. In other wards we are the cool race. An analogy would be high school and how groups form which is not based on race but separated out by the nerds, the in crowd, athletes etc. Everyone wants to be part of the cool crowd for many reasons it might be a status symbol to some or just to say one is part of a group. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:27:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163040767 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163040703 I find that Sam’s example about disabled people is very true. One needs to walk in another’s shoes to actually understand how they navigate through daily activities of living. I just read an article about a mother of two boys who are autistic. Each child is different one lacks emotion and one shows no response to any stimuli. It is very hard to relate to this topic unless you can identify with it. I cannot image the time and energy this woman must spend in order to care for these boys who really have no knowledge that this is their mother. In this case described by Sam unless you have had an experience with disabled individuals you might have distorted thinking about who disabled people are and think most of them are shut away from the real world. I think people today are consumed with themselves and do not think about others. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:27:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163040703 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163039678 I think prior to Sam’s lecture I was in the pre-awakening stage as I never thought about being white or that white defined my race. Since this interesting lecture I now have taken time to dwell on white. This is interesting as in filling out a job application recently white can also mean Hispanic. So this made me think about what is white culture and made me notice others around me. Why are Hispanics grouped in with white? Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:22:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163039678 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163039628 I have never thought about what it is to be white. I see myself as a person not a white person to me white is my skin color. If someone ask me to tell something about myself the answer would be I am a 22 years old, hail from New Jersey, the middle child out of four, and the third child to attend Penn State. Sam’s lecture has made me begin to think about what it means to be white. After thinking about this topic I guess from my perspective being white has allowed me certain privileges in this world. I have more opportunities available to me that than those of other races. Being white allows me to move through society with the freedom to do whatever I wish without any connotations attached to my name. I think being white has made me who I am. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:22:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163039628 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163035190 This lecture was very interesting, but I think that all Dr. Richards lectures are interesting. I am the same as you I am a white female and never really thought about being white or what whiteness really means. I do agree with you, I would say everything that I could think about first and then when I could not think of anything else then I would say I am white. It is true about the example that Dr. Richards gave about disabled people, if you do not experience firsthand then you would never really get it. This whole blinders people wear is also true because I think people today are only concerned about themselves and do not want to be bothered with anything. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:04:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163035190 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160805535 I have to say that I do agree with you about Sam and making you laugh, when I am listening to him I cannot help but laugh. Some of the things he says or even does really make you think for example just like Avery, I really do give him credit for coming down and doing what Sam tells him to do. I enjoyed the “King of Mountain” example, he did not just explain it but also showed us how it works and I think a demonstration made it reality. I think it made a lot more people understand how the world works. To move to the statics on people in jail, I agree with the reasons you have about staying out of jail. It comes down to money and who you know. I think these two things are the reasons, like you said if you have the money you are able to have that better lawyer which could get you off, but I also think some of it could be if you know someone or your family/friends know someone either a good lawyer or even someone in the justice system this also could get you off. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 01:19:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160805535 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160804671 I think this lecture provided much insight into racial inequality not just based on skin color but other aspects of inequality among individuals such as one’s networking ability, physical make-up, position in society, freedom to make choices, environment born into wealth or poverty, geographic location, and education level play a role in whether or not one becomes a productive and successful member of society. I never thought about racial inequality in this way. I have a friend who is struggling to find a job in law. She believes being from a middle class family with minimal politic ties has attributed to her not finding a job. She is finding the opposite to be true in her search black or brown people tend to be getting the jobs. Sam’s discussion on not really being free and the example that strings shape our behavior I guess is he is referring to how we are all attached by strings and no matter what we do cut or re-tie we cannot remove them. If you are born into a position of power or wealth you cannot change your origin just like one cannot change their skin color because this is a part of who we are in our civilization. I find this to be true because even if you are angry with a brother or sister and want to cut all ties in the end the strings are still attached as you are family. I thought it was interesting about determinism and how luck is the reason someone gets to the top as they were in the right place at the right time. The down side to determinism is that being at the top cause’s one to find ways to manipulate or use force so they stay in power. A good example of using force to stay in power would be the up-rising in Libya. Quadaffi used force to show his authoritative role and power. He also used women to help him succeed by taking them and putting them in non-traditional roles such as militants. This is how he gained the women votes and support. Sociology’s explanation of why some go to college and others do not was quite interesting. Some choose college due to free will while others seek out education as they are told and maybe forced to continue their schooling. It again comes back to determinism or free will. In my case I wanted to better myself so I made the decision to go to college and decided on my career path. No one forced me or told me what do it was my decision. I too do not understand the statistics which show more black and brown in prison. Maybe Caucasians have more money or are able to manipulate the system to keep themselves out of jail. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 01:14:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160804671 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159821793 I agree with Dr. Richards telling his class part two of the lecture was the best day of the semester as it really got me thinking about inequality. Each week I am learning more and more and becoming less narrow-minded about various topics discussed in lecture. I was really shocked about the percentage difference between certain races and graduating from college in 2004. I would have expected the percentages to be much different. This made me wonder what was happening in our country at this time that higher education seemed to be less important. Another topic discussed during lecture was the MCAT testing. I found this very interesting as my brother is preparing to take this test this summer. He was fortunate to have the funds to take the review course for this test. It was interesting to learn that the score on the test is what counts not your college GPA. My brother is a very determined person so I am curious to see how the process goes for him. The video about social inequalities made some very good points. When you are not exposed to a certain environment one does not think of things actually being better elsewhere. The kids from the poorer community could not believe that the rich kids had such state of the art equipment and technology while their school got by with run down and out-dated equipment. It was interesting to see the shock in the kids’ faces as they experienced the social inequalities. It kind of made me think about the recent uprisings in the middle-eastern countries as these people are beginning to see the social inequalities in their country. I wondered if there was an outcome to this experience---did state officials step in to provide dollars to repair the school or did the kids feel a need to express their concerns to someone in authority that could help them obtain a better learning environment which equals a better education. It was interesting to see that immigrants have a higher family income because they pool resources. I never thought about this but it makes sense now I understand why several immigrant families were existing under one roof. The other interesting topic was wealth. It was interesting to see the wealth that individual races had obtained with and without homes in 2002. I was a little shocked as it seemed that certain races have better advantages to having money than others. On the topic of achievement ideology I think that one can make an impact on society and be successful. There are many people who came from less fortunate backgrounds but became successful. Several come to mind George Washington Carver, Abraham Lincoln, and Dwight Eisenhower. These three show that success can be obtained despite socio-economic circumstances. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 03:32:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159821793 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159772483 I agree with you, I too enjoyed this lecture and feel social inequalities is an important topic to learn about as it never occurred to me that others had researched this area. I have heard people say things about another person’s biological differences or the socio-psycho cognitive. A friend of mine grew up in a poor socio-economic environment. She made a choice to go to college and better herself despite the obstacles against her. Someone else may not have the determination to get themselves out of the environment but this does not mean it cannot be done. Watching the clip from the Oprah show was fascinating, when I was in high school my brother was on the swim team and we always went to his meets. It was interesting to see the difference in the schools. Two schools were five to ten minutes from our home and the social environment is very different from my school. I did not expect such a difference in diversity as my school is primarily all Caucasian with very little diversity. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 00:47:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159772483 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158382180 The lecture kind of took me by surprise as I never thought about how middle easterners viewed Americans. My thoughts about Arabs/Muslims is based primarily on 911 as I saw them as terrorist who bombed and killed our families, who tried to destroy our country and take away our freedom. Much of my viewpoint is due to experiencing a personal loss from this tragic day. It made me begin to distrust anyone of Arab/Muslim descendant that I did not really know. I saw this culture as intruders looking to find ways to bring America down. I wondered if the main goal was to destroy the infrastructure and sink us to our knees. I have to say this lecture on “Christian Invaders” broadened and better educated me about this culture. It was very hard for me to watch the American soldiers acting macho while ruining another person’s life. This poor man’s only income to probably house and feed his family was the car a taxi. I was appalled that these soldiers had such little respect for human life. It seemed to me like they were boys playing with their toys as they completely demolished the car with the tank. It also looked like the point was we are the big bad Americans don’t mess with us. I wondered if these men were reprimanded for their behavior as this gives us a bad name. I knew the war in Iraq was for the oil and not to topple an out of control leader. My uncle served in the military during Operation Iraqi Freedom and told us about the devastation in this country. His general feeling was that we will be involved in Iraq for at least 25 years till the country is rebuilt, government is established, and society grows. His feeling is you cannot just pull out and leave these people in poverty, homeless, without food, and expect them to have the technology and equipment to re-build. We have never experienced war here so it was hard to understand their plight. The lecture on ethnocentrism shows that media does influences the way people view other people. I thought about the capture of Bin Laden and the attention the media gave to this topic. Again America was able to raid the compound of Bin Laden and kill him. We as Americans were exposed only to the good side of the story. I wondered what the Pakistan people thought of us raiding a compound with young children living in the home, killing others, and entering another country without permission was perceived by them. I also wondered what the Pakistan government allowed the media to release to the Pakistan people about the raid and death of Bin Laden. Did this information portray us in a bad light and cause the people to see us in a different light? Do they see us as a country that is too big for its breeches and can do whatever they wish? Thu, 2 Jun 2011 01:47:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158382180