en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2391423 Comments by scondit http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/how-has-your-opinion-changed-on-illegal-immigration-119-blog/#IDComment144367143 Where I’m from there is not a lot of controversy on illegal immigrants. Because of that, I felt like I was a little naïve on the topic walking into today’s lecture. When I thought of illegal immigrants I immediately thought of Mexicans trying to cross the border or the immigrants who do yard work and other jobs many Americans do not want to do. Although those images I tend to think of are very stereotypical, and I try not to judge based off of them, I know that there is in fact some truth to them. However, after today’s lecture Sam has once again changed my opinion on illegal immigration. I was astounded to see how many hands when up when Sam asked how many people where illegal immigrants at one point, or has close family members who were illegal immigrants. It made me realize that I need to change my perspective of illegal immigrants, and to keep in mind the fact that not all immigrants are out to cut grass and to steal American’s jobs like the media often portrays them as doing. Another major point we discussed today was that we, as Americans, are all illegal immigrants to the Native Americans. This really made me think. In the past I have always realized that Native Americans have the short end of the stick; we (white European descendants) came over from Europe and took their land, killed their people, and gave them many deadly diseases. Now, in the present, they are confined to small reservations, are extremely poor, and have extremely high rates of alcoholism and teen suicides. On top of all of that they have to sit around hearing many Americans complaining about illegal immigrants crossing the boarder and what we can do to send them back. Ironically all of us are illegal immigrants too, but there is no way the Native Americans can send us all “back to where we came from”. So instead they have to just listen to the hypocritical Americans complain. Another experience from today’s lecture that helped reshape my opinion of illegal immigration was the stories we had heard about it. Eric’s story was very interesting; hearing gunshots, climbing up trees, and running through the dessert is not easy. Instead, it is dangerous and risky, which shows how dedicated these immigrants are to making it to America. Sam had a very good point in saying that most immigrants who are here in the United States do not anticipate on staying here forever. What they are planning to do is earn money and then return home to their families. If this is the case I do not have a problem with illegal immigrants working in the United States; they do the jobs many Americans would never do, therefore they are benefiting our society. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:24:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/how-has-your-opinion-changed-on-illegal-immigration-119-blog/#IDComment144367143 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment142889549 Nepotism is unfair. Our class definition of nepotism was the first time I understood what it truly was; giving someone a benefit or an advantage, solely on the basis of some indentified criteria that they would not normally receive. So essentially, where you get in life is all about who you know. Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for millions of others, whites are the ones who typically benefit most from nepotism. This gives me an advantage in virtually everything I wish to pursue in life. However, like we discussed in class, the problems with nepotism most people think we deserve something because they’re better than other people. In my everyday life, I try not to feel this way, but I do know times where I felt like I deserved something over someone else. My thoughts have changed lately because of learning about what nepotism really is all about. For example, I didn’t realize until this week that when someone like me gets a job or an internship based on someone my parents know, or based off of a personal recommendation they are actually taking the advantages away from everyone else. Before I realized nepotism had such a strong influence in my life and had shaped most of who I am today, I was completely against the idea of anyone else getting these advantages. To me it seemed very unfair for people to receive such advantages simply because it solely depended on who they knew. However, as hypocritical and selfish as it sounds, I would most likely take offers from a job or a college even if I knew I got it partially because of nepotism. I feel this way because of this question I’ve been asking myself; where in today’s world is there a job that you can obtain purely based on your merits? More importantly, how do you know those merits weren’t based on nepotism? Nepotism has become such an involvement in everyone’s life that I can’t think of a single thing I have done purely on my own. Does accepting nepotism for what it is make me a bad person? I don’t think so, but that is definitely an opinioned question. Many of my jobs and benefits I have received I have gotten based off of the recommendation of others, but that does not mean I did not deserve it. Once I got my first real job at Rita’s Water Ice, I worked as hard as I could to show I was worthy of the job and am still employed there today. I do not take handouts, but I do know that certain opportunities are meant to be seized, and if the opportunity arises I will do just that. My hard work and determinism is what makes me who I am, not nepotism. Today I am an employed college student in hopes of making a difference in the world, nepotism is only one step on the road that brought me here. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:25:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment142889549 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/what-do-you-think-of-the-291-statistic-and-what-number-would-you-pick-119-blog/#IDComment140551630 Personally, I do not approve of physical violence in any matter, but I do understand that sometimes it is necessary. Similarly, I do not like the idea that the loss of any innocent life should be worth taking the life of a “bad person”. As Sam said in class on Tuesday, not many Americans are aware of the 29 to 1 ratio the soldiers are instructed to follow in the Middle East, or anywhere our military is for that matter. That surprises me so much, to think that the lives of so many civilians are willing to be lost for the assassination of one man or women. To put it in perspective for myself, I compared that to one classroom in my elementary school; if the US military was following that ratio in the Middle East they could essentially be taking out an entire classroom of kids. This is awful to think about, and I know that the classroom situation is most likely rare; nevertheless the amount of innocent women and children is still astounding to me. I do understand that the people our military is using this ratio to assassinate must be very dangerous. The risks of keeping this person alive could be very detrimental to the United States and any of the other countries on our side; the “bad person” could very well kill thousands and even millions of people if left alive. Now that is an even scarier thought. Therefore I approve of the ratio concept. However, is the number 29 too high? Personally, I’m really not sure. I started think about what number would I pick? That is a very difficult question to answer. Initially I thought that the number should vary from person to person. It seemed fair, but then I thought, “Who gets to decide which enemy’s death is worth more innocent lives than another?” I know I would never want to be put in that position. Essentially the people picking how many lives should be sacrificed would be playing God, and that is not good either. That power could be taken advantage of, or the chosen number could cause discrepancies within the United States military that could affect the outcome of the whole procedure. I do feel that the number 29 is high and, to be honest, a very random number as well. There must have been a formula the military used to calculate this number of civilians, but it is unbeknownst to me. I would pick a slightly smaller number, such as 20 or 25 for the assassination ratio, but I do understand that there will be cases where there are going to be more lives lost for the greater good. Again, I do not believe violence is always the answer but in certain circumstances I know it is the only logical option. Wed, 6 Apr 2011 19:50:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/what-do-you-think-of-the-291-statistic-and-what-number-would-you-pick-119-blog/#IDComment140551630 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138734252 Although I hate to admit it I do, at times, feel uncomfortable around people who are speaking a language other than English. I do not have a problem with people using their native language, or a second language they grew up learning, but in a public place it makes me feel anxious. The reason is simply, I do not know what they are talking about. If they are just passing by I do not usually think too far into it, but sometimes if people are very close to me in a store or a different public place I start to wonder what they are talking about. “Are they talking about me? What would they be saying? Are they making fun of me?” I know that the likely answers to each one of those questions is no, but it still makes me wonder. Because the truth is, I will never know. They speak so fast I can’t remember what they were saying after a few seconds, and I know it would be nearly impossible to repeat it back to my a friend and have them translate. I think the reason I feel like people could be talking about me is because I have heard stories from other people about other foreigners talking behind their back. Luckily it wasn’t in the United States, but it was still a very upsetting story. An actor and TA from my Theatre 100 class told us that while he was traveling in France he heard people talking behind his back about being black. They had no idea he spoke French fluently and understood every word. It’s so upsetting to know that people talk behind your back, or in some cases like the one my TA/actor experienced, right in front of your face. I don’t know what I would have done in that situation; I might have just been too shocked to have a strong reaction. Either way talking behind someone’s back is wrong, whether you say it in English, French or any other language. Even though most of us know this, talking about people always seems to occur. I know that cases like my TA experienced are very unlikely to happen, especially in the area I live in, but I still feel self-conscious at times. I usually realize my discomfort while I’m currently in those situations, and do my best not to show it. This is because again, I do not have a problem with people speaking another language; I just want to know what they are saying! I do not want to offend these people and certainly do not want to come off racist, I just always seem to draw my attention to languages that I do not know. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 01:12:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment138734252 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137015080 The biggest factor that would make it difficult for people to date outside of their race, in my opinion, is the judgment of others in the community, especially in their own family. I am lucky enough to not have this issue of race with my family, but I know that some of my friends have both parents and especially grandparents, who want to preserve the family name. By preserving the family name I mean they want to their children or grandchildren to continue dating people of the same race as their own. I also believe that it is harder for the older generations to get used to the idea of interracial couples because racism was a huge part of their lives; people tend to reject ideas and actions that they don’t fully like or understand. In our generation, however, we seem to be much more open to dating outside of our religion and race, so the idea of doing so yourself is not an issue. I have never dated outside my race, not because I feel like it is wrong, or because I feel that my race is superior, only because so far I have been solely attracted to white men. However, I once had a boyfriend who was very different from my friends and myself. He used to live in the city, wore baggy clothes and had a hat and chain on him at all times. He was not exactly what my mother had in mind for me, but he was sweet and she allowed me to keep seeing him. Knowing my mom wasn’t very supportive, however, was very hard for me and was one of the reasons we ended up breaking up. I was only sixteen at the time, and I know my mother was just trying to look out for me, but I felt that I was old enough to pick out good guys to date. I can only imagine her reaction if I told her we were going to get married; she would not be all too happy. With this being said, I know deep in my heart she would let me do what I felt was right for me. The issue my mom had with my ex-boyfriend was not about race; instead it was based off of his actions and behavior. If my parents found out I was dating a man outside my race I feel like it would not be an issue of skin color. They would be more concerned with his personality, his treatment toward me, his career, his aspirations, and finally whether or not he loved me. These should be the requirements boyfriends or girlfriends need to fulfill in order to be accepted into their significant other’s family, not the color of their skin. As the years go by however, I feel that the younger generations will look back at this issue and laugh in disbelief, because to them interracial couples will be just as common as dating within your own race. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:01:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137015080 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/how-do-irrelevant-racial-signifiers-affect-racial-stereotypes-119-blog/#IDComment135757152 The use of irrelevant signifiers without a doubt intensifies racial stereotypes. Adding the race, gender, or the religion of others into a story or a statement just reflects people’s inner racism, whether it is intentional or not. Although I like to believe that the use of irrelevant signifiers is always unintentional, there are some messed up people who use these signifiers just to tarnish the reputations of others; this is not right. In our world, stereotypes will never be diminished if we continue to use them in everyday conversations, especially when they are not needed. Because of the common use of these signifiers people often don’t even realize that their statements can come off very offensively; I believe that it is our responsibility as educated adults to make our friends and family aware of what they are saying in hopes that they will stop. Action needs to be taken to lessen the use of irrelevant signifiers. I personally struggle with some of the wording in my own stories; I don’t want to sound racist or judgmental with my statements, but sometimes the details do in fact matter. I really liked the way Sam phrased it in class on Tuesday; if the story makes just as much sense without the signifier, then it is not needed. I will now try my best to remove these irrelevant signifiers from my speech. I recently experienced an example of how signifiers can unintentionally reflect racism or negative thoughts about a different race. Earlier in the week as I was walking back from one of my classes, my friend was telling me about her break. After a few minutes it had come up in conversation that her friend had slept with a black guy. At first I was taken aback; that statement, in my opinion, was very racist and unnecessary; the way she phrased it made it seem like sleeping with a black man was considered a bad thing. As she continued the story she kept using the term “black guy” instead of the man’s name. I then learned the drama of the story was not because of the color of his skin, but that her friend had just broken up with her boyfriend the week before. This made more sense in the story telling aspect, but I thought to myself, “why is the race of the ‘new guy’ important?” well, it wasn’t. I don’t think my friend realized she was stating this point over and over again but it made her come off as racist or judgmental of her friend. Stories like the one I just mentioned can flow just as smoothly without the use of signifiers. They just put the storyteller in a dicey situation that no one wants to be in…especially if the statements were unintentional. I feel that we all need to take a step back and reflect on the stories we have told in the past and see how much we each have used irrelevant signifiers. By seeing our mistakes we can correct them in the future and therefore helping lessen the intensity of stereotypes. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:20:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/how-do-irrelevant-racial-signifiers-affect-racial-stereotypes-119-blog/#IDComment135757152 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/is-it-possible-for-affirmative-action-to-take-things-too-far-119-blog/#IDComment133885891 Although I have always agreed that affirmative action was well needed in the past, I used to believe that it might be taken too far in some cases. Although I know this is rarely reported, or even confirmed, there is still a chance for “reverse discrimination” to occur. For example, companies who feel like they need to expand their co-worker’s diversity might pass up an equally qualified white man for someone who is Hispanic, Asian or Black. In the readings we discovered that this is not what affirmative action is about, and that this form of discrimination happens very little in the United States, but the point is that it still happens nonetheless. Despite this small chance of reverse discrimination, I have now decided that affirmative action is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. Affirmative action has given many minorities the opportunity to rise above white privilege and the “king of the mountain” mentality to allow them to apply for jobs and work on an even playing field. Until I began reading the textbook for this class, I did not have a very strong understanding on what affirmative action was and how it helps benefits minorities in the work place. There may be a few companies or organizations that feel that affirmative action is no longer needed in today’s society and that, again, affirmative action is just taking away the opportunities of the white man. One of the reasons they might feel this way is that they believe that discrimination no longer exists, especially in the workplace. Although most people can acknowledge that discrimination and racism still do exist, they might not realize they themselves most likely take part in it without even realizing it; this is called latent prejudice. People who are looking to hire staff for their business may not even call members of a minority in for an interview because of their skin or even their “black-sounding name”, I was both shocked and disappointed with our country for allowing this to happen. This last statement was drawn from one of the studies we looked at in class; when we looked at a list of black-sounding names and white sounding names on resumes. Other than the name, everything else on the resume was exactly the same. In response to those applications, one in ten of the white-sounding names were called back, while only one in fifteen of the black-sounding names were called back. If we were all treated equally in the workplace, these ratios would have been exactly the same. Because they are different however, we have affirmative action to once again even the playing field. Until every race and religion is treated equally in the workplace, affirmative action needs to remain in place. Although I wish it wasn’t needed, I feel that it is being used properly and doesn’t favor one race over the other. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:05:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/is-it-possible-for-affirmative-action-to-take-things-too-far-119-blog/#IDComment133885891 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130225006 The problem with “whites” admitting they discriminate is the fact that they are the ones who are known for being racist and cruel to other ethnicities. For decades whites were known for their awful treatment of other races; enslaving African Americans, treating them poorly once they were freed, and not giving them the opportunities they deserve. These are just a few brief examples to show my point, and there are so many more that I have experienced in my own life. The fact is, the pressure to be “colorblind” nowadays seems to be the strongest among white people, in my opinion, to show that they truly have changed from their actions of the past. Being white, I am definitely embarrassed of my ethnicity’s “past” and do not want to be associated with it. However, just as Sam said in class, most of us do in fact have latent prejudice and I have never even realized it until now. I try my best to be open to every person I meet, and to get to know someone before I judge them. But after thinking about all of the facts and scenarios that Sam provided us with on Tuesday I realized I am not as ethnically open as I thought I was. For instance, I do not mind talking or being around people from a different race, but the scenario Sam discussed about adopting a baby or getting sperm from the sperm really made me think; would I really be open to having a child of any ethnicity? My automatic answer was yes, it doesn’t matter what they look like; they would still be my kid. However, when I was thinking more about it I feel like I would rather have a child with the same ethnicity or very close to it. Not because I don’t like the way other ethnicities look, but more because I would want the child to feel like they fit into the family, and I wouldn’t want to be questioned about whether or not the child was “mine”. This example is very situational, of course, and I know I wouldn’t love my child any less if they were a different race; it just shocked me how much I thought about appearances while making my decision. Going back to the original question of why whites specifically are less likely to admit they are racist, I feel that another answer would be that they have less of a reason to be. For example, many African Americans can admit they are racist towards whites because of what “we” did to them, and it’s very hard to argue against that. In my opinion, horrid events, such as slavery, allow racial groups like African Americans to get away with racist comments or actions. This is because they were being suppressed. That might be a “racist thought” to immediately associate racism in African Americans with slavery, I really don’t know anymore. What I do know is that these past few classes have opened my eyes to the hidden prejudice in everyone, including myself. It’s very hard to acknowledge the fact that you might be prejudice, especially because I’m white, but I realized I am and will do what I can to fix that. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:22:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130225006 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128745913 Growing up most of us were told that hard work will get us far in life. My parents always said, “You won’t get into a good college unless you do your best and get good grades in school!” So I did. Most of it was my own free will; I wanted to do my best as much as my parents did. In our own school districts, the hard work does pay off because you don’t get into special classes because you know the principle or the teacher. Instead, it is purely based on your academics. So throughout grade school this way of thinking seemed to prove true. However, grade school is not reality, it is a different environment completely. As soon as we step outside of this, by graduating or dropping out, we enter a whole new realm of “reality” called the real world. Here, success is no longer based on how hard you work, but it becomes largely based upon who you know. Take Penn State for example. This year we were one of the top schools for students to have a guaranteed job immediately after graduation. Do you really think that every student who graduates from Penn State University has done their best in each and every one of their classes? Some have, and that’s a very high achievement. But many other students have not; they might have tried in classes that were important to their major, but with a reputation like Penn State’s who needs to have the highest GPA? There are business and cooperation owners and employees all over the world who are alumni of Penn State, or just know of the school, who are always eager to hire fresh graduates. This leads once again to the question at hand; why do we believe that success is less and less a result of hard work as we become more and more educated? It’s because we learn the hard way. The opportunities that matter are further in life; getting a high-end job is much easier when you have a well-known college on your resume, or worked for a specific company. There are so many people in America today who work hard, that it doesn’t account for, as much anymore, it just can’t. If we all worked our hardest and were constantly rewarded for it, there would be no more promotions and raises left; there are only so many rewards owners can give. The king of the mountain demonstration only proved this more; once someone is one top they control it all. They decide who they want going farther up the mountain, and who they want far away; it doesn’t matter how much work each individual does. So in our society today, success is redefined. Work hard enough, and meet a lot of influential people along the way, and you are very likely to be successful. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 05:50:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128745913 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment126975787 In Tuesday’s class, Sam discussed about the combination of determinism and free will. I agree entirely with that statement, and have no doubt that this combination is what got me to where I am today; not just one or the other. My parents have blessed me with a lot of things; a nice house in a good neighborhood, a great school district, and a lot of support for anything I want to do. This definitely got me off to the right start in life and I know that not everyone has these advantages, but I also feel that my own free will helped me go further in school and work to allow me to attend college here at Penn State. As soon as I started school, my parents always wanted to make sure that I was succeeding. I was encouraged to try my best and to do my homework every night. I never realized that this was part of the determinism that shaped me, and that not everyone was being brought up in the same way. When classes started to get harder, my parents were there to help me do extra problems to ensure I wouldn’t fall behind. The work ethic they instilled in me, along with positive reinforcement from my teachers and peers was the motivation I needed to take more rigorous courses in middle and high school. Although the determinism aspects I received from my parents, friends, and teachers got me started on the right path, I know my free will helped me stay on that path when I became more independent. The independence started in middle school when I came home to an empty house. Without my parents being there, I could have easily blown off my schoolwork and watched TV or gone outside. Instead, I still continued to do my homework before anything else. I wanted to make sure I was doing the best that I could in my classes, which meant getting high grades and obtaining the feeling of achievement. High school was the most difficult time to keep up my work ethic. This was because once my friends and I were granted the ability to drive wherever and whenever the desire to do all of my homework started to fade. It wasn’t my parents who wanted to make sure my schoolwork got done; I was still responsible for that. Even though I was reluctant to do so at times, I still wanted to do my work to the best of my ability. I am not the kind of person who can turn in work that wasn’t my best. Using the combination of my free will to work hard and the determinism that my parents, peers, and teachers supplied me with allowed me to succeed and attend Penn State. Like Sam said in class, there is a balance between both determinism and free will in everyone, just like the combination of Yin and Yang. It is not always perfectly balanced, but I believe that both free will and determinism are involved in who each and every one of us becomes. Wed, 9 Feb 2011 20:24:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment126975787 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125813204 Changing what you call yourself in different areas of the world is a very common experience. Most of us have had an encounter with someone where the question of ethnic background has come up, and the answers I personally have given vary based on who the person asking was. In my opinion, the reason why we identify ourselves relative to the people around us is that we know the general answer they want to hear, for example if you’re both from America you will not just simply reply, “I’m American”. What I find so interesting is that we know how to answer this question almost instantly; this idea of sorting through your heritage seems to come naturally. In America you know that most people are citizens, so when they ask you what you are or where your ancestors came from, you are more likely to say you are German, or Irish then to say, “Well my family has been American for many generations”. This would be, in most cases, very obvious if you have a clean accent and dress like a “typical American”. In this situation, fellow citizens would rather know your ancestor’s backgrounds. Another way people might identify themselves would be to say their family is from a known region and not one country. For example, if you were originally from an island in the Caribbean that not many people are aware of, you might just say you are from “the islands” or “the Caribbean”. However, if you are an American who is traveling to Italy on vacation, most natives would know you are not actually Italian, based on clothing, skin color, accents, etc., and want to know your country of origin/where you live currently. In that situation, I personally would say that I am from America, because this is the most obvious answer, and the easiest as well. Like I said earlier, I feel like we can distinguish how to best identify our backgrounds almost automatically, which definitely makes it easier to talk to new people. This sense of identification based off of location can also apply to where you say you are from, and not just your historical background. For instance, I’m from Pennsylvania. If someone from Penn State (or any other part of Pennsylvania) asked me where I was from, I would tell them my town or district name. However, if I was vacationing in a state that is far from Pennsylvania, like Hawaii, I would simply say, “I’m from Pennsylvania”. Finally, if I was visiting a foreign country, like Ireland, I would tell them I’m from the United States, or that I was an American. This idea of changing the information for proper communication is very helpful for traveling anywhere, near or far. It could help bring friends of similar backgrounds together, or create new topics of conversations between people of different backgrounds/heritage. No matter what the situation, we will always have the power to adapt. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 02:35:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/do-you-describe-yourself-differently-in-other-countries/#IDComment125813204 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124033626 In my opinion, we hang out with people of the same ethnicity because we like to be around people who remind us of ourselves. The sense of familiarity is comforting, especially when you have a fresh start, like in college. Being on your own is scary, and knowing that you have at least one major thing in common with someone could make it a lot easier to go up and introduce yourself. I know this is not always true; some people are very outgoing and love to meet anyone, no matter what their background is! I am not opposed to that, in fact I support it, but that is not always the easiest this to do. In general, people tend to stick with what they know; for example, if you grow up in an all white society, it is much easier to have a close group of friends who are white as well. Not being introduced to other cultures and beliefs can make people hesitant to meet others, for fear of conflictions or altercations. Branching out can also be hard if you do not know how to do so. For example, if you want to learn about other cultures and become friends with people of a different race, you cannot single a person out and randomly ask them to be their friend. First of all, if that was the only reason you would want to be their friend, there probably would not be a real connection between the two of you. Also, there could be an element of fear in the situation, the fear of stepping out of your comfort zone. You don’t want to say the wrong things or come off racist; the fear of political correctness comes into play. This fear has come up in class this week and I completely agree with what Sam was telling us. When it comes to addressing a person’s race or beliefs, there is not way of pleasing everyone; we all have different opinions on the matter, and that stresses many people out. For me, being a white female, I sometimes catch myself tripping over my own words; do I call someone “black” or “African-American”? Or should I not even label them at all? In other words, should I just call them a male/female so I don’t sound racist? These questions often occur in my mind, and I’m sure in other people’s minds as well. I don’t want to offend or insult anyone; I just want to meet and interact with new people. In this day in age we no longer separate ourselves from other races or ethnicities because we fear or dislike them. I feel like we separate because we don’t know how to properly befriend or approach them. We need to slowly break out of our “ethnic bubbles” and learn how to become social butterflies. Hopefully in this class Sam can help all of us break through these stereotypes, fears, and ideas of “political correctness” so that we will not longer hesitate before talking to anyone, and therefore become the social butterflies I know we all can be. Thu, 27 Jan 2011 03:57:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124033626 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122197374 Unfortunately, I feel like stereotypes will always be a part of human nature. It is easy for a person to judge someone who is different from them and to make assumptions about their way of life. We tend to fear and reject cultures and beliefs that conflict with our own. For example, in my SOC30 class today, we watched a video clip of South Koreans eating live squid. This was disturbing to many of us, and a lot of us thought negatively of the situation. The biggest stereotype that was discussed in class was that we were superior to the South Koreans because we were “civilized” enough to cook our food. What was tradition in their culture was now “repulsive” to us. This made me realize that stereotypes have altered over the years; some have increased while others have decreased. Nonetheless, they are still apparent all over the world and do not seem to be leaving anytime soon. A big reason it is so hard to get rid of the idea of stereotypes is the fact that, in most cases, they are taught to us when we are very young. If we are raised our whole life a certain way, it can be very hard to change your mind on a topic. For example, if you are a child who grows up in a very religious family it is possible you will have negative opinions on gay couples because they are going against your beliefs. It is not necessarily a hatred to the individual, but what activities they take part in. However, I believe stereotypes do not always occur from being brought up to think one way; sometimes exposure can be an issue. Growing up in a mostly white community, I have come across some people who aren’t used to being around other races and think negatively of them. Either they would avoid them, or they would make jokes about the stereotypes; such as “They’re Asian, no wonder they’re good at math”. This is disappointing to me; there should not be any jokes or judgment about others, but there are and there always will be. As much as I would love a judgment-free world, it seems to an extremely unlikely task. Even if we don’t think we do, most of us do in fact contribute to the spreading of stereotypes. I learned last week with the clicker activity just how little I knew about other cultures in America. My constant incorrect answers showed me that I have stereotypes of my own. The inability to see these faults in ourselves is another reason why they are still around; if we don’t know they are there, we cannot fix them. Even though I do not believe stereotypes will ever be eliminated from our world completely, I feel like exposure to classes such as SOC119 will help dissipate the judgment and stereotypes in our community. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:49:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122197374 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120785952 SOC 119 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:08:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120785952