en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3072886 Comments by senoriago http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/30/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment168202090 I agree with you when you said that inequality will not ever be solved. It is too easy, and too many ways in which it can be done. I don’t see anything wrong with helping your fellow man. It goes back to Sam Richards “King of the Mountain” analogy that when you get to the top, you help your own get there too, whether it be children, friends, or just people in general. I guess that is a form of Affirmative Action or nepotism, and if that is an example of it, then somehow as Sam Richards said, we are all victims of it. We are all products of someone’s hand out, and I guess I have no choice but to accept it. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:44:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/30/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment168202090 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/30/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment168201285 Affirmative action has been a subject with many misconceptions in the world. I knew from research that those who most benefited from AA were white females. People think that it only helps and refer to African-Americans or other people of color. If it is done right, no one knows whether or not they are the product of affirmative action. Am I a product since I am here at Penn State, I don’t know possibly. But I liked Sam Richards point about his wife, and if his wife benefits he still benefits. The video about the two schools are very common. I see it every day in my hometown of Philadelphia. I went to a Catholic School that had a building to a public school that was made up of trailers connected to each other by a red boardwalk. That was instantly a shock to me. However my brother who went to the Haverford School for Boys had a school with even more than my public school and more than my Catholic School. My sister’s life was reverse from mine, starting in public school then going into catholic school, and I am sure that it was culture shock. Now did Affirmative Action or Nepotism get us there, I don’t know and we may never know ourselves, but I am sure that people of other races who look at us and where we are today would try to downgrade our success by saying it was only through affirmative action. Sam Richards made a point that people always say if you work hard enough. I always push that on my little cousins that if you work hard enough you will succeed, because I have worked hard. I do know that there confounding variables that will affect someone’s progress. Glass ceilings that they can’t pass due to the environment, but if you knock hard enough, the glass will eventually break. I do not think that I deserve what I get if it’s something that I want, but I do believe that I deserve it if I worked hard enough and I feel as though I earned it. Now I do consider myself to be a pretty honest guy, but I am not saying I am more honest than most, so I am fair in making judgments in my own performance and level of rewards that should follow. The comic strip with the escalator and the winding road is how I was told to view the world growing up. White people have an easy pass, but you (I) have to work ten times to one million times harder than they do in order to just make it on their level, but now I say I have to work hard in order to make it on any level. My goal isn’t to outshine someone else, but to outshine people initiation thoughts of my capabilities. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:40:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/30/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment168201285 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment168194075 Once again this is an issue in which I have had many people speak on, but I tend to stay away from. My political stance on the issue is let them be. I understand everyone is concerned about the jobs and the immigrants taking them; however they are the janitorial, domestic services, and other below blue collar jobs as you said that no American wants to do. Honestly most Americans have a stick so far up their behinds that their pride won’t let them do those jobs. Maybe it is because I am young I don’t see the true effects of having illegal immigrants or immigrants in general and what they do to the economy, but at this time I am not worried about them. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:02:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment168194075 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment168175213 I enjoyed starting the lecture off with the comic strips. Though some people would see them as “funnies” they mean so much more. Immigrants did fall on the shorelines of America and “discovered” the new world. There is a reason why we call the people who were already on the land “natives.” I read a story called the Trail of Tears and it really goes deep into the experiences of the Native Americans and what they went through, being deceived and forced to relocate. The quote from Andrew Jackson that Sam Richards had read in lecture really disturbed me, but it does support what I was saying about the book I had previously mentioned. From the quote alone from the President of the United States to say this really makes me believe the stories in the book more. I found the video extremely amusing; I couldn’t help but smile the whole time. Though they are serious issues, it just amazing to see how poorly executed and how unhelpful they were. Good intent though. I am still a little confused about refugee policy and immigration policy. But it was interesting to see, and almost a shock to see that most immigrants with advanced degrees are African. But no matter the degree as Sam Richards said, immigrants are demonized. Congo the dog story was sad to hear, but it was good that he Mr. Rivera was still able to get reparation for the attack. The sad part was that people didn’t want to kill the dog, when I believe they would have if the person was a citizen. The rant video was a shock; however it is what people think every day especially those who don’t know much about immigration. I don’t know much about it, so I tend not to speak on the subject. I know if I were to speak on the matter, I could make it sound as though I know what I am talking about; just as he did and that is why he got the responses that he did. Immigration is a really touching subject that no one wants to think about. But when Sam Richards was explaining immigration and political views on capitalism, I am sure that many of the students who believed in capitalism found their views contradicting, because they knew not of what they actually stood for. Once again there are subjects that I don’t know about and tend not to place my two cents in the conversation, but I suspect from the murmurs and faces of the students, their belief about economy and immigration was change. “Riff raff” I first heard that in the movie Aladdin, when the guards were chasing Aladdin and Aboo. It was very appealing to see how quickly the views of immigration change overtime. With the views of the cartoons most of them bashed but then praised immigrants. They marked immigrants as helpful people at one point, but not loyal, and potential terrorist. This I found interesting with the views of “Uncle Sam.” Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:50:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment168175213 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168030621 I always feel some type of way when people talk down about foreigners. I know that sometimes I may make comments if I get really pissed off, but I stop and think how hard it may be for them to learn English. I know how hard it is for me to learn Spanish, so what makes me think it’s not the same for them. I agree that there are many benefits to learning more than one language. It opens a whole new world, and you will be more acceptable of different cultures. Money is a plus, but also travels. Communication and opportunities that are closed to those who only know one language opens for those who know many. I’ve tried to learn a new language, and I as well do plan for my children to learn another language. It will only benefit them in their future, and the earlier the better. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:26:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168030621 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168026133 I have never heard of “salad bowl” to define the mixture of ethnicity, cultures, and so forth. A melting pot is the most common; it is a part of America’s history. I myself prefer to live in a diverse community too. I believe that one can learn more and be more social equipped if they are exposed to the many differences in the world early on in life. The world is a melting pot, and one will not be surrounded by one race all their life. I have to disagree with the problems with multiculturalism. I don’t really see any major affects except for possibly losing one’s own culture. I embrace other cultures but I don’t think that I may ever forget my own. That is where the phrase “never forget where you came from” comes into play. As I embrace other cultures The questions from the slide that the class had answered were very interesting. I have never heard of “amalgamation.” I thought that a melting pot was the combination of many cultures under one umbrella. This would mean that we have Asians, White, Black, Brown, Hispanic, Red, and Green all living together under one umbrella. The umbrella would be America. I didn’t think that it was a completely new group. So I am guessing that it would be if Asian and Blacks mix, to create a new group of Blackian or Asack. I guess what I was thinking was “salad bowl” or integration instead of melting pot. When it comes to the gay marriage, I do accept it, but I do not believe that they should be given full marriage rights. Domestic Partners seem to be enough, but some people just can’t accept it. I don’t think that it is a problem, but people of the LGBTQ community get offended that it isn’t called a marriage. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I believe this and this is my stance as a bisexual male myself. Domestic Partnership is fine, the need to be called and recognized as a marriage is not needed. The religious aspect was very interesting to me. I grew up in a Christian household, and I was at one time a Christian. I am no longer Christian because I didn’t feel right living a lifestyle that that contradicted my beliefs. I felt as though I was disrespecting that religions god by, dancing, singing in the choir, and partaking in its festivities, while every day I am pretty much slapping god in the face with my lifestyle. It is just disrespectful to any religion. I also felt uncomfortable with constantly being told that I am going to hell, for something that I can’t help. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:14:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168026133 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/#IDComment165612892 If there was a book about the rules and regulation on race, it would be so much easier not to offend. Since there isn’t, it’s good that we have classes and professor such as Sam Richards who helps people first understand the identity of their race. By understanding your race, you will be able to prevent the possibility of being deemed races especially if you are white. The race card is easily played by people of color but it is a bad thing if white people identify that the race card is being played. White people though they are “king of the mountain” in society, it seems as though the mountain on which they stand is made out of eggshells. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:19:27 +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/#IDComment165612892 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/#IDComment165585188 When Sam Richards was speaking about adopting children into a family culture that is different from their own and the different experiences that one may have depending whether or not the difference in culture is spoken about really stood out to me. My family, in particular my grandmother has adopted, and or foster over ten children during her life (she is still alive), and it was had when the children began to express interest in their biological parents. Most of the children my grandmother adopted, the parents had abandoned them and left no trace, we have no knowledge of family history, medical or even educational abilities. I can only try to imagine a child not knowing of their heritage while growing up, finally realize that they are different, and feeling lost. In my experience with my adopted family members, some of the children began to act out, and it was hard, and we couldn’t really understand or help them. All we could do is try and help blindly. “For Black and Hispanic students, the higher your grades, the less popular you are measuring popularity,” I find this statement is very true and disturbing because it is true. Growing up when I was in Catholic school high grades was a norm. I wanted to have A’s all the time and I was popular. I was well-liked and everyone I hung out with was too because of their grades. It was acceptable and everyone wanted to hang out with you, however when I transferred to the public school, I continued my strive to achieve high scores I was taunted, talked about, and laughed for being an over-achiever. I was the nerd. The video “A Girl Like Me” was interesting. It shows how at a young age, race is influenced into people at a young age. There has been a time when I considered bleaching my skin in order to be lighter. I am not that dark, I am probably the color of a general brown Crayola crayon. Til this day I wash with bleach once or twice a month, it isn’t for the goal to brighten my skin, but in order to get rid of a tan (which makes me darker) so I would remain the skin tone that I am. Wow, is all I can say about the video “accents.” I was wondering if people actually did research about things of that nature, and Sam Richards confirmed. I would like to conduct a research like that of my own. I didn’t think that racism was that blatant, but this really makes me think. I lived in Pennypacker my freshman year, and it was really diverse. In Housing there is a name for PennyPacker, and a deliberate reason why it is very diverse, and the most diverse of dorms in East and of Campus. I can’t remember the title at this time, but there is a reason why PennyPacker is the way it is. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:04:32 +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/#IDComment165585188 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/#IDComment164456697 What was also shocking about the video and it also made me think, was when the one of the Presidential candidates was a white supremacist. I can only imagine how the United States would be if he was elected president. I do not entirely blame the twins from the video for what they stand for and what they do, because they are a product of their environment, and of what their parents had taught them. The parents kept them away from the reality of the world, by homeschooling them, and you see the effects of that from the Hitler question. You are right that it is not only whites that need not to be labeled as racist. Those of color can be labeled that as well. they may not be labeled as such in their immediate communities, however in the corporate world, or any place outside of the comfort community, they can also be deemed racist. Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:06:38 +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/#IDComment164456697 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/#IDComment164453655 If treating everyone equally is the first rule of being white, I think that rule should be taught to everyone not just white people. I was raised to judge people by their character and not the color of their skin, but as I grew up the media, my neighborhood, people I associated with quickly changed that perspective, and I being naive abandon the teachings of my mother. It had become a norm to judge others, and planning life stories about people by the color of their skin and clothes they might be wearing at the time. The video made me upset especially when the Hitler question was brought up. The twins just seem ignorant not by choice but because of their parents. They don’t have a grasp of reality or history. I think knowing when to use racial identifiers is a type of political correctness. It just knows when to be appropriate and how to be appropriate. The Red House video was hilarious to me. It was just unnecessary as Sam Richards pointed out before the viewing. It does strengthen his point about stating race when it isn’t necessary. Sometimes doing this makes the situation or conversation awkward, this is when one may experience the “awkward silence” moment. The guilt question that Sam asked was a very interesting one. I know I may have felt guilty for doing something wrong, but the guilt he seems to be speaking of is a guilt that is inherited. It’s not a guilt that you develop on your own. The example of feeling guilty for being white is where I draw this from. It is known that historically that those of the white race have benefited from the take over and use of the labor of others and dominance of the other races and because of it over the time of history guilt has become a part of their nature. A lot of what he was speaking about is things that I have read in the book “Making Peace between our Colors.” I must admit that when it seems like the white person in the in the room is having an epiphany about racial discrimination I have not accepted it. I didn’t believe it to be sincere or that it is possible for the “white man” to fully understand the day to day experiences that people of color face every day of their lives. The question that he posed about “it’s about time white people…” is something that I have heard people of my racial background say many of times. If I was around blacks, Africans, Hispanics, Asian or even Latinos I have heard those words uttered in many different ways and each time they present good historical examples of why white people deserve to be in the situation that they are in. I think whether or not they deserve it, it is not cool to proud yourself off of someone else misery. White people have done it in the past, and if we of color do it today, then we are no better than they are. Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:52:09 +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/#IDComment164453655 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/#IDComment163032200 It isn’t so much that we can identify with our race, most create an identity because we really don’t know it. This is especially true to blacks or African-Americans of the slave decent, who were taken from Africa. There may be, but a very narrow way to trace back their heritage to the exact tribe in which their ancestors came from. However Mexicans do have a stronger sense of heritage as do Asians and Latinos, so I do agree with you in that sense. As you may not be able to identify as white, even though my skin complexion is dark I have heritage that may not lie in Africa. I found that I have Irish, and Eastern European ancestry. I have much light skin, blue or green eyes, with golden or blond hair in my family. However though they aren’t so light to be considered white by society, they are often mistaken as Puerto Rican or Dominican as I am sometimes, even though I much darker with a caramel complexion. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:50:43 +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/#IDComment163032200 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/#IDComment163030166 I’ve heard a lot about the “self” in my psychology classes referring to the ego, id, superego, and the cultural differences in identifying oneself. When Sam Richards was explaining who he is, with father, American, and son psychologist deem that be a way that Eastern cultures usually I identify themselves whereas the Western culture would identify themselves as stating age, profession, and race. From this it is evident that Sam Richards sees himself as a part of something much bigger than himself. He is a part of a line of history, and culture. I can bear witness to the concept of the light bulb moment, because I have had one of those moments in my life. Now to think about the things that I really don’t ever think about which Sam Richards had brought up: height, and being right handed. I don’t think about being right handed, I see it as I just am, however I only think about my height when I am around those who are taller than I, even though I am five foot ten inches. Maybe am I thinking about their height instead of my own? I find this lecture to be most interesting, especially with the six identity stages of white people. I see these stages as being parallel to the stages of growth: infancy, prepubescent, adult, and etc. You go through these different stages of identity as you continue to go through the stages of life. Pre-awakening is like childhood innocents, you are ignorant to the world’s problems and the stigmas that are placed on you ethnicity. Then you have an awakening, and that is when you start school, maybe when you become a teenager the world begins to look different to you. You begin to learn more about your ancestry, traditions, culture, and how you differ from “them,” and the growth continues. After watching the video about the Senator and the use of the phrase “white niggers,” being of the black ethnicity, I did not see it as a big problem needing an explanation from his office. The way that is is used in the black or African-American community is much different than the negative connotation of the word “nigger” above. This word is “nigga” which I hear that word used in many different ways. However I tend to use and define the word “nigger” or “nigga” as a person of ignorance, how lacks the respect of self and others, and has a level of arrogance close to the qualities of a narcissistic human-being. I do not label to one specific group of people, due to my definition, so I can as easily say “white nigger,” “black nigger,” “Mexican nigger” and so forth. It is still not a word that I use loosely or all the time, for it does have negative ramifications that can follow it’s utterance. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:41:06 +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/#IDComment163030166 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160777487 I found the part of the lecture about the string “the Matrix like.” If anyone remembers the scene when Neo was set free from the Matrix, he was hooked up to all these different wires or in this case “strings” the bond him to the Matrix. They were invisible to him while he was hooked up to them, and they controlled him while he was in that “false reality.” As your questions ask, Neo did lose his sense of reality for a moment, and he lost his sense of self. He didn’t know what was real or what wasn’t real. Thanks to you I understand the “King of the mountain.” If I was to put another race on top, it wouldn’t be surprise me if they weren’t to share their resources. It wouldn’t be common for races to share resources within their own race, and this is where affirmative action comes into play. Is it wrong to share among your own. This is what tribes of Native Americans, Africans, and city-states of Ancient Greece did for many years. It is about survival of your race. Wed, 8 Jun 2011 23:01:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160777487 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160753829 Sam Richards had touched on something that I’ve been trying to express for a long time. It is something that I’ve heard before and understood by couldn’t perfectly explain my thoughts until now. I am free to do whatever I please; however it is something that is predisposition in me that does shape my future actions. It is either nature or nurtured. The strings are kind of like rules or unwritten universal taboos that tell us that this thing action is acceptable but this actions isn’t acceptable. This is what Sam Richards was tapping into about the “scratching” of different body parts. I am a male and I do not openly scratch my cajones when walking down the street either putting my hands down my pants or not. I don’t like seeing people do it (my automatic thinking would say something like “eww they must not have gotten washed or something), and putting myself in others shoes, I know that they wouldn’t want to see me do it either. Power is a concept that can be measured in many different ways. I see power as a situational phenomenon. Depending on the situation one man can have more power than another. There are also many types of power expert, and reverent just to name a few. It seemed to me that Professor Richard’s definition was geared more towards materialistic view of power. As he stated “wealth and resources” is where I came to this conclusion. The king of the mountain I found hilarious because all I could think about was “does he mean king of the hill?” Is inequality natural? I agree that it is, especially when it comes to the geography of the world. Naturally there are places that have more than others. Because of this inequality is natural, but the extent of this inequality is manipulated through social activity; one person with more resources as Same Richards stated will believe that they have more power thus strengthening the gap of inequality of power, wealth, and more. I really appreciate how he spoke on affirmative action, because it is a term that is thrown around all the time. It is a great debate now since the election of Obama into the Presidency that affirmative action should no longer exist. Whether I am a product of affirmative action I don’t know. I do like that he explained the white people can or do receive affirmative action too, and that there are white people who are poorer than blacks, Indians, and other races. I have a friend that is constantly in the mindset that every white person that walks downtown (center city), Philadelphia makes a lot of money or has a lot of money. I don’t know where his thought process comes from but I try to break him from it, and to acknowledge that all because they have on a suit or walking into a certain building doesn’t mean that they are on top. It may just be that the owner of that building is not white. Is it common for the white person to be on top, yes, but that doesn’t mean that they are in every circumstance? Wed, 8 Jun 2011 21:24:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160753829 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159811200 Your post really got me thinking and seeing things on a grander scale. It is evident that you are using what you have learned in previous classes to push your thinking, and thanks to you I able to do the same. I believe that you are right with in the comparison of xenophobia and ethnocentrism. People fear what is odd and unknown to them. Things they don’t understand most choose not to understand. It could very well be a psychological disorder. It will be hard to determine which causes the other or if they both depend on each other. I always try to put myself in other people shoes. It is how I was raised and it is what I’m taught in psychology. Seeing the world from multiple perspectives will lessen the effects of ethnocentrism and xenophobia. It will help understand other cultures but as Sam Richards said in previous lectures “you don’t have to accept their practices” but at least you will understand them more. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 02:57:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159811200 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159806163 The statistics about the wealth and home owners does not surprise me. Those of the white race make more, and from what I’ve learned from the first lecture about the Native Americans being the poorest it is not surprising that they do not earn much. Though they aren’t the lowest in all the stats they are still in either in the bottom two or bottom three in the lists. If I had to choose I would say that inequality is defined by social structure. I agree with this definition because we are a product of the environment in which we live or grow up. Our education, wealth, and neighborhood plant an image of limitation or the image of having no limits in our heads. Those growing up in the ghetto who nothing but despair, struggling and lack of wealth will not have the same image of the world as someone growing up with a “silver spoon” in their mouth. This places inequality in the minds. Those with wealth will look down on those without and those without wealth will continue to look down on themselves. I do think that all three definitions are equally likely to be right; however for whatever reason it may be, the social structure definition seems to be the most logical and most visible. It is the one that stood out more to me. I don’t know how true it is, but when Sam Richards showed the slide about sports according to race the Latin American and Caribbean dominating the Major League Baseball was a shock to me. It isn’t something that I paid attention to, for I don’t watch baseball that much. One sport he didn’t mention was football; I wonder what the statistic is about that. My guess would be that it is dominated by people of the African-American or black race. The two reasons why people may not attend college interested me a lot. I’ve been fighting between Free-will and determinism. I look at my friends and family members, and sometimes I just don’t go. Those who speak about going but do not, I say it is due to free-will, but those really try but cannot succeed or unable to continue, I say is due to determinism. Now, thanks to Sam Richards I am reconstructing my original thinking, and reanalyzing those situation. It just possibly may be fifty-fifty of free-will and determinism. What was really upsetting is the sign on the door for Burger king. Sometimes I see things like that and I laugh without actually realizing the extensiveness of the situation. It is actually less funny when you think about it and more of shameful thing in which in texting lingo we would write “smh” somewhere in the line. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 02:39:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159806163 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158296617 I found the action of Obama shocking as well, for I remember him stating that he wants to bring our soldiers home. However, I do not remember hearing anything about extending the war because of oil; I believe he had stated another reason. I have seen the videos about “overly excited Christians” as I would call them. I found it hilarious because as the leader of the program was speaking I couldn’t relate. I grew up in a Christian home never have I ever seen anything like that. It was more of a kind of brain wash rather than praise and worship. It was definitely more of a cult like culture rather than something that most people experience everyday at their local church. The way that the video portrayed Christians really do put damage on the message that most try to bring to the world. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 20:05:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158296617 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158213629 I found it a little hard to write on this lecture without getting into a subject that I hear about but I don’t really know much about. However I will try. Ethnocentrism is narrow vision, and those who are ethnocentric cannot escape the sight of their own culture. I’ve heard this term before and culture relativism in many of my sociology classes. From what Professor Richards says they are the same thing so it’s seeing the world only through one culture lens. I try to be diverse and experience new cultures. It makes me feel as though I have something to do and something to learn. I like to try foreign food, and hope to one day visit foreign countries that are overseas. Inhumane things are mainly cruel that are foreign to people not of that culture. I like the point that the young lady said about it being used as a sport. I don’t think that hunting for sport is ethical. As Sam Richards also stated, sociology try to make somewhat excuses for the cultures practices by using statements as “being open minded” or “ understand the culture, understand the practice.” These statements make people feel as though they have to accept people getting stoned to death, which in their culture might be equivalent to lethal injection in the North American culture. You do have to draw the line somewhere. It is nice to see the other side Arabs and Muslims, because the Western world media has portrayed them as “barbarians,” a city of poverty, desertion, and crime. The city of Baghdad at night looked like a painting of an American city to me. I’ve grown to have a negative view of the Islamic culture though I try to remain neutral most of the time. I’ve tried the Muslim faith; however it didn’t fit me for different reasons. The oil in Iraq has been the topic of conversation for many years now, and it has also been said to be the back seat driving force of the war in Iraq. Both were popularized; the invasion to find terrorist, and the war over oil. The quotes I found to be most interesting on that topic. I would imagine that the government as they do would try to hide the truth about the war from the public. I found the video about the Army very disturbing. Soldiers are there and don’t know the culture nor the educational system of the country, yet they are trying to tell them what needs to be done. How do they know that they were stealing wood? They can’t even understand them; the saddest part was that they were laughing afterward. That video really made me wonder what is actually going on over in Iraq and are the soldiers doing their job, whatever their job maybe. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 14:19:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158213629 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment157319495 I agree with you, I am asked where am I from a lot too. I black, but my heritage isn’t just in Africa. On my mother side of the family, I have much European and Jewish heritage. On my father’s side I have Irish, and African heritage. In this Irish side of my family we have names such as McAllister. My father’s family was able to trace our African roots all the way back to the slave days to the first slave and plantation in which the slave worked. Many people say I look Puerto Rican, or Dominican even though to my knowledge I have no heritage within any of those two cultures. Sun, 29 May 2011 17:49:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment157319495 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment157224512 It’s funny how I use these terms, but never thought to look them up to understand what they really mean. Race, color, and ethnicity I grew up in the environment in which these three terms were used interchangeably. They were synonyms. Europeans are the inventors of this form of segregations. Since this systematic way of categorizing where invented by Caucasians, it is not surprising to me that they are on top. As Sam Richards mentioned, if someone else had done it I do believe that they would be on top instead. However, this concept as seeped into the mindsets, and trickled down for generations that is concept of the white man being on top has become an acceptable social norms. There is one thing that I must disagree with that Sam Richards stated in the lector, and that is that you have to spend a certain amount of time with a race in order to be able to tell them apart if they are foreign to you. I do understand the subtle differences in using race to distinguish culture and origin. I believe that is what he was trying to express rather than “All white people look the same, until you spend time with them.” Yes, identifying and White Irish verse a White American maybe hard to do unless you’ve spent time in both cultures, however all white people do not look the same, just as all black people do not look the same. Very interesting is the number of racial groups, in which people thought were in the world. I do believe that race categories still exist because of power. Whether it be a form of political, psychological, physiological or abstract power. I use many terms to describe my own skin complexion, and depending on how long I stay in the sun my list grows. Majority of the time, I do not say African-American, I would say I am American, or I’m just black. Lastly the religion part of race, plays a big part in the world, and in my world. I didn’t always, but now I find myself in the middle of it. What color was Jesus? The Bible describes him as this, so he is black! I went to a Catholic school growing up, and every portrait or portrayal of Jesus has been someone of the white race, with brown hair, and brown facial hair; sometimes brown, or blue eyes. Nowaday, randomly I might make a joke as I walk down the street and see someone who resembles this man that I was told to be Jesus. I would say “hey he looks like Jesus!” Majority of the time people would laugh, and so would the guy. The genetic makeup of everyone I found to be the most interesting of the lecture. Sun, 29 May 2011 07:22:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment157224512