en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2396727 Comments by shootingstar92 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145220962 Technological advances in transportation and communication over the years have allowed people to spread out and battle over larger pieces of ground. I noticed that not many wars seemed to be exploding on the United States of America. This may sound bad but I the almost found it funny to see the tiny wars pop up in southern South America and random islands throughout the seas. The only events that strongly come to mind that were fought or at least started on US soil are the Civil War, Pearl Harbor and the bombing/ plans crashing into the world trait centers. After these events the wars were taken elsewhere to other nations. This makes me feel like I live in a safe country but at the same time a country that hasn’t experienced much. Americans aren’t used to seeing a war face to face, or having worries about simply going to the store. This makes me think that we may think we know and understand everything, but don’t. Not saying I want a war on our land at all, but I feel this is the reason Americans aren’t afraid to go to war. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:35:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145220962 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145220934 The video “World Battleground, 1000 years of war in 5 minutes” begins slowly with not many explosions representing wars. Starting during the high middle ages, this would have been the time when the world’s first empires began to form. France and England were rallying strength and expanding throughout Western Europe, thus all the explosions were centered on them. While time moves on we see larger and more frequent explosions representing vigorous battle in the region. As empires expand they will undoubtedly rub into each other and the wars seemed to begin to pop up all over the globe. They will have their disagreements and fight for land, influence, or the areas resources. Once hitting the 1800 it seemed the explosions consistently went off. It was interesting to see the time period around World War II as the explosions seemed to be never ending. In these wars many of the world’s empires show off their power on a global landscape. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:35:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145220934 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143142042 . It seems most often people with the same labels associate with those who have the same labels. Labels truly have a larger impact on our society than most people fail to realize. Some people who are given labels whether it is positive or negative simply choose to run with it because that they feel that once this is already thought about them that they must just follow it. A positive label can help a person try harder to fulfill this idea, where as a negative label can hurt a person to possibly act in a way they may not normally behave. I find myself acting along with the labels placed on me, a student, a Penn State lover, a girlfriend, and a musician. As Sam always says the invisible strings around us are constantly affecting our behavior, and labels seem to be a great example of this idea. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:34:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143142042 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143141985 After reading this article I thought of all the labels posted on us in society. Some of them are simple such a boy or girl, adult or child but both of these labels tell us how to act. We all expect a boy/ man to be tough, strong and able to protect people. Also we expect women to love cooking and gardening. Then there are other labels in our lives, such as student vs. worker, freshman vs. senior and this major vs. that major. These labels allow us to constantly judge one another, sometimes before even getting to know the other person. The lifer points out those labels don’t just make the person uncomfortable, but others around him as well. He explains all the tension in the room not just from his label but others knowing his label, I feel this is something we don’t always think about. Labels have been proven to not always be true, such as the stereotype of blonds having a lower intelligence or Asians receiving higher grades. And yet these labels will always be around us affecting our actions. I do not think that labels will ever leave our society. Labels help us identify a person before meeting them and can be a great conversation starter. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:33:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143141985 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/women-and-war/#IDComment141051734 She then says that women are the ones that do seem to hold down the home front while the men are fighting. But what I think she's forgetting that each culture is different when it comes to war. Even though the "fear" may be the same, the way countries go to war is different. It seems the main point she is trying to make is that women are not appreciated enough in war. I think this is true, but at the same time it’s not as if everyone that does a good deed gets a pat on the back. She wants to have women involved in fifty percent of the peace talk. How would she suggest going about finding the women who best represent the desire of the women populous and putting them into the peace negotiations. I guess she has some good ideas on getting women more involved and noticed in war, but she doesn’t understand that the men fighting are willing to do put their lives at risk for our own behave, that is how it has been and that’s how it will always be. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 17:58:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/women-and-war/#IDComment141051734 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/women-and-war/#IDComment141051681 The speaker opens up with the story of her brother’s friend dying after a missile hit his house. She then explains how she grew up with the sounds and colors of wars, something I could never imagine hearing. In my home town I grew up hearing the cars drive by on the street and the distant sound of the train, I can’t even comprehend the normal sounds in your childhood being explosions and people screaming. She then says that she grew up with the fear of dying, or others dying around her, but mostly she grew up fearing that she would lose herself. I have never even thought about the fear of dying or losing myself due to the constant chaos around me. The speaker then continues by pointing out that people only hear one side of war and almost seem to brush it off their shoulders. I don’t agree with her with this point. Every day my hometown news announces if any soldiers in the surrounding counties have died in the past week, never once do I simply brush it off. I understand she is trying to explain how as a whole it seems we don’t understand the amount of pain war causes, but I feel those who try to be informed do understand. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 17:58:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/women-and-war/#IDComment141051681 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139230522 . It’s sad to think this but they almost become forgotten human beings as their sentence continues on. I thought it was sweet to hear that they have made their own family in prison. After all I feel even in prison someone still needs some kind of support. The lifer explains how some of the younger men that enter in he tries to take them under his wing, in hopes to send good back out into the world. I do not think that other inmates can replace family members, but it can fill a hole where their loved ones left. The goal of prison is like a grown up time out. People think of it as a place where those who made mistakes in life must sit and think about what they have done. I feel this lifer has done just that, and prison may have made him into a better person. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 23:53:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139230522 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139230485 I don’t usually read these posts but this one stuck out to me. I was interested to hear what a lifer had to say about his now new family situation. It’s sad to hear that this man began his sentence receiving anywhere from five to eight letters a day down to the point where he just hopes to receive a letter. This made me see a different side of prison. I have never thought about the families of the inmates. It’s almost as if I always thought inmates had no families, I knew they missed out on life events but family events never crossed my mind. I feel prison is where you find out who your true friends are. This inmate explained how at first he received a lot of family support but since he was no longer in “the real world” they seemed to slowly forget about him. It made me see that being in prison is almost like being stuck in time with no control. All the prisoners can do is look out the window and watch the world pass them by. They may hear about a family members graduation or wedding, but all they get are the stories of that experience, they can’t experience it for themselves. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 23:53:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139230485 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137372073 Towards the end the camera man decided to find people who were sitting down at THON, of course they were all in the top tear and almost out of sight. I thought to myself while standing in the lower section “how can you not be into this?” but I guess in that case Sam was right, and it did depend on where you sat. Thinking about the evacuation plans that the article spoke about opened my eyes to my life now. I’ve never once thought about how my town would evacuate if we had to. Honestly much like the stories in the article the major highway would probably become jam packed with cars. But then I remember the one article from our text and how it said everyone actually acts calm in situations of panic. This reminds me of the day when my town went under a state of emergency for a hurricane. The day before the hurricane the stores were packed with people stocking up on food, yet everyone seemed calm about the situation. I think it’s human nature to act in our own best interests, but I think in moments of panic we won’t all start throwing people out of our way. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:10:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137372073 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137372038 The topic of managing crowds reminded me of when Sam said when people go to big religious events it seems only the people closest to the stage seem to get the most out of it. I feel this is both true and untrue. I think it really depends on how much you’re invested in the situation and how much you care. I have been to a large youth rally, a whole weekend of different bands and speakers. My group always sits more towards the back of the concert, mostly because the adults can’t handle the loud music, but it does seem that those groups who are sitting closer seems to get more into it. Yet once the speakers come on and tell us their stories everyone in the room becomes invested in the situation. This also made me think of THON. This year I had no part in THON, I was excited to go, but not as excited as my friends on the floor or ones who actually did raise some money. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:10:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137372038 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135907371 I honestly don’t really know much about this topic, or any statistics about this, but from the classes I have taken at Penn State so far, such as human development and family studies 129 and 249 and psychology 100, I have learned that the statistics show that it makes no difference if a child is raised by gay parents. This video reminded me of the movie we watched in class, where the main character was just so excited to be a father he would really do anything. Throughout the movie he constantly expressed how he just wanted to be a father and raise a child, living the American Dream. I see no reason why LGBT couples cannot start their own families. If the majority of those children end up similar to Zack Wahls we would live in a great caring world. I think people don’t always like the idea of a LGBT family because it is not part of the social norm. I think if we lived in a world where heterosexual relationships were odd we would be having the same debate. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:50:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135907371 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135907342 In this video Zach Wahls explains why homosexual couples should be allowed to raise children. He states in his speech that what makes a family is “…the commitment we make to each other. ..it’s the love that binds us.” I completely agree with this statement, for what brings families together is love. Zach explains that he was not hindered in the slightest by having two mothers instead of the traditional mother-father family. In the study of sociology people want to know how gay-lesbian couples influence the vast majority of children that they raise. As a society we must put the needs of a child first, whether it is homosexual couples or heterosexual couples. Our legal system is built to protect children from abuse and neglect. This is shown in many laws across our system. People who question whether or not a gay or lesbian couple can adequately raise a child are justified to do so, just as it is justified for child services to investigate a heterosexual couple who allegedly are poor parents. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:50:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment135907342 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134289618 I feel the only appropriate use of this word is when diagnosing someone as “mentally retarded.” Retarded should not be used as an insult or in place of the word “stupid,” like many people today use it. The constant misuse of the word “retarded” rather than the word “stupid” is getting out of hand. The definition of the word “stupid” is tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes; nowhere does this say that a stupid person has a mental disability. When people use the word “retarded” as if it were a synonym for the word stupid, it gives other the idea that a mentally retarded person is stupid. This is not the case. I completely agree with the Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign and have pledged myself that I would not use this word. My family has been very active in the Special Olympics, I have even had the honor to escort a group of athletes out to the award ceremony. These people are some of the kindest people I’ve met, they were so grateful that I was there to be with them and calm their nerves as they walked out into the screaming crowd of supporters and bright lights beaming down on them. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:37:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134289618 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134289592 I myself am very passionate about this subject. My older brother has a minor form of autism, mostly affecting his social communication skills. Even though my brother is 23 and in college he still has problems socially interacting with people. He has gone to school only in special education classes and even had an aid with him to make sure that he stays on task. Because of his socially awkwardness many people have told me and him that he “must be a stupid retard.” It always hurt me to hear people say these comments and see the hurt on his face. My brother can function perfectly fine on his own; he just seems to always say the wrong comments at the wrong time. It makes me mad to hear this word, at least he is trying in the world, and he is attending college in hopes to work with his passion cars. That’s more ambition than many teens today that seem to be comfortable with a high school education or less than that. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:36:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134289592 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130645083 When I was younger my parents always told me to never walk the street alone, never answer the front door if I’m home alone, and to never tell someone on the phone that I’m home alone. I don’t think this is overacting at all, I think it is adapting to our surroundings. In my town parents can send their children to a camp called “Safety Town” which is a two week day camp where children learn how to be safe in the world. We learned different things such as “only cross the street where there is a cross walk” and “never take candy from a stranger.” At the end of the two weeks the children are put to the test where if they pass it parents can be assured that their child knows how to act in certain situations. I feel that sometimes the media tends to exaggerate the worry of a random kidnapping by constantly making it their headline story, but isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?” After all it’s pretty scary that a random person could hurt you for no reason. I think it’s good that we take precautions; the evil in this world will never stop so we must all be aware of the dangers around us. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:48:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130645083 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130645057 Although this may be a rare occurrence this video is extremely frightening. As you can see this man tried to grab the child as if it were no big deal at all, then once he failed in his attempt he walked away acting as if nothing happened. It’s scary and sad to think there are people in this world that would hurt a stranger and have no problem with their action. The unknown frightens parents, the fact that you never know how someone could react to a situation. I have never heard of a parent telling a child to not talk to strangers when they are endangered. The saying I’m familiar with is “Don’t talk to strangers” but my parents always made it clear that if someone were to try and grab me I should make the biggest scene possible, kicking, hitting and screaming my lungs out. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:48:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130645057 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128865971 The people worry that with more education polyandry will cease because they will learn about other forms of birth control. Also now with some TV channels they are more exposed to the outside world, a world in which polyandry does not exists and is not mentioned as a good thing. This concept is very odd to me, especially since I am more used to hearing wives be shared rather than husbands. I do think this will concept will spread to other countries such as China simply because of their population problem. China now struggles with an excess amount of men back from when they decided to kill a child if it were a girl, clearly they did not think into the future. I don’t think we will see this too soon, but I feel they are heading down the path to start polyandry. Even after watching this video and hearing all the pros about this culture I am still uncomfortable with it. To me a typical family should consist of just one mother and one father, but I do respect their attempt to control their population. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:57:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128865971 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128865847 This video showed a completely different lifestyle. I have heard of the term polygamy, mostly through the TLC show “Sister Wives” but I have never heard of the term polyandry where a woman has several husbands rather than a man having several wives. Although I think this situation is odd, I do understand the points the video made about polyandry. The video stated that polyandry is used as a form of birth control, because women can only be pregnant so many times. It also states that it allows for the husbands to share the roles around the house, giving the family a good structure. Lastly the video states that polyandry helps ensure that inheritance estates are not split up between brothers, and there is a guaranteed inheritance. These three statements show the positive side of polyandry and seem to be very crucial in this small village. The fear in this village now is that polyandry will disappear. The village is now becoming more technological with satellite dishes on top of their houses and more and more education. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:57:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128865847 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127449600 This also made me think about how in life it’s not always the little things that make you who you are. In high school it seemed everyone was concerned about their first day of school outfit, honestly I can’t even remember what mine consisted of. That outfit did not make me who I am today, my actions made me who I am. My decision to join a club or be friends with one person and not another made me who I am. I feel now when I am older with a family I will not tell my kids about my first day of school outfit, I will be telling them stories of my childhood. In the end I feel you will remember the bigger moments in your life, such as a first kiss or first car accident, and these moments, some good and some bad help shape us. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:34:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127449600 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127449545 While reading “Remember” a range of emotions sped through my body. The inmate lists moments in his life that he cannot remember; moments one would think would forever be marked in your memory. He says he cannot remember his first day in prison or the names of men that come and go, yet he is haunted by the horrifying act he committed to place him in his situation. While seeing all the things he cannot remember I begin to feel bad for him, as he cannot remember talking to anyone else but his mother and he cannot remember the day he lost his final appeal, but then you read the moments in his life he can remember. As a human this almost makes me happy that he is scarred for his actions and he will forever remember the wrong things he did, but the sadness in this still makes me feel bad for him. This man committed a murder and affected others’ lives including his own forever. It’s sad to know how he regrets it now and how only a quick stupid decision can hurt many, but I feel good knowing that he does regret it. After all isn’t the point of jail almost like a grown up time out to “think about what you’ve done”? Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:33:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127449545