en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2397386 Comments by sml5105 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170473399 I entered the lecture with the same belief that you held. I was very much surprised to hear that white women are the main beneficiaries of affirmative action in the United States. The issue raised on the Oprah show was very interesting. Sam's question the class regarding how do we go about solving the problem was also something that I really left the class thinking to myself, how can we possibly fix this problem? Who wants to do something that could possibly negatively affect themselves or their own family to truly benefit someone else? How bad do things need to be in order for someone to do such an unselfish act and perhaps even volunteer to help make a difference, to change the way something is currently going? That's a deep step, and a school like Harper, and it's students and faculty are certainly fighting a long uphill battle. Thu, 7 Jul 2011 00:34:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170473399 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170472558 Sam presented a very interesting, albeit controversial point of view regarding affirmative action. I found his comments to be very interesting, and found myself agreeing with him on many of the topics. I was not aware of who was truly benefiting the most from affirmative action in the United States. The majority of people, including myself, thought that affirmative action benefited people of color, specifically blacks, the most from affirmative action. Sam pointing out that in essence affirmative action is a piece of policy that in general tends to assist white people more than people of color. I really found it interesting that white women were receiving the most benefit from affirmative action, which then allowed them to pass those benefits on to their children, their spouse and so on. Many people believe that affirmative action is also thought to be more widespread and poignant than it truly is. Sam displaying that only 10 percent of the people receiving a job is based on affirmative action was very enlightening. People do not realize that these issues are very much overblown. This was very interesting to me, because I had been diluted with the fact that affirmative action has a much bigger impact on the people living in this country than it truly does. I agreed with Sam completely when he was discussing how he feels about being a libertarian. His statement regarding as little government as is possible, with more equity being the most important thing. The visual he presented with the white student, black student and brown student, and their respective locations on the stairway was an excellent visual. Affirmative action is a little bit of a way for the black and brown people to get a little bit closer to the starting point of a white person, of course that is a generalization. So the student who attended Harper High, the school that was in very poor condition, is going to be significantly further behind the student who attended the high school in the suburbs that was a much better facility. How do we go about fixing this incredible differences between the school systems? The more important question, and problem, to me is how this problem is even possible to be solved, when it's such a repeating cycle. The circle goes like this, often times: Poor parent has a child, child grows up in poor community, receives poor education at poor school. Poor child, because of lack of opportunity within his community (school etc) takes low paying job if he is fortunate enough to even graduate high school. Poor child remains poor, has child of his own, and the cycle repeats. How do we go about intervening and stopping this cycle? More importantly, are people willing to give a little bit to someone else, even if it could possibly work against yourself? Thu, 7 Jul 2011 00:31:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170472558 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169314671 This was an interesting response. When immigrants would come to the United States in the early 1900s they were often asked to change their last name to become more Americanized. Also, many of the first generation immigrants to this country didn't have much knowledge in English, just as Hispanic immigrants today do not. Therefore, when they would give their information to the representatives at Ellis Island the people working would do their best to spell out in English the way to spell the last name. This resulted in many last names being shortened, and spellings being different between families. It's interesting to think about, but I bet that is what happened with your family as well. Sun, 3 Jul 2011 15:35:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169314671 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169314018 Immigration is such a hot button issue in the United States at the moment. It seems to be that most of the country is very much misinformed about how immigration to the United States is truly occurring. People seem to be very upset that so many immigrants are coming to the United States from Mexico and Asian countries. Most people believe that these people are coming to the United States, and refusing to learn English. Many people believe that most of the immigrants who are coming to this country also got here illegally. Both of these notions are false. Historically immigrants to the United States tend to lose their culture more so when immigrating to the United States than any other country around the world. Studies show that by the 3rd generation child of an immigrant, they essentially speak none of their native tongue, and are speaking English exclusively. This is in no way indicates that people are coming to the United States and not learning English. These people are coming to the United States for opportunity. They are coming to the United States to make a better life for their families, so they can thrive here and chase the American dream. This is no different than the vast majority of our ancestors thought a hundred years ago. So many people forget that in the early 1900s there was a boom in immigration to the United States from many European countries. These people then came to the United States and became isolated within the towns they moved to. Hence the different sections of smaller towns that have established Italian sections, or Irish section. I know in particular my hometown has different sections, even until this day. There was a section of town that the Italian immigrants moved to. The majority of the catholic churches in my town are located there. There is also a section of town where many of the Irish immigrants moved into. When they first relocated to the United States it took a significant amount of time for them to assimilate to each other, however, eventually over time these people all melted together and began seeing each other as one. The Hispanic and Asian immigrants to the United States in the current day will also follow along the same path as the immigrants of the early 1900s did. The children are taught in the public school system, where they are exposed to and learn English at a very young age. They will interact with white students within their schools, and it will become the norm for most of the students. Over time the community will completely assimilate and the immigrants of 2011 will be just another member of the community by 2051, where as Sam said in lecture before, white people will be a minority. Sun, 3 Jul 2011 15:32:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169314018 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168152455 I thought it was really interesting how Sam brought up the hypocrisy that so many people have regarding new immigrants to this country. The idea that so many people want the new immigrants to completely as Sam said "shed" their culture, their language and so on, yet so many of these people don't want to live near them. I thought it was pretty interesting, and true to the point, when Sam said that living in diverse community for white people is very different than how people of color define a diverse community. Coming from a community that is over 95 percent white, I imagine living in a community that is 50-50 would provide a great deal of culture shock for me. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:48:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168152455 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168150743 I thought it was interesting when Sam started the lecture discussing how liberals generally want to live in a more diverse community rather than conservatives. It isn't something that really surprises me, however, but it is very interesting. His comment regarding immigrants and natives wishing that they would completely shed their culture, language and former identity, however they don't wish to live near these people. They want people to completely embrace Americana, but they are not people who wish to live near these people. I thought that was really interesting and thought provoking. In regards to church worship and the differences in race throughout the church each week isn't surprising me at all. So many churches are founded often times based on the race of a certain people. Particularly the Southern Baptist church. This however got me thinking about my own personal belief systems. I am a registered democrat, and consider myself to be liberal. However, I am not sure how I would feel if I were living in a community that is predominately African-American, or predominately Asian or Asian-Indian. I don't have an issue with those people, but coming from an community that is 95 percent white it would be an incredibly large culture shock to me if I were placed into a community that white people are the minority. I'm sure that I would eventually be able to adapt and not have any issue living with people of color in my community, however, I am sure that it would take a little bit of time, and there would be initial shock for sure. The idea that Sam was explaining in regards to the rap music was pretty interesting. The idea that the ways things just move across the world is very interesting. The gestures, movements, rhyming, rapping and so on simply is starting in one part of the world and works its way across to the rest of the world. Sam discussing the idea that in 2050 the United States is expected to be roughly 50/50 white and black is really interesting. I knew that the population of people of color has been rising, I did not, however, realize that it was growing at that rapid of a rate. Sam then asking whether or not you feel a certain way about that, did indeed provoke certain feelings in me. I don't know what I would think about that, how I would feel about it. It would be different, very different. I am, however, a little bit skeptical of how they can forecast something that is so far away from now. The idea of predicting the population of a country, nearly 50 years ahead of time, seems like it might be a little bit of a stretch. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:39:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168150743 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment166026621 The lecture made it pretty clear that everyone kind of goes through their own type of stages regarding how they become aware of race, react to race, and interpret race. The stages of white people was really interesting because it was something that like you said, pertained to me. I was able to easily picture myself in the certain stages that he discussed. I placed myself in the 3rd stage, where I am beginning to realize the injustices of people of color and getting angry often times at my own race. Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:00:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment166026621 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/#IDComment164443975 I have a hard time feeling guilty about my race (white). I feel that it wouldn't be productive for us to feel guilty about our race since we were not in a position to choose our race, and we didn't have a say in the matter. I'm sure you drive by other people on your way to school who are white and also walking to school. I think it's completely okay to feel bad that these people aren't as fortunate as other people, but I couldn't feel guilty about it. I just have a hard time feeling guilty about something that I didn't choose or have any control over, but I understand your point. Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:07:05 +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/#IDComment164443975 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/#IDComment164442927 I agreed with a lot of Sam said in this lecture, I also believe that I am currently in between the second and third stages of white people. Sam saying that white people are essentially instructed, or learn quickly, to not discuss race couldn't be any more true. The thoughts of what if I say something wrong, what if I say something that (inadvertently) offends someone, or, worst of all, what if someone thinks I am a racist? These are all thoughts that I have had, and I assume many other white people have also had. One of, if not the, worst thing you could call a white person is a racist. To me, a racist is a word that has so many negative connotations to one person. Racists are often thought of as unintelligent, as I tend to think about them (how could someone who is so naive to think there race is superior, simply because of skin color be intelligent?), they are looked at as feeble minded and uncaring as well. Unsympathetic, narrow minded and unintelligent. Those are adjectives I believe many people would use to characterize a racist person. These are all things people of all races wish to avoid being thought of as being. One thing Sam said, however, that I did not agree with was the idea of feeling guilty because of my race. I do not believe I have ever felt guilty about being white, and certainly would not think that way in the future. Race is an uncontrollable thing that we have no say over. I didn't ask to be white, just as an Asian or African-American didn't ask to be that particular race. We are all dealt the cards of life, and we are each forced to play our own hand to our best ability. I don't find it productive, or useful to make myself feel guilty because I was born into a white family. Coming from a relatively wealthy family, I also do not find myself feeling guilty because I have not had financial issues throughout my life. I find myself incredibly lucky. I find myself very fortunate. I do not, however, feel guilty about those things. My parents worked very hard to put our family in the financial situation we are in, and I refuse to allow their hard work give me feelings of guilt. I am fortunate, but not guilty. I was able to relate to Sam's comment regarding the white student not being able to use the word black to describe the TA he wished to talk to about attendance. I myself have found myself struggling to come up with the politically correct words to describe someone from another race without offending them. As Sam said, situations like that, where it is so much easier to refer to someone as black, we should not bite our tongues. Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:01:58 +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/#IDComment164442927 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160825385 I think Sam was saying that had the GI Bill been equally distributed between blacks and whites, the African-American population would have also moved into the suburbs, and therefore they would have been more interconnected with the white population at that time. Instead, however, many of the African American soldiers were unfairly denied their loans, and grants. The whites on the other hand, were given their loans and grants, used them effectively, moved to the suburbs. The grants and loans allowed the whites to become successful in the suburbs, which then resulted in better schools, because they were able to pay higher taxes, which resulted in the continuation of white dominance. It directly correlates back to the King of the Mountain analogy. The whites were on top, wanted to maintain their position on top (ethically or unethically), and unlawfully denied many African-American GI's the right they earned to receive their loans and grants. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 03:06:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160825385 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160824461 The lecture began with a very interesting "debtate" between the student and professor Richards. While they were discussing the differences between freedom and determinism it occurred to me how important Sam's advice to stay in the middle rang true. There is no way that everything in our lives is within our control. However, not everything in our lives is completely determined by chance, or luck. We control many aspects of our lives. Whether we decide to drink alcohol, do drugs, blow money or save money, these are all aspects of our lives that are within our control. We are not able to pick our race, our parents, the town we grew up in. All of those things have an important affect on our lives, and our futures. Therefore, we cannot write everything off in our live as a result of freedom, nor can we say that everything we have done is a result of luck. The king of the mountain analogy was very fascinating. Of course if someone is able to climb there way to the top, they will do everything in their power to maintain that position. However unkind, or selfish it sounds, it's the way life works. We want to do everything in our power to ensure that our children, future generations, will be able to have the same opportunity that we were afforded. This is a great way to explain why the white people have dominated in this country, and worldwide for the most part, for so many years. They fought, killed, battled their way to the top, and have done everything in their power to maintain that position since then, ethical or unethical. The fact that Sam mentioned regarding the GI bills after World War II were very interesting. I had no prior knowledge about that bill, and the fact that so many African-American GI's were denied access to these loans and grants. I also agreed with Sam that had these bills been evenly distributed, as they were meant to be, the country in which we live in today would be significantly different. The whites got these loans, got educated, and moved out of the city. The blacks were denied these loans, and moved into the city. The city then received less tax compensation, and this led to the deterioration of the inner cities throughout the United States. This is a very fascinating fact, and has created a lot of thought for me since I have heard it. I also believe that the issue with the GI bill immediately goes back to Sam's king of the mountain analogy. The whites wanted to maintain their position on top of the mountain, in an act of racism, and denied the blacks the right they earned through fighting in World War II. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 03:01:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160824461 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159820454 I really liked reading your response. You have certainly overcome an awful lot of obstacles, and you are a prime example that we can't control everything that happens in our lives, but we have the freedom to make the most out of our situation. You've worked really hard, and it has to be the motivation that we are one day going to be rewarded for the hard work we have done, and I'm sure that no matter what the "determinism" aspect has in store, you will certainly be rewarded. You're post was really refreshing and a nice thing to read. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 03:28:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159820454 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159819135 This lecture brought about a bunch of new ideas and comments that had me thinking about how the world is. I had suspected that whites made more money, on average, than those of other races or ethnicities. However, I did not realize how much family income determines how a student does on the SAT exams. However, when I really thought about it, it became clear to me why this is the case. The richer the family, the higher the chance that they live in a community with a other rich people, which then makes the schools funded significantly better, and in theory produces a more well rounded student. The SAT exams are a standard national test, however, education across the United States is anything but uniform. The black student receiving an education in a poverty struck school in the ghetto in Philadelphia is probably not going to perform as well on the exam as the rich white kid from the suburbs. The black student could have been a straight A student at his school, but perhaps he wouldn't have been passing with the education he had received at the school in the south side of Philadelphia. This isn't something he can't control, but has a major impact on his life. He didn't choose to attend a school that wouldn't be able to provide him with a quality education. He wasn't able to pick his family or where he lived so he wouldn't be able to decided which school he goes to therefore his SAT scores are generally out of his control. The video from Oprah really put that fact into perspective. The students at Harper High School weren't afforded a quarter of the education that the students at the suburbs in Chicago were afforded. The graduation rates at Harper were drastically worse than the rates at the other school. The percentage of students attending college after graduation were significantly lower at Harper than the suburban school. This is all an example of the extreme divide between the education systems from one county to another in the United States. I also agreed completely with Sam's comment that it was best for everyone to remain in the middle. You don't want to be a person who believes that everything in your life is controlled 100 percent by yourself. It's also not the best idea in the world to believe that everything that happens in your life is basically luck, or good fortune. There are factors and forces outside of our control that we cannot change that impact our future. Additionally, we are not able to choose everything that happens in our life. We are not completely free. We cannot control everything that happens in our lives. We are also not completely hindered by simple chance, and good fortune. As Sam said, be in the middle. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 03:24:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159819135 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158310884 The Christian invaders lectures was one of the most interesting and thought provoking things I have ever seen. The idea that we, as college students living in the United States, are able to put ourselves into the shoes of Arab Muslims living in Iraq during the insurgency, and UNDERSTAND them, is amazing. However, as Sam said at the end of the lecture, he isn't saying he agrees with them, he's saying he can understand them. I too, can now understand the citizens. Had I been in that classroom during the lecture, I would have been raising my hand stating that I would have pledged my allegiance to the rebels in Iraq. I wouldn't have stood idly by and watched my country's resources be stolen away. I wouldn't have stood for my friends and family possibly be killed because of this oil. I would have fought. I'm sure I would have become infatuated with the various Internet videos and websites that much of the middle east is watching, and assume it to be true. I wouldn't have really investigated the situation further, because in a time of dire need my mind wouldn't be working that way. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:02:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158310884 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158310623 I agree. It's easy for us to be tricked into thinking something that may not be near the truth at all. We are overwhelmed with information that the mainstream media in the United States puts out, which often does not paint the perspective of the other person involved. The whole concept of putting ourselves into another persons situation to better understand them is a really cool idea. I think it's something that can certainly be beneficial to society as a whole. The more people understand everyone else, and get why certain things are happening, the closer we will be to a better society, I think. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:01:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158310623 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158309823 The Christian invaders lectures was one of the most interesting and thought provoking things I have ever seen. The idea that we, as college students living in the United States, are able to put ourselves into the shoes of Arab Muslims living in Iraq during the insurgency, and UNDERSTAND them, is amazing. However, as Sam said at the end of the lecture, he isn't saying he agrees with them, he's saying he can understand them. I too, can now understand the citizens. Had I been in that classroom during the lecture, I would have been raising my hand stating that I would have pledged my allegiance to the rebels in Iraq. I wouldn't have stood idly by and watched my country's resources be stolen away. I wouldn't have stood for my friends and family possibly be killed because of this oil. I would have fought. I'm sure I would have become infatuated with the various Internet videos and websites that much of the middle east is watching, and assume it to be true. I wouldn't have really investigated the situation further, because in a time of dire need my mind wouldn't be working that way. However, the example that truly stirred up my brain was the example of China coming to Pennsylvania and ravaging our country's coal. I am from the coal region in Pennsylvania, many of my ancestors were coal miners. The thought that the Chinese would have come to the United States, specifically Pennsylvania, stolen our natural resources, left our area struck with extreme poverty while they prosper elsewhere was incredibly interesting. I would have been furious. Just as I said about the Iraq example, there is no way I would sit idly by and watch my country, my family, my friends, slip into poverty when we are the owners of that resource. The concept of being able to put yourself into another persons shoes is something that I found to be very interesting, and important. We as a society are often very judgmental to other people, and often times hold beliefs that are in fact nowhere near the truth. We don't have a clear understanding of what is going on in Iraq (unless you're a soldier and have been there). It's important for us to be able to put ourselves in another persons situation. To understand what exactly they're going through, what is driving them to do the things they are doing. I believe we all do something for a reason, and by putting ourselves into the mindset of another person it helps us understand one hundred times better why they are doing the things they are doing. Which hopefully can eventually lead to a way to work better with each other, and improve all of our lives. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 20:57:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158309823 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156161612 The most intriguing topic I have thought about the most from Sam’s lecture has been the issue of global slavery that currently exists here. The fact that so many millions of people are currently living their lives as slaves is absolutely astonishing, and the fact that no one has really done anything about it, nor did I do anything about it, since the last lecture is disheartening but sadly true. The reality that so much of our lives are what they are because of work done by slaves throughout the world is a tough pill to swallow. We live a glamorous life in the U.S. and much of that life is the result of the slave labor that is going on in other countries, and that’s tough to live with. The fact that so much of the eastern world does everything they can to be “whitened” or more like an Anglo is very interesting as well. Especially considering that here in the United States we are generally trying to make ourselves darker (tan). The emphasis on skin color is something that is very difficult to understand for me. I simply can’t grasp why so many people really care about the way a persons skin appears. To think that people are being judged completely by their skin color to determine whether or not they are lazy, or active, or hard workers, or smart…I don’t understand how any sane and reasonable person could believe that these characteristics are simply determined by a skin color. The names of these products, however, admittedly produced some tongue in cheek amusement for me, the ever-popular skin whitener “white power” created some laughter for me. Sam discussing the closeness of genetics between one another is something that was very interesting. It just goes to show even further how silly it is for us to be judging each other based on our race, and making racists or hateful comments to those of another race is simply unbelievable. The fact that the Europeans literally just “created” race as a way for them to identify other people (and justify the right to put them into slavery) was very interesting. The painfully obvious fact that those who created race would certainly put their native race on top is not shocking. The person who created the race would almost certainly want themselves to be thought of as being the race that is “on top” or the best. Also, saying that all white people look the same, or all black people look the same and so on and so on is an interesting topic. Obviously there are major differences between these people, but it isn’t easy to train the eye to be able to notice these differences. If I were to travel abroad to China, or India, I would have a difficult time seeing the differences between the various people their, even though there are certainly significant differences between the people in that country. Thu, 26 May 2011 00:10:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156161612 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156155245 I think the fact that so much of our lives revolve around what is still a very alive, and very populated slave labor force makes it extremely difficult for us as Americans (ha) to stop so many things we do in our day to day lives that would in turn be a protest to global slavery. How are we supposed to go without cell phones for a day, or a week, or a month, or a year! We need this technology, after all, how did people ever communicate before the technology was invented? The topic of global slavery that is more populated now than ever before needs to be addressed, and hopefully soon. Unfortunately, I don't see many people giving up the things that they would need to give up in order to stand as a protest against slavery. Wed, 25 May 2011 23:51:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156155245 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment154428638 Well after taking the quiz on what I knew, it became quite clear to me I know absolutely nothing. After scoring a whopping 21% on the quiz it became quite evident I don't have any understanding whatsoever regarding the statistics on various race related topics. During the lecture the most interesting thing to me was the fact that religious Arabs in the United States were only 23% Muslim. I am unfortunately under the naive belief that if someone is Arabic, they must in fact also be Muslim. Learning that this is not the case was certainly a shock to me. It was also quite interesting to learn that there are 562 federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States. I have always thought that there were very few recognized Native American tribes, and can personally only name a handful of tribes. Additionally, hearing that the trailers used by FEMA during Hurricane Katrina were sent to the various Native American reservations is extremely disturbing. The fact that the government would allow trailers, which were making people sick because of various chemicals on the trailers, to be shipped to the reservations of the native people of this land, is very disturbing. I believe the United States needs to do something major in order to make things right by the Native Americans. They have been mistreated for so many years, going back to the foundations of the formation of this land, and they deserve some type of compensation for the unethical and inhumane treatment they have been put through. Another interesting statement from the lecture was the fact that we in the United States are so wealthy compared to so many others in the world. Hearing that it would take 4 Earths in order to allow the entire population of the world to be as wealthy as we are is very interesting. We often take for granted just how good we have it here in the United States, and seeing how other people live and the trials and tribulation they must go through everyday in order to just survive. The fact that so many people around the world are forced to live on $2.00 a day is something that really strikes home. I wouldn't be able to live on $2.00 a day easily, and I assume most of the population of the United States also wouldn't be able to live like that. It really puts things in perspective. I am excited to learn more about the other cultures and races around the United States and the world and how exactly they go about communicating and interacting throughout the duration of this course. The idea of opening up and discussing things that we often are too afraid to discuss, for fear of not being politically correct is something I look forward to experiencing and is a major attraction of this course to me. Additionally, since I apparently know so little about the statistics of different things, such as suicide rates and so on, I am virtually guaranteed to learn something throughout the semester. Fri, 20 May 2011 18:56:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment154428638 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/intense-debate-registration-id/#IDComment153164611 Hello again. Tue, 17 May 2011 22:17:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/intense-debate-registration-id/#IDComment153164611