en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3534757 Comments by smz5072 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/29/voices-from-the-classroom-83/#IDComment231279013 I never usually get angry at Sam’s lectures because I think for the most part he’s pretty objective and doesn’t try to persuade you one way or another but this lecture about the “Christian Invaders” made me really angry. My boyfriend is in Afghanistan right now and for someone to sit there and basically give his own opinion about what the war is about, made me angry. I think oil definitely has something to do with it but we would still have this war without the events of 9/11? Our nation was attacked and we fought back, we weren’t about to just sit there and do nothing. He put it in the perspective of the Islamic people but how come he didn’t touch on our perspectives? I mean, my boyfriend is fighting every single day for people who seem so ungrateful back at home. While it’s true that most of the victims of war have been children, what about our brothers and our sisters and our friends who are fighting for US yet are getting killed? How come they weren’t mentioned? Why was it that he went on and on about how these soldiers are “Christian invaders”. They’re not. Religion is a huge part of someone when they are in a war zone. I know that my boyfriend, personally, uses it as a way to keep faith and many other Marines and soldiers do. They’re not trying to convert them, they’re just trying to find a sense of hope in themselves to get through this trying time in their lives. I was really angry. I know a ton of Marines and soldiers who are over there right now, risking their lives for people who don’t even care anymore and then to hear that lecture on how Sam just bashed the men and women who are fighting for him and all of us. So many of us don’t understand that if they weren’t over there, we would have war on our streets. We wouldn’t be able to go to the grocery store or a football game or anything that we normally do because war would be here. Do people not get that? This war isn’t only about oil, it’s about defending what we know and love about this country. He was making way too many generalizations about our military men and women and it was really making me angry. Maybe he doesn’t have someone over in Afghanistan right now that he really cares about because if you do, like I do, then during that lecture I was angry and irritated and wanted to walk out. What made me even more angry was the fact that he showed clips of stupid soldiers running over someone’s car or something and yet, I have pictures from my boyfriend where they opened a new school and he’s playing with kids and those Marines are making a difference. It’s not just destruction and war; they just opened a new school and it was a huge deal because their old school was only one room and this school was so much bigger and the kids loved it. So no, I don’t agree with Sam’s lecture and I think that it was very much one sided and very much opinionated and not objective like it should have been. It’s a really big statement to call our military men and women killers when actually, they’re keeping all of us safe. Thu, 1 Dec 2011 21:06:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/29/voices-from-the-classroom-83/#IDComment231279013 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-78/#IDComment223555939 I think these past two weeks have been trying for the Penn State community for sure. Sam said what my motto has been throughout all of this in class today: it’s not about dealing with it; it’s about growing from it. Our Penn State community was completely shaken up by these accusations and our school was in a spotlight, for once not about academics or amazing things that Penn State does but for something terrible. We were put in a worldwide spotlight and so much criticism has come at us; from the news stations to ESPN to south park- it’s everywhere. I feel like people don’t realize how big this really is. When Sam was talking about how people in the middle of the desert in the Middle East know about it- then you know it’s huge. My boyfriend, who is currently serving in Afghanistan, knew about it before I could even tell him. That shows you the magnitude of this. He’s in the middle of a war but it was such big news that he knew about it. It’s crazy. The most important thing to do about all of this is learn from it and grow. Being a part of the Penn State community can give such a sense of pride and honor with success but when people question us as a whole based off of a few peoples actions, the initial reaction is to get angry and defensive but people just don’t understand. The students here have such a sense of pride and family but I think, more than ever, I’ve learned to just stand by that. When we say “WE ARE” it means we really are Penn State- we’re a family. Family sticks by each other, through good times and bad times and we’re all realizing this. Yes, Penn State is having a tough time right now with all the criticism but we are sticking together. I’m a tour guide and multiple times throughout the tour, I emphasize “WE ARE” and how we’re a family and it’s why most of the kids who come here want to come here. It’s the reason I came here! More than ever, we just need to stick together, show pride in a respectful way and stand by what we believe in. We need to learn not to hate everyone who doesn’t understand what we’re going through and we need to learn to stand together, respectfully. We need to grow as a University and ignore the comments that Penn State shouldn’t even be a University anymore- we are still strong, and we are still Penn State. We are 44,000 strong- just at this campus- and we are more than the actions of a few. We are Penn State. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:21:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-78/#IDComment223555939 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/09/voices-from-the-classroom-70/#IDComment220055084 I did eat the second piece of chocolate. I agree with what Sam said, you almost have to- out of respect for slavery. I must live in a bubble because I have absolutely no idea that things like that were going on in the world today. Those men are taken from their families, lied to, and suffer these awful conditions. They sleep in sheds and aren’t allowed to leave, they aren’t paid anything, but the thing in the video that impacted me the most was what happened if they tried to run away. If they tried to run away and they got caught, they would be beaten with the buckle side of the belt- can you even imagine?! The pain that they endure must be insurmountable. Most of them interviewed had horrible gashes on their bodies from this torture. And it’s all for chocolate. It makes you never want to eat chocolate again but I still do. I’m not sure why because the video really impacted me but those slaves don’t make all the chocolate, I guess that was my mentality. I think it’s awful what they endure and their testimony could bring tears to your eyes but that won’t stop me from eating the chocolate. I didn’t feel guilty for eating chocolate but instead wondered if there are anything that could be done about this awful thing happening. Can we do anything? Or do we just have to sit and do nothing? I mean these huge chocolate corporations have power so couldn’t they do something about this or do they not want to? I was confused but at the end of the day, Sam said only don’t eat the chocolate if you never plan on eating chocolate again and I’m addicted to chocolate so that wont happen but I do have a heart so my question is: what can we do about it?! I personally have no idea, I mean Sam said that he knew someone who was making progress but what does that even mean? Why can’t this just stop immediately? These people are being tortured- it’s not fair! To think that this kinda thing goes on can make your stomach turn but I feel like it’s one of those things that is going to be hard to change. At the end of the day, I ate the piece of chocolate, even though as Sam said there were probably traces of Slave chocolate in it. Instead of pointing to the guilty chocolate eaters- let’s fix this problem. This shouldn’t be allowed and if more and more people saw it- wouldn’t eventually someone stop it? Either way- I hope Sam’s friend makes progress and that one day soon, things like this will cease to exist. One can hope right? Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:21:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/09/voices-from-the-classroom-70/#IDComment220055084 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-60/#IDComment216435679 I know a lot of people who would answer this question of “Would you hire illegal immigrants to work for your business” yes in a heartbeat but as far as my opinion on this, I definitely wouldn’t. I can understand why people do it but I think it completely takes advantage of these workers. I know that they’re illegal and shouldn’t be here but it’s too risky. My dad owns his own company and my grandfather actually started the company. I remember before my grandfather passed away, he always used to say that no matter how cheap the labor is, it’s not worth it; in other words, the risk is too great. Paying someone under the table and having them work but not pay taxes is really risky. I know that people say illegal immigrants take the jobs that Americans don’t want but I actually know for a fact that this isn’t always true. My dad’s friend recently lost his job and wanted to get hired by a landscaping company but the owner actually said to him that requesting minimum wage was out of the question because he could pay these illegal immigrants for so much less. As a result, my dad’s friend lost everything; his house, his family and he was living on the streets. It happens. People don’t realize that sometimes they do take our jobs. There are good people out there, Americans, who deserve jobs in their own country but can’t get them because they can’t afford to earn less than minimum wage. People say they take all the jobs that Americans don’t want and I know Sam said in class that most of them are paying taxes but some part of me doesn’t believe that. All of the illegal immigrants that I know and that I know through my family and family friends, they don’t pay taxes. They are here and honestly, they don’t belong here. I’m all for legal migration. I think that if people want to make a better lives for themselves, go for it but do it the right way. Don’t sneak around and worry about getting deported. The process is long and daunting but if you want it badly enough, you’ll do it. We all immigrated here at some point. My great grandparents did but it was the right way. Hearing in class today that there are 312 million people in the U.S., PLUS another 12 million undocumented people: that’s insane! That’s 12 MILLION people who are taking jobs of Americans and being here that shouldn’t be here in the first place. If you want to come to this country, do it the right way but if you don’t, stay where you are. To conclude, I definitely wouldn’t be hiring illegal immigrants because honestly, they don’t deserve to take the jobs over people who are losing their jobs and actually live here. That’s like someone moving into your house, without permission, and eating all your food and leaving you with none. It’s just not fair. Thu, 3 Nov 2011 20:06:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/01/voices-from-the-classroom-60/#IDComment216435679 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-58/#IDComment213203666 Today in class, I know Sam said that in 10-20 years, whites will be a minority in the U.S. which made me think of an article I read this past summer. The article I read was all about how the census showed whites are in minority among new births in the U.S. I was really surprised by this and all sorts of people were giving their opinions. I’m not really sure how I feel about being a minority- all of my childhood, I wasn’t a minority but my kids and their kids will probably be. When I think of Americans, I think of white people. Maybe that has something to do with how I was raised but at the end of the day, I’m totally not surprised by this idea that we’re going to be a minority; just look at what’s happening/changing every day. We now have more inter-racial couples than ever, and we even have a black president. To me, people are people and this idea that I might be a minority doesn’t really scare me. I’m open to lots new people; it’s a weird thing to think of and I know it especially affected my grandparents more. I remember right before my grandfather died, he said, “I’m really glad that I didn’t live long enough to see all the white people gone” and I remember thinking, “what do you mean- white people aren’t going anywhere” but then I realized that as more and more people are accepting interracial dating and marriage, the more interracial kids we have and less white kids. It’s comforting to see people of your own kind so it does shake me up a little bit but with all things, we just get used to them and it’s not like you’ll wake up one day and all the white people will be gone- it’ll be a gradual change. It’s interesting because this isn’t an issue that I have a huge feeling one way or another. It’s just one of those things that I’ll have to feel when I feel it. It makes me wonder though: there is a ton of discrimination against minorities so does that mean that eventually, whites will be discriminated against because they are the new minority? I don’t think that African Americans, Asians, etc can come out of the “minority” title in the U.S., even when they aren’t anymore, because of what history has shown us for years and years. It’s definitely an interesting proposition to think of what it would be like to have government that’s mixed races (more so than now) because I feel like for the majority of us, that’s all we know. Things are definitely changing and I like change but I also know that a lot of people don’t so we will definitely see what happens! Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:48:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-58/#IDComment213203666 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-46/#IDComment210222115 I’ve given a lot of thought to this and have to say that I’ve concluded that I’m not exactly sure which stage I’m in but I’m pretty sure I’m in stage 1. Before this class, I never talked about race; it’s almost like it never came to my mind. I am a very accepting person whether you are Black, White, Asian, Male, Female, Gay, Straight- you name it and I’ll accept you. The differences in all of us are what I love. This world would be so incredibly boring if we didn’t have differences. I grew up in a mostly white community and maybe that has something to do with the fact that I don’t really think about race. I know that there’s discrimination out there but I think I’ve been in a bubble my whole life and have never really seen it. It’s almost like it’s out of sight out of mind. I think that no one should have to deal with that but I’m not one to engage in an argument about it. I think everything should just be happy and everyone should just accept people for who they are; not the color of their skin or their sexual orientation. This class has definitely made me think about race more in ½ of a semester than I’ve probably thought about it my whole life. I’m white but I don’t go through life feeling guilty for being me just as I don’t think anyone should make other people feel guilty for something they can’t change. White guilt kind of puzzles me because I’m proud of who I am and people will say, “You have advantages because you’re white” but my question to them is “what advantages?” I’m proud of who I am and if I were any other race, I’d be proud of that too. I will never feel guilty for being who I am. I think there’s a lot of hate in this world but it doesn’t come from just white people. I know plenty of people of color who have hated me just because I was white but I would never hate someone just because they were different than me. It doesn’t make sense; it’s not how I was raised. I feel like people can be really close minded sometimes. There is an immense amount of hate in this world and throughout history; look at all the wars, look at the Civil Rights Movement, and the list never ends. People are going to hate. Why? I don’t know. I think, personally, it takes a lot out of someone to “hate” someone else but if it doesn’t take as much just to accept people for who they are. So, I’d say I’m a stage one because I don’t think about race (until this class). I love this class though, it’s really gotten me thinking about race and opening my eyes to a world that I was completely unaware of in my bubble of a white town. Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:49:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-46/#IDComment210222115 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207007054 This money is being “blown” on the war and killing and destruction? Personally, when I hear someone say that this money is being “blown”, essentially wasted angers me. I would like to ask the person in the video, what would we do without our military? People don’t like to think about what life would be like without the military men and women that we have but let’s just take a moment to think about it. We can do our day to day activities and not worry about a bomb going off down the street or terrorists in our country. Why? Because men and women, sacrifice more than people will ever truly know, are overseas protecting people who don’t even care anymore. My boyfriend is currently in Afghanistan and has been the past 4 months. This video really angers me because yes, we spend a ton of money on our military but it’s one of the strongest in the world because of that. We live in a safe environment because of that. Yes, our streets have violence but they don’t have war. You walk outside and you’re not worried that you’re going to die. Instead of saying in this video that all this money is being “blown” on our military, one should really step back and ask why? And ask themselves- what would life be like if we didn’t spend as much money- if we didn’t have as many troops overseas? People don’t realize that this war that we’re in, while it’s insanely expensive it’s necessary. My boyfriend and tons of other Marines that we know, say the same thing. There’s a reason we’re over there right now. If we could pull all our troops out, we would have. It angers me that people think that we’re wasting this money yet they won’t take two seconds to be appreciate of the people who are missing their kids baseball games, and the births of their new little ones and holidays and big events in the people they love’s lives. Do you miss those things? Nope. You have a 9-5 job and you can rest your head in your king sized bed feeling pretty good about yourself can’t you? But you can’t take two minutes to realize that there are people overseas right now who are sleeping on cots, which are essentially boards and shower by pouring water bottles over their heads, after a 15 hour day in the 100+ degree heat. Yet people will still say we’re blowing this money. How about we acknowledge the fact the yes, it’s expensive but at the end of the day, you’re safe because of it. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:05:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/tax-dollars-at-war/#IDComment207007054 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-36/#IDComment204039504 That’s actually a really good question. Coming from a woman myself, if I were choosing to dress a certain way that was perceived as being “slutty” or whatnot, I can’t sit there and say “well I demand you treat me this other way”. I think a lot of women do though because the reason they are dressing these ways isn’t for themselves, like it should be, but it’s to impress guys! Just look at Halloween night at Penn State- how many slutty girls do you see half naked walking around campus? A TON. This has a lot to do with societal pressure and what looks “hot” and “sexy” in the magazines. There are ways to look really good without looking like a slut but some people just want optimal attention. I think it’s what they see in the magazines and what they see from their peers that drive their thinking. It amazes me that these girls will wear their high heels and their short skirts no matter what temperature it is out, especially at Penn State. In the winter- we all know it can get down to the 20’s and 30’s and is that short skirt weather? No. Women need to feel confident but I think their confidence is misdirected because they think that, in this guy centered world that this is what they want to see. Ultimately, it is what they want to see for a night maybe but the girls who dress like that aren’t the ones they are going to fall in love with. I had a bunch of friends last year who would dress up like that and go out on the weekends, in hopes to find “Mr. Right”. I think that women, ages 18-22 really need to take a step back and look at what they’re doing and how they’re actually being perceived. They can’t dress a certain way and then turn around and say, I want you to treat me more than a whore. Women are definitely subjected to this men-centered world and they all need to realize it and act accordingly. And if they don’t change their ways, then don’t expect so much from other people. Be who you are- don't be what society tells you is "hot" or "sexy". You can look great without looking like you're asking for it. As Coco Chanel says, "a woman should be two things: classy and fabulous". Thu, 6 Oct 2011 20:05:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-36/#IDComment204039504 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-25/#IDComment201106633 The United States of America is one of the most powerful nations in the world. With that being said, we have so much potential to help others in need but we’re too concerned to others to selflessly help them out. Every time we are helping someone, to the people of the United States, it might look helpless but the U.S. always has an upper hand. They are always getting something out of the deal, or else the deal wouldn’t be made. Countries don’t need money from us because if we send money to the governments of these countries that need help, the regular people like you and I would never see the money or the benefits from that money. We need to give aid to these countries so that they can sustain themselves. It’s not always about just sending money, money and more money. It’s about helping them out in ways that they can eventually help themselves. My boyfriend is in Afghanistan right now and he used to talk about why our military is in Afghanistan and have been for so long. The main reason is that we’re trying to build their government up and get them schools and whatnot so they can stand on their own two feet eventually. It’s not about sending money because money doesn’t fix every problem. It’s about making those countries stand on their own and be sufficient and not rely on us. I think that sometimes the U.S. might want other countries to rely on us so we can form allies and what not but in the end, we have so much potential to help out all these countries that are having so many problems and we should honestly start doing something about it. While we do need to help out these other countries, we should make sure that ours is first and foremost of utmost importance. Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:00:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-25/#IDComment201106633 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197071717 When I think of Haiti, I think of a very poor country that has been through unfortunate events such as the earthquake. What I don’t think of is all the entrepreneurs struggling to thrive in their businesses. After watching some of the videos, they have really great ideas and we can help them out. The first entrepreneur I met was Clorene who makes clothing and her work is great but she needs the tools that we have in our country to really make her business more efficient. Then I looked at Anaeas and her bags are great as well. I think that people would really use them if only she had access to make them easier. Finally, I looked at Manouchka and her work inspired me the most. She makes hair products and personalized frames and I was so inspired by her work. It’s adorable and personalized and in my opinion, very one of a kind. A common theme I was hearing from the entrepreneurs that make things out of fabric or materials is that it’s difficult to transport them so maybe we could figure out a better way to transport. Also, she needs another oven if she wants to speed up production of her products. I think that these people in Haiti have really great ideas from clothing to picture frames to shoes and lunch bags. These people have amazing work and I think we just need to find a way to advertise it and get them the things they need at a cost that isn’t out of their range. I think that we have the power to help them and right now, I’m not sure how to do it but I’m eager to talk it out with people in my group about possible solutions and how to go about getting them the things they need and getting their businesses running proficiently. I’m excited about this project because it’s real people and their real lives. It’s how they make a living and we can help! Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:20:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197071717 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-9/#IDComment193513826 I absolutely think that as income increases so do SAT scores. First of all, I think the SAT is a huge joke. It doesn’t measure intelligence, it measures whether or not a standardized test tricks you or not. I have a lot of great friends who don’t apply themselves in school yet ace the SAT’s because they are just good test takers. I also have friends whose parents pay thousands of dollars for them to take these courses just to prepare them for the test. Personally, I didn’t take any classes to prepare for it but I definitely think that if you have access to classes like that (aka the money for them) then you’ll definitely do better. Do I think it’s fair that some kids have the privilege and access to these resources and others don’t? No. Someone in class said that since most of us went to public school, we were all given the same opportunities. Yes, some schools (including mine) offered the program during school hours so it didn’t cost extra but not all programs are created equal. In my high school, that class was regarded as a joke and people only took it for an easy A. Other programs may have been different. I do know that no everyone has a couple thousand just laying around to take these courses. I don’t think it’s just income that influences these scores. I think income leads to more extra money for these types of things. I thought it was interesting how someone in class said “well yea, the people who take these classes get to because they don’t have to worry about putting food on the table every night”. It really made me think. I was privileged and sometimes you can get stuck in this suburbia bubble but open your eyes people. There are people out there struggling just to have food for their families to eat. It’s a real problem. Not all public schools are created equal and not everyone has the same opportunities. Income is a definite factor in whether or not these classes for prep can be taken which do lead to higher test scores but some people can get high test scores just by being a good test taker. I don’t think the SAT is a good indicator because it takes a certain type of person in the first place to be good at it. I do, though, think that income definitely influences SAT scores but there is a lot more that goes into that than meets the eye. Thu, 15 Sep 2011 03:17:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-9/#IDComment193513826 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/06/voices-from-the-classroom-2/#IDComment190824480 I honestly agree with what Sam was saying about how we don’t have freedom to choose our genders. It’s true if you think about society and how society basically dictates, from a young age, that girls are supposed to act one way and boys are supposed to act another. I know for me as a female, if I wanted to play sports or go fishing or camping or do boy activities, I could do that freely. On the other hand, if I wanted to dress like a boy and talk like a boy, that wouldn’t be acceptable, especially to society in general. As far as my brother, if he decided to dress like a girl- it would be completely unacceptable. The same goes with sexual orientation. Personally, I don’t feel like we choose to be either straight or gay. To me, it all depends on how you’re raised and I don’t know too much about this subject so my opinions don’t hold a ton of water but I do know that from what I’ve learned, we are a product of our environments, in many different ways. The ways in which we grow up dictate who we are, whether people like it or not. If you’re from a neighborhood where a lot of crime happens and there’s a lot of violence, you become this product of that (not in all cases, but most) where you are becoming violent because it’s what you grew up with, it’s all you know. On the other hand, if you came from a loving and nurturing environment, you may choose to act differently and not be a violent person because you were never exposed to that. I know that I grew up a very sheltered childhood because I honestly didn’t get the opportunity to meet a lot of different people. All the kids I went to high school with were upper class, or at the least upper middle class and were very privileged. I was never exposed to violence growing up. I was never exposed to that so now, I’m not a violent person. I really feel like we are a product of our environment. From a scientific point of view, we are either born male or female and that’s all genetics and we don’t have any say in that. Growing up, my parents taught me to do girl things and my brother to do boy things and it never really mixed or intertwined. We were allowed to make our own decisions but my parents knew that society would completely scrutinize us because society believes that there are certain gender roles that need to be followed and honestly, so do I. We were born a certain way and society views us as a certain way. People do go against society but most don’t because people don’t like change, history tells us that. So to reiterate, we are a product of our environments and no, I don’t think that we get to choose our gender or sexual orientation. I think the environment in which we grow up in combined with genetics chooses it for us. Wed, 7 Sep 2011 21:18:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/06/voices-from-the-classroom-2/#IDComment190824480 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/08/26/what-do-you-want-to-know-before-its-all-over/#IDComment187451820 I would like to figure out why, after all that our country has been through, it still seems like racial borders divide our country. Why is that? Why is it that we still have to tiptoe around everything that is said about race? Why is racism still so much a part of society, even though multiple things in history have occurred to try to put a stop to it? Just look at history: it’s because of the Civil War that slavery is outlawed and it’s because of the Civil Rights Movement that legalized segregation was stopped. So it makes me wonder why race is such a touchy subject? Before I came to your class, it was almost like people never talk about it. I’m white and when I was in the world in conversation group, I felt like people still consider whites racist. I felt like I had to be careful about what I said because I didn’t want to offend anyone. Why is it like this? Why do people have such a difficult time talking about race? We, as a country, have talked about it since the late 1800’s and there have been things that have seemed to fix the problem yet we still have racism. So my main question is why? A perfect example was my elementary school. Looking back now, I didn’t go to elementary school with one kid who wasn’t white. Not one. I didn’t go to school with any Asians or African Americans or any other background. I wasn’t exposed to different cultures and I honestly think it was because that school wanted to hold a “reputation”. It was a public school but it was so selective in the people who were allowed to attend that it felt like a private school. It partly had to do with the location; the school was in a predominately white neighborhood but still. Why was this okay? I remember having friends who’s parents would comment on how “that’s the way school should be” and when you’re 10 years old, you don’t question things like that. Then, about halfway through 5th grade, we finally got an African American girl added to our class. I thought this was great because I think it was the first real experience of dealing with someone who wasn’t like me. The other kids though, were so cruel. They weren’t accepting of new and different people and the girl, after two weeks, had to leave the school because the kids were so mean. I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that after all history has shown us, we still do things like that. Racism is still here and very much a part of society and that makes me sick. Will people ever change their way of thinking or is it a lost cause to think that one day, racism won’t exist? Sun, 28 Aug 2011 17:28:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/08/26/what-do-you-want-to-know-before-its-all-over/#IDComment187451820