en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3546138 Comments by stephywicks http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/29/voices-from-the-classroom-81/#IDComment230496981 Does the Christian God support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Even being a Christian myself, this question is very hard to answer. From one viewpoint, I can say that murder and violence are sins, no matter what the circumstance. Any deliberate action that hurts another is wrong. And, God would not want his people intentionally hurting one another. But, this is a concept that is (without a doubt) impossible to achieve because conflict is inevitable. Christianity proclaims that God has given its people free will, or the ability to choose whatever an individual wants. If God had not given us free will, maybe there wouldn’t be war or violence. But, this doesn’t mean that God condones these actions of war. I think there are many instances where such situations can be overlooked. For example, if it’s for the better good of our hundreds of thousands of citizens, maybe war isn’t so bad after all? These decisions of war affect all of us and protect us from many things. So, it is hard to determine what our God would think of it overall. Would he want us to be in danger or to be at war? I also think about whether or not murder (from self defense) would be considered a sin? If someone were protecting their family member or another from danger, would these actions be overlooked in the eyes of God? Or are there no shortcuts? In my eyes, I feel like violent actions of self-defense, or war (which protects its citizens back in the states) is acceptable. I don’t think there is anything that a sole person can do to physically stop all the hate crimes and murders of all the people in this world. It is just the inevitable. I wish there was no violence in the world at all and everyone could get along! But, that is not the world we live in. I think the God wouldn’t support nor be happy about his people fighting one another, but I think he would understand the circumstances under which we are fighting for. It’s hard to determine what God would think about the martyr suicides done by those of Iraq and Afghanistan. These people grew up learning about their religion, and it’s all they knew. Of course they’re going to think its normal. I grew up learning about Christianity, and have different values than they do. So who is to determine what’s right and wrong? Ultimately, I think that the Christian God would not support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or any war for that matter. But, in our world, conflicts are bound to arise and wars will occur, with or without the support of God. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:19:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/29/voices-from-the-classroom-81/#IDComment230496981 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223093876 What if Sandusky was black or Latino? In my heart, I want to say that no matter what the race or gender; Sandusky would receive the same negative publicity, judgment and jail sentence. Looking into this situation as a Penn State student, any influential leader here who abused and took advantage of children here (or anywhere for that matter) should never see the light of day again. He affected each victim’s lives in such a way, that they will never be the same way again. But, talking in soc 119 about all the different ways in which our society stigmatizing and judges certain races, which is dependent upon many different things (such as socioeconomic environment, culture, etc) I think that a Latino or black man would (as hard as it is to say) would cause more controversy. In a predominately white/catholic university, I think that many students have come from households and cultures, which are much different than that of colored people. I think that this difference would add to the hysteria on campus, and it would become a race and race focused conversation, rather than the actual facts of what happened. I think the media would focus more on the fact that this man was targeting white boys, other than looking at the whole picture. I think if Sandusky was black or Latino, the black culture would be further targeted and stigmatized in society. It would through their entire culture back into a process of defending themselves and working their way up the ladder. Colored people have had a constant struggle in this society to prove themselves and create a successful future for themselves. Like discussed in class, there are many situations in which whites are favored over blacks. In employment situations and legal situations (just to name a couple). Our society is racist whether we like it or not and although the allegations wouldn’t change if Sandusky were of a different race, I think that many people would judge the entire black community as a whole. Being white, there is no focus on Sanduskys race. I have heard nothing on the T.V. or read anything in the papers that focuses in on him being white. Would this change otherwise? I’m not sure if people would just tiptoe around the subject or if the headlines would be different. I don’t know if it is still appropriate in the media to call out someone based on the color of his skin, I’m guessing not. I don’t think people are walking around looking at white men and thinking that they are child molesters. But, it may just be different if he was colored. If I looked at Sandusky before, I would jump to conclusions about anything really. He looks like a lot of older men I know. But, now that he is labeled as a “child molester”, his look seems creepier to me. When he smiles, I cringe. His whole persona disgusts me. But, as I said before, I’m not going up to every aged white man with white hair thinking that he is a pedophile. It’s just not the way I think or our society has made me think. I’m not sure if I would think differently if he were of a different race. But, I think the chances are far greater. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:25:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-79/#IDComment223093876 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-65/#IDComment219131971 Why don’t people see the benefits of immigration? I don’t think people see the benefits of immigration because often times the negative stigmas overpower the positive ones. Many people think that those immigrating here will take over our jobs and overpopulate our country, causing our success to decrease. They are comfortable with what appears to be “normal” and don’t want to deviate from the norm. They do not want things to change or view changing attitudes of beliefs, staying the same is what is, as I said before, normal. Oftentimes those who immigrate illegally are viewed as if they are dangerous criminals, and Americans view those who commit crimes as always committing illegal acts. If they do one thing illegally, they are most likely to do other illegal things. Also, people view immigrants wrongfully when they do not conform to the American language or customs. Americans get angry when they come upon an immigrant and cannot communicate effectively because they haven’t been raised in America. They feel like those who live in a country for an extended period of time, should learn the ways of its people. People often do not see the positive sides of immigration because our society imbeds certain ideas into our heads about many negative aspects of these people. They come up with racial and ethnic slurs that define them by their travels to America, i.e. wetback. They also depict the wrongful doings of these people. In my experiences, I’ve only seen negative aspects of immigration. Back home, these people are the ones who are the worse off. They seem to be populating our town, in a wrong way. I see them on street corners looking for work or in a supermarket parking lot collecting the carts. They are people that I would never look up to or aspire to be. But, they do all the work that no one else wants to do, which is often overlooked. I can understand why these people are pushed aside in this social-economic food chain. I can see why others think that they are taking work from Americans who themselves are in need of labor in this struggling economy. Americans also don’t see the benefits of immigrants because they are intellectually unaware of the positives. Many Americans do not watch the news or read newspapers; they are unaware of many things around them. So, when they come upon immigrants who have a negative stigma, it is hard to change their attitudes and mindset about the issue at hand. In my opinion, I can understand why Americans do not see the benefits of immigration because I didn’t before taking Sociology 119. I am happy to be aware of the issues now and am happy to inform those who are unaware. Wed, 9 Nov 2011 06:02:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-65/#IDComment219131971 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-58/#IDComment216513462 How do I feel about whites becoming the minority in the future? Well being white myself, I can honestly say that I feel quite nervous about it. People (including myself) are most comfortable within their own kind. Growing up in a predominately white community, I feel at ease when I’m within a group of white people as opposed to black or brown people. Also, I feel as though the two races have a very different culture. I, as well as most people, flock to those who share the same cultures, opinions and beliefs. In a group of colored people, I would probably feel out of place and feel as if they were always judging me. Maybe on the way I dress, the way I talk and the music I listen to. Also, when I’m put into a situation where I am the minority, I always think people are staring at me and because of this, I act differently. I tend to act more reserved and aware of my actions around colored people. I tend to watch what I say more, fearing that I will potentially offend them by saying the wrong thing or asking a question that might be offensive. Throughout my entire life, I have been surrounded by friends and family of the same race and culture and to deviate from this will be a concept I’ll have to adjust/get used to. Knowing that I will be the minority one-day makes me want to jump up and move to a predominately white area. This may be extreme, but it makes me very scared to be in an uncomfortable situation. This question makes me consider what its like for colored people on this campus. Do they feel uncomfortable or isolated? Do they not want to speak up or say what’s on their mind because they feel like it may offend someone? Or maybe they feel out of place here and flock to their own kind (which is something I see often) because they feel the most comfortable there. It honestly comes down to what is comfortable for someone and the situations and environments, which seem most welcoming. So, maybe in the future or by taking this class I can eventually move up in the “stages” and come to terms with the fact that I will be the minority one day. Hopefully I will, at some point, accept others the way I accept my own race. I think that it is all a matter of what is “normal” for people, the culture they grow up in and the people they spend their time with, and if that means being surrounded by other people of different races than I’ll most likely get used to it. Thu, 3 Nov 2011 23:19:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-58/#IDComment216513462 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-55/#IDComment213628437 How do I feel about illegal / legal immigrants living in the United States? To be honest, I have two opinions about this topic. The first is that I feel it is wrong for them to be here. There are many reasons why I feel this way. Illegal immigrants take our jobs; take advantage of our nations hospital care (we cant turn them away) and cause increased crime in our country. If they cross the boarder (which is illegal) what makes this person trustworthy? A criminal is always a criminal, no matter the reason. For example, these people don’t have valid licenses. Last year my moms car got hit by a Mexican landscaper in a parking lot, instead of owning up to the mistake, the man got scared and drove off because he most likely didn’t have a drivers license. These types of situations infuriate me because it is for a lack of common sense. I don’t understand their reasoning behind certain things. Did they think that by coming here illegally that they were entitled to everything, that they have no restrictions or boundaries in this country? This type of recklessness must happen often for none of them have taken a drivers test in the states. I do not approve of this type of behavior, which puts others into danger as well as themselves. Also, because they are operating machinery illegally, they have a change of getting injured on the job. So whom do they go to when they are injured? The hospital, from which they pay no taxes for, so doctors are forced to help them. So, on the other side of the debate, there are benefits to illegal aliens. For one, they are extremely cheap labor. They are our dry cleaners, landscapers and construction workers and they don’t receive any type of benefits. Businesses also don’t have to pay taxes or healthcare for these people. They do not receive raises either. If we didn’t have them to do these types of tasks, this type of labor would be extremely expensive. And who would want to do such labor? I’m sure coming to this country, these people imagined bigger and better opportunities for themselves and their families, but life is tough for them. They do the jobs that us Americans would never want to do or even imagine doing. So, on one side, these people create problems as well as making our lives easier. Taking one side over the other is often a hard task. As of now, they do not personally bother me. I am on the outside looking in to others problems. But, if they were to personally hurt me, I could most likely lean towards not wanting them here. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:54:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-55/#IDComment213628437 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210663086 Does hanging out with a group of people that is a different race than your own make them a poser? I don’t think that hanging out with a group of people who are different from you, makes you a poser. I think that people choose to hang out with others who make them feel good and whom they are comfortable with. I’m sure when kids are growing up, they sometimes gravitate towards the popular kids and whom they think is cooler. They probably just try to fit in and conform to certain things because they want to be accepted and liked. It is hard growing up different than everyone else and so, conforming is easier than dealing with all the scrutiny of our peers. But, as we grow and mature, our friends become people whom we rely on for many things. They share our interests, hobbies and know more about us than even our families as times. Friends are people whom we relate to and whom we can trust. So, why would someone voluntarily hang out with others who have no similarities to him or her? I think that race has nothing to do with relating to someone. It has to do with the culture and beliefs that we grow up in. If a white kid grows up in a predominately black urban community, he is going to relate to that black urban culture more so than he is to a rural white kid. He is going to listen to different music, wear different clothes and speak differently. It’s like the case of Eminem, a white rapper from Detroit, Michigan. This artist was scrutinized in the industry for “trying to be black”. People believed he was a copout who had no business knowing or rapping about certain topics. Many of his lyrics surrounded the topic of trying to make it as a white rapper in the industry and the struggles he faced. An example of this is found in the song called “The Way I am”, “And I just do not have the patience-To deal with this cocky Caucasians-Who think I'm some wigga who just tries to be black- Cause I talk with an accent and grab on my balls-So they always keep asking the same fucking questions -What school did I go to? -What hood I grew up in?” Again, I just think that Eminem grew up in a community that was predominately poor and colored. They probably experienced similar struggles and had similar aspirations and related to each other. His accent isn’t faked; it is from growing up in a community where mostly everyone spoke the same. So all in all, people who hang out with people from a race different from their own are NOT posers. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:44:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210663086 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/blog-about-happiness-for-soc-119-and-learn-something-useful/#IDComment207145180 This article about happiness was very interesting to read. I never thought that there were so many meanings behind the word happiness. But, in contrast, these meanings are also very confusing. Isn’t happiness a state of being? Even under the worse of circumstances (such as jail, death, poverty), people must still find comfort and joy in something. Maybe that’s just the optimistic attitude I have, but it’s hard to believe that people go days and days without being happy. Here at Penn State I’ve had a number of rough weeks, but even on the toughest days, I find a little “happiness”. It’s hard for me to believe that some people (such as the times when happiness was only found after life) were living on this planet miserable and working to the day they died, without smiles and laughter and love. I consider happiness all these things, encompassing all types of pleasure. Coming down to it, happiness is just a word. Why put so much emphasis on a word? It is what we feel inside that really matters. I also think that happiness is a counterpart of being comfortable in life. I think that too much or too little of something can strip away many feelings. I also think that ones family income shapes how people grow to know what happiness is. For example, if a child grew up in a home whose parents couldn’t afford new clothes, let alone toys, this child had to play with what he/she could find. That child must have had to use his or her imagination during playtime. But, they didn’t know anything different and were still happy. That child will probably grow up and be appreciate of a lot more than a child who was handed anything and everything. Children, who are spoiled, usually grow up thinking that they deserve anything, including happiness, for usually doing nothing. I think most of our happiness is found in the people whom we surround ourselves with. I understand the reasoning’s behind this article but I also think that everything is subjective thinking. Money can buy happiness for some people but it can also lead to many negative things. I think its hard for anyone to really put a finger on what makes other people happy, it is always subjective to what the individual likes and wants. If everything came free and money wasn’t an issue anymore, there would be no more work ethic. If what were calling happiness was “a recent intervention”, than has everyone been miserable all along? It just doesn’t make sense or add up. Its all about the individuals wants and needs, we can always depend on statistics and surveys, we just have to look into ourselves to find the answers. Cause in the end, we all die anyway right? Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:39:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/11/blog-about-happiness-for-soc-119-and-learn-something-useful/#IDComment207145180 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-27/#IDComment203157315 How would you feel if your child was gay? If my child turned out to be gay, I would feel mixed emotions. On one side, I would most likely love him or her no matter what. From experience, I can say that I have had a great relationship with my parents, even though we tend to disagree on many different topics. So, it is definitely possible to live and love one another although there are some disagreements there. But in truth, I would rather my child to be straight. Growing up Catholic, I would expect my children to marry in the church and than have a traditional American family of their own. These expectations have come from what I’ve experience and flourished on. I think my traditional strict upbringing has given me the necessary tools to thrive in life. Now, I’m not saying that gay parents can’t do the same thing, they can. But, society has a major impact on people lives. Growing up straight would just be easier and safer for children. They would be subjected to less ridicule, bullying and confusion. I think they would relate better to the world we live in they wouldn’t be ashamed of hiding their true feelings, being straight later on in life would be easier. They wouldn’t have to worry about the many more STD’s that accompany homosexuality. Having children wouldn’t be such a process and they wouldn’t have to worry about the stigmas and stereotypes of their sexuality. Even though our society is slowly gravitating towards an acceptance of gay relationships, I think many of us are still traditional in our ways. From my perspective, I think that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Maybe this is because of my experiences with friends who have “come of out of the closet”. These friends have changed for the worse. They carry out unsafe sexual practices and flaunt their bodies. Now, I’m not inferring that all gays are like this, but I think some people gravitate towards that lifestyle because they think its “cool”, not because that’s who they really are. If my child was born and he or she was outright gay from the beginning, I would have no choice but to accept it and love them for whom they are. But, I would definitely worry about he/she more. Seeing first hand accounts of gay bashing and bullying in high school has given me a bad image. I would hate to see anyone subjected to such kinds of treatment. Growing up is often hard enough; everyone goes through an awkward time at one point in adolescence. But, I can’t imagine doing it while hiding a secret. I couldn’t imagine it; life would be incredibly difficult and confusing. So, I would rather my child be straight. Tue, 4 Oct 2011 22:25:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-27/#IDComment203157315 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-22/#IDComment201097444 Does race affect our views of criminals? Yes, I think that race affects our views of criminals. Since I can remember, there has been a stigma about blacks and other colored people. These people are often seen doing drugs, committing robberies and assaulting others in many T.V shows and movies. More often than not I read stories about blacks in the newspapers and hear about them on the radio for their wrongdoings. So, is this just a coincidence or are blacks committing more crimes than whites? In class, we discussed the drug statistics among the races and found out that whites have a higher statistic over the colored, although blacks are being sent to jail more for the same crimes. This makes me assume that our society is racist. Personally, I am shameful to say that I can be a little racist myself. Though I haven’t experienced anything negative from the other races, I can tell that my attitude changes in certain situations. For example, if I was walking home late at night and there was another figure walking towards me, I would rather it be a white man than a black man. I don’t know why I would rather this scenario, but I do. I also feel uncomfortable being in a situation where I am the minority. In my high school, we had less than ten black people in my entire school. Maybe this is the reason that I feel differently towards them than whites in certain situations. I also may feel this way cause I’ve had first hand accounts of racism from cops. My uncle, a retired detective and cop who has worked on the streets of Yonkers, N.Y. is a racist himself. He often spoke about how he dislikes blacks and other colored people. I am not sure about why he felt this way but I am assuming it was because he had mostly negative experiences. If he feels this way, there must be others like him. There are numerous stories about racist cops pulling over a black man for no reason or searching him without any real reason to. This is a shame because many of them must feel like cops are out to get them and that they must be at their best behavior in certain situations so to not provoke someone. I know that my feelings as well as my uncles are wrong, I’m just so used to thinking and feeling the way I do that its hard to change it. That why I think that stereotypes will be here to stay forever, which is a shame in itself. Maybe down the road, more liberal and open-minded people will change the dynamic of our society. Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:30:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-22/#IDComment201097444 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment196032618 Even before viewing the entrepreneur videos, I knew the Haiti Group Project was going to be a great experience. I’ve always wanted to volunteer abroad doing the typical jobs like building house and educating kids. But, it just never fit into my plans. So, this opportunity will be similar in the fact that we will be aiding people in need of services, but from our home base at Penn State. Watching the videos, I wasn’t surprised at how little the workers had. Traveling to Haiti myself, I’ve witnessed the hard work and craftsmanship that these people put into their jobs to obtain a few dollars. Watching the videos I discovered that Clorene Blaise didn’t have a printing machine for designs, Euclid didn’t have quality material to make her clothes and Figaro does all her baking without any electrical appliances. Having access to these items would help their business excel tremendously. Seeing their hard work, patience and dedication is amazing. I get frustrated with my printer doesn’t have ink, but having to do every little stitch by hand is incredible. My heart goes out to these families who have children and are trying to make ends meet. I think about the futures of these children a lot during the videos and wonder if they will follow in the family business or even begin one of their own. The socio-economic status of these families is low and it will be very difficult to stray away. Food must be a top priority, let alone college. What these families need is resources and I am wondering how my group will go about this. It will be interesting to talk about this next discussion. So, what are my views on the videos themselves? I was surprised at not the conditions themselves, but as how Sam was openly honest about their craftsmanship and work. He had no shame telling them what bags needed stronger handles or which shirts needed better stitching. He wasn’t afraid to offend these people. I on the other hand would feel very uncomfortable saying anything negative about their work. I can imagine how hard they worked on these accessories and clothing. But in retrospect, I can see how these comments can be an improvement and helpful for their customer base. Their items will be better made and more durable, which will likely result in better sales all around. I respect Sam’s honesty though; he seems to treat these people as equals to him. I probably wouldn’t think anything of it if Sam came into a shop in the states and made certain judgments about the merchandise. I don’t know why I tend to hold my feelings back around these types of situations. I guess it just makes me uncomfortable. Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:04:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment196032618 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-7/#IDComment193960610 I think the “N” word has become a common thing to say in everyday language for blacks AND whites. Whether I hear it walking to class or in the lyrics of a popular song, it is everywhere. This generation has grown up hearing it a lot more (I’m assuming) than other generations. Is it because our generation is so liberal? We accept many more controversial things now than we did in previous years. Gay marriage is becoming more common and being legalized in more states and America has a half black president. But to return back to the question, “Why is it okay for black people to say the “N” word but white people can’t?” The “N” word is controversial in many ways. It is a degrading word that white people used to look down to black slaves in the past. But today, it just seems that people use it as a word filler. I hear both blacks and whites use it in greetings and randomly during normal conversation. Growing up in the outskirts of NYC it is normal for me to hear “nigga” and therefore it doesn’t offend me. It would offend me however if they used “nigger”. Also, if I grew up in a rural neighborhood with only a few blacks, I think all forms of the “N” would be a big “no, no”. So, how would a black person react to a white person if they said it? I think they would either be very offended or just laugh it off. It depends on the person’s environment growing up and their personality. Whether they had white friends who spoke the way he/she did or only had black friends. Culture is everything and others fear and dislike the unknown. I’m not saying that the “N” word should be used or it shouldn’t be used. I just think that words are words. It’s not like all the white people using “nigga” are running around with fire sticks and white cloaks. They most likely aren’t even racist. The word is in our vocabulary; it’s in our society and we hear celebrities using in all the time in songs and movies. It is probably very offensive to some and I can understand where they are coming from. But I will continue to stress that words are just words. Now, if they are using it to express a negative emotion about colored people, I think that is unacceptable. No one should ever use such language with the intention of hurting another. All in all, I think that the “N” word is understandably used in our culture and I can understand why both whites and blacks would be offended if anyone used the word. Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:26:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/13/voices-from-the-classroom-7/#IDComment193960610 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-6/#IDComment191322132 I would consider President Obama to be multiracial, his father was black and his mother was white. But, does this affect my opinion of him? To say the honest truth, I absolutely do not have any knowledge in politics or government. I am not registered to vote, nor do I think I should have the right to vote knowing my lack of knowledge on the subject. But should I judge someone who is of a different color than me? Definitely not. Someone who is leading our country should be judged about other things, not the color of his skin. He should be judged on his credentials, his leading abilities, his decision making. I think anyone who leads our country shouldn’t be judged by outward experiences, its superficial and completely ridiculous. If Einstein was judged by his appearance and was disregarded, our world would be a very different place. I think many people are skeptical of Obama, not for his color, but from where he came from. I remember hearing questions about whether he was truly from this country and if he was fit to run it. I even read somewhere that many thought his birth certificate was forged. But, who is to know? There are a lot of questions in this world, but the color of Obama’s skin should not have an affect on someone’s opinion of him. Whether he is a great leader or not, I think many people from each side of the spectrum can identify with him. This is the reason he is so popular, because people can relate this his background, both black and white. But is this the reason he won the election? Was this a popularity contest among the blacks? Was he just elected because America wanted their first multiracial president? I think much if the media plays into this aspect a lot, when it shouldn’t have been a factor at all. It doesn’t make him a better more rounded person in my opinion. It seems even now Obama is looked at as more of a celebrity than a president. He is in tabloids and magazines all over the place and there are stories about his family and wife are everywhere. I want our country to pick our leader with intelligence and who makes good decisions. I know many of my friends registered to vote just because they “liked” the idea of Obama, not because they knew his credentials, background or what he was striving for. So all in all, I want Americans who vote, to understand whom they are voting for and learn about the candidates. I don’t think they should pick and choose according to race. Race shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t make a difference. Fri, 9 Sep 2011 03:35:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-6/#IDComment191322132 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/08/26/what-do-you-want-to-know-before-its-all-over/#IDComment188607396 “What is one thing I'd like to know or learn about race and ethnic relations?” I'd like to learn the reasons why races feel more comfortable within their own kind. Does it depend on a child's upbringing by his/her parents or is a factor of outside influences, such as school and friends? There are countless stereotypes in our world that shape our views and perceptions of others. What can be done differently so that our generations to come have a different perception toward race and ethnicities? And while there may be some truth to these stereotypes, when does it start effecting individuals? What are the legal issues and laws behind discrimination and stereotyping? Growing up in a community where the majority of the students were white, I can understand why I had only white friends. Those few who were of a different color had only colored friends. In my mind I know that there is nothing hugely different between the two of us. I know that if I pass a black man or a white man on the street late at night, there is no difference. There is no more or less danger between the two. It always depends on the individual. But why do the certain thoughts come to my head in those situations? If I know what I’m thinking is wrong, why do I still think the way I do? Does it have to do with the entertainment we watch? I think the majority of the programs on T.V. portray certain race stereotypes. Mexicans are usually portrayed as housekeepers or gardeners. Cops seem to be chasing colored, and white men are in suits and are almost always boss’s. I think by changing these roles, we would be subconsciously changing our perceptions of others. Entertainment and advertisements are a huge influence on children and youth. By starting out with the right attitudes when you’re young, is it easier to shape certain perceptions? Also, what is the reason we act the way we do? Do we give in to our typical race stereotypes? When we see white men in society trying to make it as a rapper, many assume he is a faker or trying to act like someone he is not. Our society is used to the norm and change is very scary. It’s hard enough for someone to do a simple thing like change their major, but to change whole perceptions of people? It seems like a nearly impossible feat. But who is to say what is normal? Is there a clear definition for “normal?” In this class I would love to learn the answers to the questions about as well as learn more about ethnicity and race. Thu, 1 Sep 2011 04:29:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/08/26/what-do-you-want-to-know-before-its-all-over/#IDComment188607396