en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2392422 Comments by takiyahntanner http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/would-you-help-someone-illegal-immigrate-into-the-country-why-or-why-not-119-blog/#IDComment144662021 I would definitely not help anyone illegally immigrate into the United States of America for a substantial number of reasons. First and foremost, I will be pursuing a professional career as a criminal attorney which would completely defeat the entire purpose of my future career in I don’t know how many ways. Second of all, I would not actually be brave enough to risk my own life for someone else who can potentially apply for a visa to legally come into the United States despite the fact that there is a ridiculously long period of time to wait. I could be arrested and sent to prison for twenty-five years just for trying to be generous enough to help provide a better social and financial life for an immigrant. Lastly, I wouldn’t help anyone illegally immigrate because then my friends and family will probably dislike the idea that I just basically gave away a job to an immigrant that an American could have possibly had to take care of his or her family. I actually do agree with the fact that people should be allowed to immigrate to where ever they choose, but it really bothers me when I hear stories or read articles about the endangerment that is ultimately associated with trying to cross the border just for the opportunity to bear a better life. There are also other ways in which American people have helped immigrants come to America that doesn’t involve crossing the border illegally and sheltering them for the time being. My mom’s Russian friend married a Puerto-Rican man who she met on the internet just to be able to come to study and work in the United States. They got married, and she agreed to pay him a few thousands of dollars that she had been saving up in exchange for a chance to come to the United States. They remained married for the required time, had absolutely no sexual encounters with one another, and divorced right after the time was up. Now, she has graduated from college as the Magna Cum Laude, and is now engaged to a Russian-American man who she met while working at my mom’s law firm in New York. In fact, many foreign attorneys and legal personnel at my mother’s firm in New York have admitted to doing the same thing just to come here to study and work for money to send back to their native countries. Personally, I would not be willing to offer my hand in marriage to an immigrant for money so that they can come here to obtain a better living. Honestly, many people now-a-days are getting caught because this act has become extremely common among Americans and foreigners. I would suggest going about it the old fashioned way, waiting the necessary years to acquire a green card to ensure that everything is legit. Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:18:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/would-you-help-someone-illegal-immigrate-into-the-country-why-or-why-not-119-blog/#IDComment144662021 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/do-you-agree-with-foreign-aids-use-of-pictures-of-children-119-blog/#IDComment142116402 The exploitation of photographs that show impoverished children from under-developed nations and poor countries isn’t entirely disrespectful, but it isn’t the best way to portray a country’s people in need for help. Most television programs ask for Americans to donate money to families in desperate need for food, water, and clothing, but it is sort of done in a degrading manner toward the respective country. For example, Feed the Children is an organization based in sub-Saharan Africa that specifically caters to needy children and families with diseases and stability issues. This organization strives off of our donations and perhaps sponsors from the designated fields to help these Africans. On the television program that publicly represents this organization, the viewers see children with barely any clothing on, walking with huge stomachs as if they had a tumor or other disease or physical illness, in villages where families live in huts with a million or so insects flying around biting the children. Also, viewers listen to children talk about their lives and current conditions with no food, no living parents, and no educational opportunities available. Every time one hears of Sub-Saharan Africa, a negative stereotype comes to mind. Some of these stereotypes include, but are not limited to: poverty, HIV/AIDS, sickly children, huts, corrupt government systems, women with babies on their backs carrying water on their heads, and unsightly living conditions for all. Although a variety of these stereotypes listed above may characterize some places in Africa, the whole continent should not be subject to such harsh criticisms that the media enforces. Hence, photos of impoverished children and sickly people. A picture clearly tells 1,000 words as we all say, but taking pictures like this send the wrong message to Americans, and even residents of other nations around the world, that this continent is unstable and essentially deprived and pitiable. Therefore, I feel that organizations or even just regular people who travel to other underprivileged nations to study or help, should in fact take pictures to exhibit the current conditions that exists within that particular country, but alluring and desirable pictures should also be taken so that all aspects of these nations or continents are acknowledged, seen, and accounted for. Even though the photos that portray poor children and adverse environments tend to force us to want to donate more, it isn’t fair to the other country because in a sense the photos of their people represent their nation, and if we represent only the negative aspects of their nations, we are essentially denigrating them as a whole. Also, the way we utilize these photos within the media, play a significant role in how viewers see them. Pictures or videos of needy people that are shown with sad music in the background isn’t the best way to address this issue. The sad music isn’t necessary, and that is honestly disrespectful. This is definitely an issue that should be addressed soon enough to protect the reputations and dignities of both respective countries. Tue, 12 Apr 2011 06:29:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/do-you-agree-with-foreign-aids-use-of-pictures-of-children-119-blog/#IDComment142116402 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/has-the-class-on-the-needy-penis-made-you-uncomfortable-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment140639207 This specific lecture did not make me feel uncomfortable at all simply because I am more than content to discuss sex and human anatomy with anyone, anywhere. At this age, I feel that most people should be comfortable speaking about sexuality and intercourse because it is definitely something that we all will experience some time or another. Not to say that everyone should or has to be completely open about their own sex life, but I feel that college students should feel comfortable discussing what they learn or know to assist other people who have questions and such. With that being said, I felt that the lecture was extremely open and put people at ease. Sam is incredibly approachable and his lectures make us question everything possible. With this lecture in particular, he notified all of the students to inform us of the topic and purpose of the lecture before hand, which gave us time to gain confidence to sit through it, and more importantly time to consider whether we would be comfortable or not to comprehend the information provided. Had Sam Richards not informed us of this lecture, more people would have been less comfortable since it would have occurred out of nowhere as a surprise. Honestly, the lecture wasn’t what I expected in terms of its content, but it was better than most lectures that we are obligated to sit through, which is something that I am definitely sure most of us will agree with. I expected this lecture to be more informal, and essentially packed with more information that would actually entertain us. The statistics presented were appalling, but the actual content of the lecture wasn’t as captivating and useful as I thought it would be. I was expecting more humor, more interesting information, informal talk about sex and the human body, and advice and suggestions for us all. Although I felt comfortable listening to the information provided, the lecture began to get incredibly boring and I tended to dwell off. I guess he hyped the whole lecture up to something that it really wasn’t and as a result, I expected more than I actually got. I spoke to a few people who were extremely comfortable also, who overly enjoyed the lecture because no other professor would take the time out to openly discuss sex and the human anatomy in a class that isn’t biology or sexually related. I guess I am a bit use to hearing about this stuff from friends and fellow school mates to the point where all of this information is just repetitive. Despite my dislike toward the lecture on the needy penis, I do respect Sam Richards for presenting this information to us when certainly he was not obligated to. Thu, 7 Apr 2011 03:57:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/has-the-class-on-the-needy-penis-made-you-uncomfortable-and-why-119-blog/#IDComment140639207 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment139005103 Quite frankly, interracial dating is by far the greatest! Of course everything in life has its advantages and its disadvantages, however pursuing a relationship with someone who is of a different ethnic background or nationality is as much as a learning experience as it is a different type of relationship, which I consider beneficial and fulfilling in every of way. Generally speaking, the products of that particular relationship or marriage, children of course, are usually stunningly beautiful, possess distinctive features, and are extremely clever, which are awesome qualities for an individual to attain. Certainly there is always that cultural/religious aspect of it all that unluckily clashes, causing our families to completely forbid the relationship or companionship, resulting in this being the only disadvantage, I will admit, of pursuing a relationship with someone outside of your race or cultural background. Other than that, dating someone from an entirely different ethnicity can be the most fulfilling decision for one to make in life. It seems as though I am completely for interracial dating/relationships because…… I am the product of one, fortunately! My mother is of Puerto-Rican and Irish descent, and my father is of African-American and Native American descent. As a beautiful result of this relationship, I would have to kindly admit that I love every moment of my life, and I believe that my distinct racial background and trivial features play a pivotal role in my feelings of contentment. When I visit family members, I eat all different types of delicious dishes from all over the world, dance to literally every type of music, and speak with different accents and sometimes languages! Not to say that people who don’t enjoy this privilege aren’t blessed like multi-racial or bi-racial people are, however us mixed individuals were born with extra opportunities to explore multiple worlds in one household at the same time, and indeed this is essentially the beauty of it all! The only complicated factor that plagued me as a child was religion. My dad is Muslim and my mom is Christian. As a young child I was ludicrously confused, which I’m sure anyone would agree isn’t the greatest feeling considering how important religion is. To make a long story short, as a child I didn’t attend church services on a regular basis, instead I attended Christian church on special occasions with my grandparents. On the other hand, I had a childhood that anyone would die for, especially since I had the world’s greatest experience of living the best of both worlds at the same time, or should I say the best of four worlds? Anyhow, I am totally for interracial relationships even though they can potentially cause religious/cultural problems for a strict family. Happy dating everyone, and don’t be afraid to try something new! Fri, 1 Apr 2011 03:34:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment139005103 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment136291990 The messages that indicate that lighter skin is good and darker skin is bad or not as equally good come straight from the media which directly affect our society and the clear-cut ideological standards of beauty and acceptance. Whatever types of material or appearances that we see on television and in magazines are what we deem to be more beautiful and essentially better than the rest. This is simply the truth for the fact that we idolized what is on television because the world around us tells us all that if we don’t look a certain way or act a certain way, the way we should as females or males, and as members of the modern society, then we aren’t accepted into society and cannot be considered attractive or alluring. People represented in the media are portrayed as gorgeous and better and consumers and regular people of modern society try their best to resemble or favor these people represented in the media to feel that they can too be accepted into society. More importantly, the ludicrous issue of skin color and virtue has a significant impact on the way we view the individuals of our own society which is completely distressing. Courtesy of the media, most people favor white or lighter skin, blonde hair, and European-like features because the media enforces these qualities and features in actors, singers, performers, and dancers and these features are highly-favored. The reason behind it all is superiority. Since white people are supposed to be, and basically considered to be superior or more powerful financially and socially, whiteness and anything associated with it is already assumed to be better and good as the younger generation would call it. Blackness however, is commonly associated with inferiority and badness. Unfortunately, this stereotype and negative association of blackness and black individuals is reflected in the mentalities of consumers and victims of the media and persuades them to think negatively about the inferior race. Hence, whiteness and lighter skin is preferred and exemplified as beautiful because most people assume that white is better. Therefore, young children are enforced to believe that everything white is beautiful due to the current societal beliefs regarding beauty and goodness while they are in fact forced to put down their own race or ethnic background. Society favors whiteness and European features as we can see from the media. Although these favoritisms and preferences make people feel less of themselves, these stereotypes are already fostered into society and influence people’s mentalities to believe in the majority, therefore it is difficult to alter these opinions to suit everyone so that’s exactly why they still exist today and will most likely exist for a substantial amount of time. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the media enforces certain favoritisms and means of acceptances which influences us all to believe that certain races are good and perhaps better, or bad and inherently inferior in all aspects. Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:19:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment136291990 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment135183513 My beliefs regarding the less fortunate white society is the same for the poorer people of any given society; not everyone is meant to be equally successful or wealthy, and some people undergo challenges in life that prevent them from financially and socially advancing. There are people from every race that regret decisions they have made that resulted in them being poor or financially disadvantaged and there are people who lost everything that they did have for a substantial number of reasons. There are even people who didn’t try to succeed or didn’t decide to pursue an exceptional education to guarantee success or ensure financial stability. Personally, speaking of white people in particular, I believe that if I encountered a person who is white, poor, and in need of money or help, I would help them without a doubt. Not to say that people aren’t entitled to their opinions because they are, but I feel that race shouldn’t be a determining factor in deciding whether to help someone or not. People should help others out of the kindness of their hearts without considering the person in need’s ethnicity or racial background. As mentioned, I would indeed help a white person out even though I am not personally white because I tend to be very generous and amicable to most people in need, regardless of racial distinctions and places of origins. Honestly, I think I will be more inclined to help people from a different race simply due to my past experiences helping people of my own race. I’ve encountered many situations that involved drunk people asking me for money to use to supposedly buy food or clothing for their children with a liquor bottle or cigarettes in their back pockets. Some people of my own race even cursed at me on numerous occasions when I decided not to provide them with any of my money or food. The reasons why I decided not to help these particular people were because their negative intentions were apparent. If they really acted as though they needed it for appropriate uses then I would have provided them with something they could potentially use. Furthermore, my argument clearly demonstrates the idea that I personally would be interested in helping or providing assistance to any one of which ever racial group if they need it, including less-fortunate whites. Although I would prefer to help people that don’t share the same ethnicity or origins with me due to adverse past experiences, that doesn’t mean that I necessarily won’t help my own race. I would be more than willing to help anyone of any color succeed and possibly advance in this world if they make me feel like they really need it and that it will be put to appropriate uses. Usually, I try to help as much as possible! Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:43:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment135183513 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/is-it-selfish-for-people-in-poverty-to-have-more-kids-because-of-their-lower-income-119-blog/#IDComment131762415 Indeed, it is incredibly selfish for people in poverty to have a great number of children knowing that they possess a relatively low income. Of course, everyone has the same equivalent opportunities to bare a countless number of children as desired, however doing so and acknowledging the fact that you might not necessarily be able to financially and socially provide for the children you bring into this world is simply negligent and narcissistic. Most people decide to conceive more children for financial advantages and opportunities that are provided by the government. Certainly, it is likely for these children to grow up in poverty with little or no educational or occupational opportunities just because their parents decided to use their “existence” to their advantage. It is safe to say that these individuals who abuse the system are lazy, irresponsible, and oblivious. I once knew of a Dominican immigrant woman who lived in New York City who had about eight or nine children, back to back. I loved her apartment and she seemed unbelievably amicable and easy-going. I also knew that this woman had no “stable” husband nor did she even possess a steady income, in fact she never worked. As a child, seeing this woman living in this situation caused me to question society and equality. I finally asked an elder about the situation simply because everyone who knew of her was well aware of her financial situation and background. Finally, I was told that the reason she decided to have that many children back to back was because it positively affected the amount of funds and aid that the government provided to her and her family. The more mouths she had to feed meant that she was entitled to more food funds to maintain her family, and more cash to support them all. After hearing about her financial dependencies on the government for survival, I quickly questioned our government system for the simple fact that there are people working ludicrously hard every day to earn money to survive, but our hard earned tax dollars are going to welfare recipients who have the right to sit on their asses everyday waiting for the government to directly deposit funds into their accounts so that they can make it through. That’s beside the point, but it is a shame that so many people in America live in poverty just like this. Having as many children as they want can positively affect their governmental funds and this is why most people in poverty tend to have more children. More importantly, these recipients should utilize contraceptives so that they can prevent unwanted pregnancies so that they can focus on providing a better life for themselves, and later on maybe a family. There are no substantial excuses as to why a person who lives in poverty has ten children and no reliable income to completely support them. Why would a person bring a child into this world knowing that they don’t have the means to support that child, increasing the likeliness of that child’s future to be headed for a sudden downfall? This behavior is selfish and careless. Wed, 2 Mar 2011 04:18:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/is-it-selfish-for-people-in-poverty-to-have-more-kids-because-of-their-lower-income-119-blog/#IDComment131762415 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment129514953 The typical American way of life consists of having multiple family cars, multiple homes, attending the most prestigious institutions and universities, and eating good nutritious food more than three times a day. Many Americans do not see these consistencies to be luxurious, but we see them as normal daily necessities. Most of us spend thousands of dollars on entertainment systems for our homes, we vacation multiple times per year, and we spend extravagantly on expensive cars, fancy jewelry, and designer clothing. It is safe to state that Americans live too lavishly and do not consider the lives that 97% of the world lives. Personally as an American, I truly believe that a good number of us feel that we can live profligately since most of us have enough capital to do so. We expect to make the best of life in any way possible, even if it means that we must spend a relaxing vacation in Fiji for a week that might cost approximately $8-10,000, we do it because we can. Even the poor people of America live better than most people from under developed nations and this is something that we fail to acknowledge. Most people who reside in third-world countries are lucky to have two meals a day if that. Most likely, they will not have expensive opulent jewelry or multiple BMW’s to drive each day of the week. Of course, most people would argue that it isn’t essentially our fault that our country possesses an abundance of wealth opposed to most third world nations. This is in fact true for the largest part. However, a countless number of people in America do not take into account that majority of the items that we have were produced by slaves who live in third-world countries who are usually paid little or nothing for their arduous labor. Not to say that we should refrain from purchasing the ornate materials and objects that we desire, but most importantly, we should donate money to these countries in need of assistance, and perhaps purchase free-trade goods so that we know we aren’t taking advantage of the slave system. The least we can do is show consideration for people who unfortunately don’t have the social and financial opportunities that we have as Americans. Furthermore, Americans are overly spoiled, and perhaps we as a people should value the luxurious lifestyles that we are able to sustain thanks to the successes of our nation as a whole. We shouldn’t necessarily individually reduce our expenditures because we are entitled to enjoy our money and success, but we should just learn to appreciate and acknowledge the lifestyles that we live and consider the fact that 97% of the world can’t afford to live life the way we can. Surely we can modify our current living standards, but I doubt if many people who have already gotten used to living high-class or elaborate lifestyles will simply change their lifestyles just because 97% of the world can’t do the same. The best solution to this issue is education. We must educate the elite to respect the less fortunate, and possibly help in any way possible. Mon, 21 Feb 2011 01:08:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment129514953 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/is-the-data-on-native-americans-socioeconomic-status-truthful-for-their-own-choices-119-blog/#IDComment127768301 Native Americans have endured horrendous hardships that have contributed to their overall economic, political, and social failures. Such complexities included: losing land, being deprived of natural rights, the extinction of indigenous tribes, racial denigration, and no political representation. The hardships mentioned above represent a direct impact of all of the staggering events that occurred in the Americas in the early years between the Native Americans and the Europeans who arrived later on. History still acts as a disadvantage for Native Americans, and this is exactly why they tend to live in poverty-ridden environments with no beneficial opportunities. Therefore, the current data that was presented about the socioeconomic status of Native Americans during class is not truthful due to their own choices, it is in fact truthful because Native Americans do not have the same advantageous opportunities that most Americans have due to their history. When people think of Native Americans, they often think of poor and uneducated people who live on reservations filled with poverty. Some people know them for owning some of the world’s most famous casinos in Las Vegas or Arizona, but even so, these generalizations don’t explain why Native American’s socioeconomic status is at such a low level compared to other races. Everyone has the opportunity to better their lives by pursuing any career they choose or deciding to go to school to receive an exceptional education but some people have advantages over others. In the case with Native Americans, the general stereotypes that are automatically imposed on them make it extremely difficult for them to obtain the same jobs as other Americans. This is also truthful because long ago, their land was taken from them and they were thrown on reservations by the government who barely provided them with funds, rights, and opportunities. Therefore, after they were forced off of their land onto reservations, poverty started to arise within the Native American reservation communities. It is safe to state that they started off at these reservations at a disadvantage because now they became the minority. They had little money, horrible schools, and no opportunities to further advance themselves. What type of future would one expect from a group who was and continues to be denigrated, who started off with little or no money, and basically had little or no rights? We must understand that life on the reservation isn’t as sweet as it should be. The government doesn’t provide enough resources and cremations to well accommodate the lives of most Native Americans. Personally, I feel that many Native Americans have some sort of resentment toward the rest of the world, whites in particular, so they decide to live amongst each other and do what they want in their communities. Of course, some Native’s have decided to go above and beyond but most of them either don’t have the funds to do so, or don’t have the opportunities or resources to do the same because of their harsh history and modern assumptions that put them at a disadvantage. They don’t choose to be poor, their conditions don’t allow for them to advance further. Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:21:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/is-the-data-on-native-americans-socioeconomic-status-truthful-for-their-own-choices-119-blog/#IDComment127768301 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/is-the-data-on-native-americans-socioeconomic-status-truthful-for-their-own-choices-119-blog/#IDComment127768143 Native Americans have endured horrendous hardships that have contributed to their overall economic, political, and social failures. Such complexities included: losing land, being deprived of natural rights, the extinction of indigenous tribes, racial denigration, and no political representation. The hardships mentioned above represent a direct impact of all of the staggering events that occurred in the Americas in the early years between the Native Americans and the Europeans who arrived later on. History still acts as a disadvantage for Native Americans, and this is exactly why they tend to live in poverty-ridden environments with no beneficial opportunities. Therefore, the current data that was presented about the socioeconomic status of Native Americans during class is not truthful due to their own choices, it is in fact truthful because Native Americans do not have the same advantageous opportunities that most Americans have due to their history. When people think of Native Americans, they often think of poor and uneducated people who live on reservations filled with poverty. Some people know them for owning some of the world’s most famous casinos in Las Vegas or Arizona, but even so, these generalizations don’t explain why Native American’s socioeconomic status is at such a low level compared to other races. Everyone has the opportunity to better their lives by pursuing any career they choose or deciding to go to school to receive an exceptional education but some people have advantages over others. In the case with Native Americans, the general stereotypes that are automatically imposed on them make it extremely difficult for them to obtain the same jobs as other Americans. This is also truthful because long ago, their land was taken from them and they were thrown on reservations by the government who barely provided them with funds, rights, and opportunities. Therefore, after they were forced off of their land onto reservations, poverty started to arise within the Native American reservation communities. It is safe to state that they started off at these reservations at a disadvantage because now they became the minority. They had little money, horrible schools, and no opportunities to further advance themselves. What type of future would one expect from a group who was and continues to be denigrated, who started off with little or no money, and basically had little or no rights? We must understand that life on the reservation isn’t as sweet as it should be. The government doesn’t provide enough resources and cremations to well accommodate the lives of most Native Americans. Personally, I feel that many Native Americans have some sort of resentment toward the rest of the world, whites in particular, so they decide to live amongst each other and do what they want in their communities. Of course, some Native’s have decided to go above and beyond but most of them either don’t have the funds to do so, or don’t have the opportunities or resources to do the same because of their harsh history and modern assumptions that put them at a disadvantage. They don’t choose to be poor, their conditions don’t allow for them to advance further. Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:20:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/is-the-data-on-native-americans-socioeconomic-status-truthful-for-their-own-choices-119-blog/#IDComment127768143 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment126557376 It is in fact true that there is a significant difference between a minority or colored comedian and a white comedian. It also depends on who the target audience is during the time of the performance. Usually nowadays, the audience consists of individuals from a myriad of nationalities and ethnicities which makes the race of the comedian more of an issue. This might not be the most precise or truthful response, but I believe that it is safe to state that minority or colored comedians have automatic or assumed permission to address all races. Not that there is any valid reason for this, but all minority people feel that they can relate to each other in some way. Therefore, if there are minority people in the audience while a minority comedian is on stage, any and every joke or comment that is made, isn’t taken offensive by the people of the audience. Even if white people are in the audience, they usually don’t take it very much offensive. However, if a white comedian is performing at a comedy club, and there are minorities in the audience, it is safe to say that if the white comedian says anything provocative or slightly offensive, even if it is a joke, the minorities will become defensive and uneasy. Even the white members of the audience might act a little apprehensive because in actually they expect the minorities to feel a certain way, or they wonder what might happen as a result of that particular comment. Sometimes, white comedians find ways to relate to minorities to make the feel at ease, opposed to making jokes that might in any way deem as offensive. As a minority female, personally I prefer minority comedians just because I think they can relate to me more than a white comedian. This is not to say that I don’t enjoy white comedians because some of my favorite comedians are white, however, the jokes that minority comedians make seem funnier and more relatable to me because most times I actually understand the background and context of that particular joke which makes the joke or comment more allied and connected with my own personal life. History has a profound impact on the fact that a lot of minority people take offense to the jokes and statements of white comedians. Because of what most minority people went through in the past, most think that the white people are trying to offend or ridicule again them once again. Comedy is comedy, and the sole purpose of this type of entertainment is to make people laugh all together in a comfortable environment without anything purposely offending anyone. Of course, certain people may happen to feel offended by a particular comment or joke, but when a person enters a comedy club, their defenses should go down with the acknowledgement that anything that can possibly be said will not be said with the intention to offender or disrespect. Mon, 7 Feb 2011 22:22:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment126557376 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124481526 It is prevalent for individuals of one race to associate with others of the same race for a myriad of reasons. Clearly, these people most likely speak the same language, eat the same or similar types of foods, and share customs or traditions. People choosing to associate themselves with those who are most similar to themselves is not necessarily insensitive or selfish. The choice to unite and socialize with those people who you can personally relate to lies in the hands of the individual. Furthermore, we usually prefer to be involved with people of the same race and ethnicity due to the simple fact that we feel that we fit in, and it is easier to converse and interconnect because we have pre-assumptions that these people will know what we know, perhaps think what we think, and have some type of cultural and moral parallels. It is currently customary for people that practice strict religious to socialize with the people that also practice that same religion since they all have the same common ground, it is the same way with race. If you look around any university for Indian students, most likely they are surrounded by lots of other Indian students because their parents usually enforce the importance of associating with students of the same race. It is also truthful with students of other races and ethnicities, however, I have noticed that this is more common with Indian and Asian students. More often then we think, our families play an imperative role in the people we choose to socialize with. For example, my brother’s Egyptian friend’s parents told him that it was best for him to socialize with other Muslim’s preferably Egyptian Muslim’s because they uphold stronger and more ethical morals and customs than any other group of people. Because of his upbringing, he isolated himself from other groups of people, and only associated himself with Egyptian Muslim’s because he was taught that that was the right way to be. He also had a lot in common with all of these people so he felt accepted and normal. Based on the information provided above, it is safe to conclude that we prefer to acquaint ourselves with those who are the same race and/or ethnicity as us for convenience, tradition, moral ethics, and feelings of acceptance. As a multi-racial young lady, I prefer to socialize with people who are also multi-racial because then we are similar in some sort of way. Even though the choice to hang out with those who are similar to you is a personal choice, I personally feel that people should step out of the norm sometimes to perhaps learn about other people’s culture and conventions. There are many other ways to feel accepted into a group without it having to do with race and ethnicity. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:25:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124481526 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/21/body-image-issues-119-blog/#IDComment123763770 Whether or not one’s body parts are hereditary doesn’t influence one’s self-esteem. I believe that the fact that our ancestors had these particular body parts and that these parts allowed them to survive is great to acknowledge, however, this doesn’t have anything to do with the way someone feels about how they look. Courtesy of our ancestors, we look the way we do and we must accept it but we have control over our weight and appearance to a certain extent. Furthermore, the idea that our body parts are hereditary do not change or influence the way we look at ourselves or how we feel about ourselves. Now that people know that certain aspects of their bodies are hereditary, the idea that that person doesn’t feel well about them self will not diminish just because they know this. Having hereditary features doesn’t always explicate and excuse why you can’t look better or why you don’t feel well about yourself. People will continue to view themselves the way others see them or the way they see themselves regardless of this ideology. The features that we possess and the aspects of our bodies that we have benefited our ancestors for many reasons, but what is it doing for us? We either like the features that we received or we dislike them because we feel that certain features or appearances are better than others. If society didn’t have such a profound Influence on how we see ourselves and how we view beauty, then maybe we would be more likely to have less body image issues by having the knowledge that we have about our heredity. For example, having thick, kinky, or what is commonly considered African-American hair, assisted our ancestors in keeping their brains cool but some African-American females and males that have this type of hair don’t like it and some do. However, for the ones that don’t like having this particular texture of hair probably feel the way they do due to society’s standards of beauty. When you look inside of magazines and on television at commercials, usually you see the European ideas of beauty being portrayed, teaching us the consumers that having straight, long, and blonde hair is beautiful and accepted in our society. So that female or male who has thick hair who doesn’t like it probably feels this way because of our current standards of beauty and sure would not even consider putting their self-esteem issues on the side just because their ancestors benefited from having this type of hair. It is the same with any other aspect of the body such as chinky eyes, long noses, and high cheek bones. Therefore, with that being said, it is safe to conclude that most people will still have the same amount of issues of self-esteem regarding certain aspects of their bodies and/or features with knowing that these attributes are hereditary. Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:09:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/21/body-image-issues-119-blog/#IDComment123763770 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216531 Part 5: Unfortunately, stereotypes cannot be completely erased from the mentalities of the individuals that live in our society for particular reasons, but we should all open our minds to learn and understand that even though most stereotypes have been proven wrong, people still have stubborn minds and believe what society tells them is true regardless of what reality is. Even the stereotypes that have been proven wrong still exist because people have decided to keep them in their minds or reflect on them when something happens or goes wrong to use as excuses. Stereotypes can be changed over time, but people will always believe what they want to believe based off of different perspectives, teachings, and experiences. To change stereotypes is to change the mentalities of everyone which isn’t something simple or straightforward. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:24:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216531 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216485 Part 4: Furthermore, it is difficult to change stereotypes when many different people have justifications or valid reasons for those specific generalizations and this is something we cannot change. However, it is unfair that a certain group or race has to cope with pessimistic indications when every person is different regardless of the associated stereotypes. On the other hand, we as a people can become educated and wise enough to understand stereotypes and come to our senses to realize that we shouldn’t judge people, religions, etc. based on what society considers them as. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:24:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216485 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216347 Part 3: For example, I have a Muslim friend who tries not to associate herself with African-American or Hispanic people because she was taught that they are ghetto, disrespectful, and not do not uphold strong religious values. In addition, some people have gotten robbed or mistreated by a person of a particular race which leads to one specific negative ideology and stereotype regarding that particular race, directly representing the entire group of people. Such negative stereotypes that exist in our society usually only represent the minority, consequently resulting in false statements that characterize the majority. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:23:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216347 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216286 Part 2: People have the mentalities that they have based on experiences and teachings that have influenced their opinions and prejudices toward certain religions or people. Also, socialization plays a major role in the way we as a people scrutinize and perceive others. For instance, if your parents inculcate the significance of socializing and associating with those of the same culture and/or place of origin, your parents would explicate to you exactly why other groups are not the same for whatever reason, hence, denigrating them for a particular reason; you might feel that it would be immoral and even unethical to engage in certain activities with people that aren’t like you which is a degree of racism and often leads to stereotypes. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:22:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216286 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216170 Part 1: The stereotypes that exist today have been and always will exist within our society in some way or another either directly or indirectly. Although most of these stereotypes have been untrue in most cases, our society will continue to have some sort of idea regarding whatever that particular stereotype says even though that particular person or concept may not portray any aspect of that stereotype. Even so, stereotypes and prejudices will not simply vanish over night. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:21:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122216170 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120822202 SOC 119 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:10:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment120822202