gdp's Comments

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 21:21:50 +0000

Tax payer dollars should not be channeled into a program such as this which forces the hand of the free market and perspective employers. Such practices often discourage employers from creating new positions in the first place, hindering economic growth and unemployment reductions. On the other hand, it is very hard to argue that racism is something that the free market can regulate on its own; perhaps the answer should instead be a private media institution or an entire industry that brings to light instances of racial discrimination in hiring practices, allowing employers to pay a nominal fee to have their hiring practices and workplace diversity screened in order to attain a "seal of approval". Rather than being sanctioned by law for what should be free choices, discriminatory hiring practices would carry a social stigma that might have heavy financial impacts.

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 21:21:35 +0000

While in the previous paragraph I have tried to express my perceived feelings of the more common opposition to affirmative action, I would like to briefly state my own objections as a libertarian. Affirmative action is a federal government mandate imposed by the United States Department of Labor. While I agree that there are still very far-reaching issues of racial socioeconomic inequality, I do not believe that the appropriate means for correcting those problems are through a government mandate.

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 21:21:25 +0000

When discussing affirmative action, the problem is further aggravated by the still strong latent racism that exists among many white americans. Pollutive thoughts such as the notion that blacks and minorities are "lazy" were promulgated well before affirmative action was brought into play. Therefore, when opposing whites see this system that seems to "forcibly" create diversity in the workplace, tying the hands of employers and other competitive applicants, they become irate because of some of their general assumptions about ethnic groups other than their own. Like many issues in contemporary politics, people are socialized by their parents, their faith (or lack thereof), their political party, and other such institutions. They know that as a Republican, they are simply not "allowed" to like affirmative action and that the buck stops there. In most cases no critical thinking goes into the reasons that they oppose the program.

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 21:21:16 +0000

While I am opposed to affirmative action for much different reasons as a libertarian, I have a very hard time seeing eye to eye with many of its other detractors. I believe that the disconnect lies in a deep seeded ignorance to some of the true statistics that surround the affirmative action system, many of which were brought to light by Sam's lecture. I believe what the gentleman who posed this question is failing to see is that very few americans have actually had the opportunity to sit in a classroom space such as SOC119 with an instructor as well versed as Sam Richards to bring these issues out onto the table. Sadly, this seems to be the issue with many of the social problems that we are facing today; a lack of conversation and a sometimes extreme, almost willful ignorance and apathy.

World In Conversation : This Week @ WinC

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:00:10 +0000

When we approached this very topic in my "More Than Words" discussion group, we came to the exact same conclusion. It rang true even more when Laurie elaborated on it in class. There are certainly many parallels that can be drawn between our situation here at Penn State and the situation of Arab Muslims. While, clearly, the situation in the Middle East and the stigma often applied to Muslims are much more severe, there are still many ways in which we can use this incident as a useful exercise in empathy. Because of the actions of a small group of people (primary: Jerry Sandusky, secondary: Shultz, Curley, Paterno, and tertiary: students who participated in the "riot") all of those associated with the Penn State University have been slapped with a big ugly courtesy stigma because of our "tribal affiliation" (to use a few of Eric Silver's SOC 406 terms). Almost all of us who are aware of the events are feeling connected to the horrendous actions of Sandusky, whether it is because of strong ties with the football program and Joe Paterno, or whether it is because of the mass media attention and endless questions from our friends. Over Thanksgiving break, I must admit, I have been very hesitant to sport any of my vast array of Penn State memorabilia, covering my stigmatic tribal affiliation. When mulling over this topic in my head, I recalled a reading from the course textbook, "Shadow Boxing with Race." The exact title of the article that came to mind is not memorable to me, but I remember the subject matter vividly. It presented us with the stories of several arab americans and their experiences with stigma, particularly when traveling by airplane. Some of them even practiced covering, similar to my tactic of not wearing any Penn State clothing, by modifying their outward appearance (haircut, clothing, etc.) so that they looked Italian or any other race than Arabic simply to avoid sideways glances, suspicion, and making others uncomfortable. Muslims in the Middle East deal with this awful stigma and media portrayal every day. The actions of a few have managed to largely define a broad encompassing stereotype about the entire group. If there is any real positive to come out of this, I would hope that it would be for each and every one of us who have never truly experienced any kind of stigma because of our tribal affiliation.

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:24:55 +0000

my face looks mad legit on the video link... hahahah fml

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:17:22 +0000

I share Sam's concern about our countries "f*cked-ness." I would agree with many of his reasons, but I would honestly put the biggest emphasis on apathy. The MAJORITY of my classmates did not know what the Occupy Wall Street movement stood for, which overall, is not a very complex topic to understand. This worries me even further because I believe that a race relations class such as SOC119 would have a higher concentration of current events-minded individuals than in the general population. While I would never tell anyone that they are at fault for disagreeing with the OWS movement, as I do not, the problem is those who have not even taken five minutes to formulate their own opinion. A huge portion of our generation has no idea about any of the significant events happening in the world around us. They do not understand the scope of our military's involvement in the various conflicts in the Middle East.... no idea where or what the Gaza strip is.... no knowledge of our out of control national debt or the secretive centralized banks that artificially control our economy. In a recent poll by the Pew Research center, fifty-three percent of americans could not name ONE single candidate that is currently seeking the GOP nomination, in what is the prelude of what may prove to be the most important presidential election of our time. Another twenty-six percent said that the candidate they'd heard the most about lately was Donald Trump (who opted out of running for the presidency months ago). We are largely a generation who does not read newspapers or books, let alone consume the mass media that can be readily spoon-fed to us through 24-hour television and internet news sources. Our knowledge of world geography is just as dismal as our understanding of its many rich and vibrant cultures. It is easy to sit here and list off item after item that the population of America, particularly it's future, the youth, know next to nothing about. The difficult part is to determine how these things can be changed. There is no quick band-aid fix for apathy and ignorance... there are bottup-up and top-down changes that need to be made in the way that we approach government, education, and parenting. There are grassroots movements, still in their infancy, that might eventually bring about the change in awareness that we need. While they vary greatly in their fundamental views, their overall functions are the same- to educate america, particularly young america, about the challenges that have been looming on the horizon for years. While I can pick out countless differences between the Occupy Wall Street, Tea Party, and Libertarian movements, I can also see that they are filled with passionate individuals who actually aren't afraid to educate themselves and hold themselves accountable for our nation's future.

World In Conversation : Occupy Cairo and Oakland -- the world comes full circle

Wed, 2 Nov 2011 01:54:31 +0000

What happened to Scott Olsen in Oakland, while in the grand scheme of things very small, was terrible and unjust. Never should a police officer strike a stationary, nonviolent protester... let alone follow up by intentionally targeting a group of others who gather round to help that person after the fact. While tear gas was designed as a non-lethal means of dispersing crowds (generally in the case of riots, not peaceful protests), it can still be extremely dangerous if misused in a fashion such as this. While this was probably the most dramatic example of police brutality in Oakland, we cannot allow it to go unnoticed. On the contrary, what happened to Scott Olsen was only a small fraction of the police brutality and government oppression that occurs in Egypt each and every day. The simple notion that these protesters in Egypt who heard Scott's story would be willing to stand in protest in front of the US Embassy is a shining example of how people from completely different cultures should be able to empathize for each other. Income inequality is certainly not solely an American problem- it occurs all around the world. This is evidenced by the growing "occupy" movements worldwide. While the protesters involved may not always conduct themselves in a manner that promotes the greater good, and while I may not share some of their opinions on how to resolve the plight of the "99 percent," the movement is gaining momentum worldwide. The people of the United States and of countries across the globe are growing more and more irate. There is no magic fix for this problem, but the fact that the politicians and the elite are simply ignoring the Occupy Wall Street movement as if it was yesterday's news today is very disconcerting. All of that being said, these protesters must understand that they need to conduct themselves responsibly. Any credibility that the movement holds can be quickly lost because of their actions. Peaceful protesting is an amazing right that we have under our constitution, but when we begin to seriously infringe on the rights of others then we are overstepping our bounds. It can be very difficult for us to step into the shoes of the police officers who are tasked with managing these angry mobs, but we should at least try. There are undoubtedly times when these officers feel threatened by protesters. Do not confuse me in equating that to the actions of a select few officers in Oakland who threw those tear gas grenades, I just think it is very important to understand both perspectives particularly in less dramatic cases.

World In Conversation : What is Feminism?

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:09:14 +0000

The question of whether or not I am a “feminist” is not one that I have ever considered- I believe this is largely because of a widespread misinterpretation of the word. First and foremost, there seems to be an assumption that one must be a FEMALE to be a FEMINIST. This might be because of the similarity in the words, but I believe the primary reason is that historically, the majority of feminists were women. While they certainly had male counterparts, during the advent of the feminist movement, you wouldn’t have seen big crowds of men marching in the street pushing for the equal rights of women. Clearly, this is a misconception that I, along with many others, have had for a long time. But in recent times, at least in the societies in which I have lived, equal rights for women are not only the law, but are a social norm. I understand, however, that this is not true in many other cultures, even in some subcultures of my own. When watching the video, there was a distinct level of discomfort among many of the young men who were interviewed. The word “feminist” carries a strong negative connotation- but I have come to realize that this connotation is nothing more than an illusion produced by society. Students of our age simply weren’t alive when the feminist movement was a prominent societal force. Most of us now come from homes where both parents work and earn fair wages. Many of us have strong maternal figures who have inspired us and guided us to where we are today- perhaps they are the ones who, after being alive and maybe even active during the feminist movement, have socialized us to be feminists as well. After watching this video and looking up dictionary definitions of the terms “feminist” and “feminism,” I came to the realization that I am, indeed, a feminist. In a broader sense, I am an advocate for human rights, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, political affiliation, nationality, or religious beliefs. Thinking about feminism has led me to consider other cultures in my analysis, namely the conservative Arabic cultures in which it is the norm for women to wear the hijab. When looking through a western lens of society, it is easy to condemn the hijab, saying that it is a degrading sign of a male-dominant culture. However, in my experiences and conversations with residents of the Gaza Strip where this is the norm, this is not the perception. Many of these women who are in school studying to become physicians, lawyers, teachers, and journalists do not see their traditional coverings as an oppressive measure. Rather, they see it as a necessary facet of their rich culture which provides them with respect, dignity, and security. They elect to wear the hijab despite the fact that there are no laws or serious stigmas attached to not wearing it. This poses an interesting question- who are the feminists in cultures such as these?

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:09:24 +0000

Not my weekly blog post, but this is a great Lupe Fiasco song that looks into this very issue! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDPKL9AUXqY&fe...

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:44:42 +0000

Open your fucking eyes bro. Our government doesn't care about it's people. Think about the huuuge defense contracts that were awarded to Haliburton, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin after 9/11... we are talking billions of dollars here. Now consider that in the 2004 election, the Bush campaign received twice as much financial support from defense contractors for his campaign than Kerry did ($766k to Kerry's $399k). The people with the deep pockets are the same people that are profiting from these unending wars, and they are also the same people who are funding a considerable chunk of these war mongering presidents' campaigns! Now either take a couple history courses to learn about the manner of the United States' entry into World War II and Vietnam. We did everything imaginable to aggravate the Japanese to bomb Pearl Harbor- we cut off their oil supply lines, dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign aid into their rival neighbors pockets, and parked the bulk of our Pacific Navy and fuel supplies in a place that was well within their striking distance. Check out the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the subsequent Tonkin Gulf Resolution that led us into the vietnam "war" (in parenthesis because, like our wars today, they are not legally declared with respects to the Constitution). We put non-uniformed special forces and plenty of guns and money on the ground in South Vietnam to carry out black ops missions into North Vietnam, and when one of the DESOTO patrols that was collecting electronic surveillance on the NVA went too far into North Vietnamese waters, a couple torpedos were fired at American ships. Shortly thereafter, once the Maddox had returned to international waters, they claimed another attack and fired into the darkness for hours on end, springboarding the US into an extended conflict in Vietnam. Again, the lucrative defense contracts abounded. Now let's look at the Cold War, particularly our standoff with Cuba. I don't even really need to say much, just point you to the Wikipedia article for Operation Northwoods: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods Eerily similar to the events on 9/11. I'm not going to come out and say that I believe that the United States government staged the attacks on 9/11 "for oil," and I don't think many rationally minded people in this country WOULD say that. I WILL say, however, that throughout our history, we have repeatedly turned a blind eye to or exaggerated the severity of attacks on us that were simply blowback from our coup-starting, regime-backing, nation-building, interventionist foreign policy. Oh, and why, ten years later, does our government repeatedly refuse to release any footage of the "plane" crashing into the Pentagon, other than the three-frame low-resolution traffic camera snapshots from a camera that was, conveniently enough, owned by the state? Again, I say, OPEN YOUR EYES. The fact is, you seem to be completely ignorant to our history of unjustified involvements in other nations' affairs. So before you go claming that people like me are "retarded," I would ask you to follow the advice of the good Mr. Eric Clapton: "before you accuse me, take a look at yourself." PS- feel free to fact check any of that information, it's all readily available in textbooks and on the internet. although i'm sure you won't because you would rather just sit there, cross your arms, and shake your head like a small child.

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:52:04 +0000

During Sam’s lecture on the 6 stages of being white, I was trying very hard to place myself within one of the numbered values that he laid out. I was in stage one as a child and for my early adolescence- I would say up until when I reached 13 years old. I grew up in a primarily white school in the suburbs with little exposure to minorities or their cultures, and even when I did interact with those of another race, they had been so socialized by our community that I honestly didn’t even consider the difference. I was stuck in stage 2 for the longest of all stages. I would consider myself to have been in stage 2 all throughout high school and some of my freshman year of college. I played football and I interacted with the black kids on the team, but I was too afraid to ever mention ethnicity to them or any other minorities in my school, I didn’t talk about it because I wouldn’t know what to say, and any interactions that I did have were very jagged and uncomfortable in some senses. I transitioned into stage 3 during my freshman year of college as I began satisfying my voracious appetite for knowledge by consuming any kind of media I could concerning the struggles of African Americans and downtrodden people across the world. In this stage I gained the basis of knowledge that I would need to progress further into my understanding of race relations. I spent nearly the past two years of my life stuck somewhere between stages 3 and 4- I definitely experienced a lot of white guilt on one hand and on the other, resented members of the minorities that I felt were treating me as an outsider, as a member of a racist white society that didn’t care about their struggles. I had experiences with a few black friends who wouldn’t bring me around their other black friends, and even heard them refer to me on the phone as their “white boy Ryan.” While this was frustrating, I wanted to get to the bottom of it and move past all of the guilt and anger. I would say that I had not drifted into stage 5 until this past summer and even more so throughout the time spend in this SOC 119 course. As I have taken a step back from charged emotions regarding racial inequality, I have been able to see the larger sociological picture. I’ve gained a better comprehension of the invisible strings that guide our choices and I have begun to understand the outcry of our country’s struggling minorities without taking things personally. Someday, I strive to move beyond this into the final stage where I can look within for the questions and answers of racial inequality without always seeking the approval of others to gratify myself.

World In Conversation : Tax Dollars at War

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:57:21 +0000

3 trillion dollars is an astonishing figure for military spending- to break it down even further, I did a few simple calculations and have translated this into a more bite-size figure. Based on this data, the United States government spends over... $95,000 PER SECOND. The United States accounts for well over a third of the world's military spending and has bases in over two thirds of the worlds' countries. Looking at this from an international standpoint, the top 5 largest military spenders on our planet (USA, China, UK, France, Russia) are all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, an organization created to promote human rights, peace, and economic security throughout the "civilized" world. These figures are all astonishing and thought provoking. One must then turn to the wars that this exorbitant budget is supporting... only to find that the last constitutional declaration of war that our has made was at the onset of American involvement in World War II. The remainder of these military operations were initiated as "authorizations of force". Meanwhile in the Middle East... The United States has found a handful of other Gulf-of-Tonkin-esque justifications for costly military engagements- costly both in dollars and in human lives. Hundreds of thousands of lives, in fact- most of whom were civilians. In the mean time, at home, our borders are becoming increasingly insecure and violent, our teachers are being fired, our unemployment is in the double digits, and our tuition rates are skyrocketing.... the list goes on. This video strikes to the heart of this issue, listing off programs that are shamefully short of federal funding. It cannot be argued, sensibly anyways, that military spending can be eliminated altogether. In the eyes of many of our founding fathers, a strong national defense with a non-interventionist foreign policy was the cornerstone to a prosperous nation. We have drifted very far from these principles. In my opinion, we are actually significantly less secure as a nation because of our global occupation. The more bombs we drop, tanks we roll down streets, and automatic weapons we tote in the faces of the people of the Middle East, the more insurgents we breed. We have become victims of our own imperialism in almost every way- and radical changes need to be made so that history does not repeat itself. When analyzing the fall of almost every great civilization, imperialism can be found at the core of the collapse.

World In Conversation : Voices From The Classroom

Fri, 7 Oct 2011 03:18:14 +0000

This is a very powerful video for several different reasons. For the firs fifteen or so minutes of ABC’s experiment, nobody assisted the young man who was being bullied- over a hundred people probably passed by in that time frame. I believe that this reinforces some things that we should already know about our society. Drawing from some concepts from the sociology of deviance, I believe that one of the main reasons that nobody stopped to help the victim was that they were afraid of being subject to courtesy stigma. By associating with this homosexual teen (the deviant) they are afraid, often subconsciously, that they too will be receive the ill effects of the young man’s stigma. It also might be an illustration of the bystander effect- the thought that “somebody else will help, it’s none of my business” which often makes people leads towards inaction. Or maybe it’s just a sign that our society is really still very hateful towards gays and they actually thought what was going on was okay. The positive that can be drawn from this, however, was that there certainly were a few brave individuals and groups who actually ended up taking the time out of their day to defend the seemingly helpless victim. I found it especially interesting that the man who was a self-confessed former bully took arguably the most adamant stand against the bullies. While some society trends lead me to believe that younger Americans are more likely to be sympathetic towards gays, it is encouraging to see that a member of an older generation, even one that himself once harassed kids just like the victim, was willing to intervene. But one of the most hard-hitting parts of the video was when one of the black girls at the end who stood up for the victim mentioned that these types of actions could lead a teen to commit suicide- and the staggering statistic of gays being three times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers drove this home ever further. While our socialization is indeed very strong when it comes to deviance, I think it is extremely important that we work against these “invisible strings,” especially in cases like this. Many people don’t realize that the individuals that they cast aside as unworthy of their respect can often be very friendly, loyal, intelligent, and interesting people. I think it is pretty evident that intervening in a situation like this, even if it doesn’t initiate a long-term friendship, is crucial because it is hard for us to know from the outside where that person is in their life, what unseen factors and forces are acting upon them, and how much better it could make their day, week, or year. This was a great and inspiring video with a message that I will definitely take to heart.

World In Conversation : Voices From the Classroom

Fri, 9 Sep 2011 21:03:01 +0000

This is really an interesting question to me and one that I’m not sure I can definitively answer. As a white male, I have dated several white girls, one asian girl, and one Hispanic girl. So, using the easiest form of color-coding, I have dated two brown girls but no black girls. However, just because I haven’t dated any of them doesn’t mean that I never would. Someone’s background, particularly the home town they group up in most likely plays a big part in this. I am from the moderately-sized town of Hershey, which is mostly a white community. I would estimate that approximately 85% of my public school district that I attended my entire life was white, 10% asian, 10% black, and 5% other. This is strictly an estimation, but it’s definitely in the ballpark. In my high school, black kids hung out almost exclusively with other black kids, and the same went for white kids. White I had more black friends than most because I was on the football team, I hardly ever even spoke to any black females. My biggest issue with interracial dating, particularly black-white is that black girls have never even given me the time of day, neither in a friendly or romantic sense. While I am open to the idea, I have come to believe that black women simply aren’t attracted to white men, whereas many black men are attracted to white women. I find this to be a very interesting topic. My father is from the conservative small town of DuBois, which he says was nearly 100% white. While he was mostly racially tolerant, his parents were what I would define as racist, which may have been largely due to the time in which they grew up and lived. As a result, I’m not sure that my father would approve of me dating a black girl. On one hand, he definitely wouldn’t say anything to be about it because he knows how strong willed and verbal I am when I disagree with him on something. On the other hand, I don’t think he would be comfortable with it, at least until he has met her many times and has gotten to know her. The situation was similar with my Asian girlfriend- he didn’t seem entirely comfortable interacting with her or particularly enthusiastic about me dating her at all. I don’t think this was entirely because of her race but it was definitely a factor. My mother on the other hand is a teacher at an urban school that is mostly black, and I feel that she has always and always would approve of me dating anyone regardless of their race, as long as they had a good personality. To conclude this personal reflection in utmost honesty, I don’t think that I will ever end up dating a black girl simply because of factors outside of my control, even though I think that many black women that I see on campus, in my classes, and elsewhere are very attractive. I think that the sociological forces controlling interracial interactions in general make it MUCH easier for me to meet and date white girls. Not to generalize, but from my experience it seems like this would hold true in most cases when considering white male and black female relationships.

World In Conversation : What do you want to know before it's all over?

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:16:12 +0000

I know this is a political issue and one which you might be hesitant to discuss in class, but I think it's an important one nonetheless- affirmative action... is it helping or hurting african americans and the other ethnic groups that it effects? I can see both sides of the coin. On one end, I understand that not but 150 years ago blacks were still being held in slavery in some areas of the United States. Less than 60 years ago blacks and minorities were forced to use different restrooms and live in different areas. There is still definitely some lingering racism today, even among some employers. But have we come far enough to get rid of affirmative action, or at least restructure the system based on socioeconomic status rather than skin color? The libertarian in me says that these programs simply should have never existed, but then again, slavery shouldn't have either. I guess a more approachable method for discussing this would be exploring the biases that employers hold towards certain races... are they really less likely to hire a black or hispanic worker than an equally or lesser qualified white worker? I would also like to delve deeper into the racial achievement gap in schools, particularly in early schooling, as it seems to be the real root of all the aforementioned questions. Should it be attributed to economic status? What about the culture of young minorities, particularly in urban areas- how does that effect their likelihood to achieve in school? How does gender effect the statistics for this achievement gap? What can teachers and parents do to combat this discrepancy?