en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2404200 Comments by torianns http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment145228121 Also for legal immigrants, businesses only take people to America if they want them to work. I think this is a good thing because only people who will better our society are being let into the country which may motivate lazy Americans to step up their game to compete for jobs. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:11:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment145228121 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment145228063 I think that what they are doing for their family is courageous and I feel for them because I could never imagine being in a situation where I only got to see my family for a small portion of the year and waking up every day to do hard manual labor for little money. The thought to me blows my mind. Especially because every single person I had the honor of knowing always had a positive attitude because they only could think about their families. Personally I think that instead of criticizing illegal immigrants people need to see what they are doing and learn from them. I do not know how many fathers that I know in America who have the same dedication to their families, not saying that they are not close, but to have little to no communication with their families for such an extended period of time is so honorable. How do I feel about businesses controlling immigration policies? I think that it is unfair to immigrants that if businesses decide that they have too many people working for them or whatever situation it may be that they could send them back to their home country. On the other side I understand how businesses have the most pull on immigration because without business support, illegal immigrants would have nowhere to work. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:11:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment145228063 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment145227923 I was not surprised to find out that business controls immigration policies. I was born in raised in North Jersey and am very familiar with the business end of illegal immigration. In class when Sam showed us the case about the illegal immigrant who was attacked by the dog I was actually most shocked by the fact that my friend sitting next to me from Pennsylvania said “I didn’t know illegal immigrants really mowed lawns.” This was the biggest culture shock for me of the entire semester. I had never thought of the fact that illegal immigrants did not work for landscapers everywhere. I have grown up so accustomed to this that I thought of it as a universal norm. I was not shocked to find out that businesses control immigration policies because I see firsthand how illegal immigrants help businesses. Working alongside many men from Mexico at the restaurant or talking to many men who work for my uncle’s landscaping business it is so inspiring. I have never met so many determined, hardworking and dedicated people in my entire life. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:10:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/were-you-surprised-to-find-that-business-is-the-factor-that-shapes-immigration-policies-119-blog/#IDComment145227923 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143258323 If I was a better candidate then the person who got the internship based on connections I would be angry that I did not get that opportunity. In the future I want to say that I would not take advantage of nepotism and get jobs and internships based on my credentials because of the unfair lead these connections give me over those just as qualified or more qualified then myself. One of my best friends is an art major and is extremely talented. She applied for an internship program but was beaten out by a girl with hardly any talent (not just saying that because she is not my best friend). The girl who got the internship ended up getting fired because she was not able to keep up with the skill needed for the job while if my best friend had gotten the job she would have been more than qualified and excelled greatly. I feel badly for her and the company because she would have been such a positive asset to them and learned so much but she missed out on that opportunity because of nepotism to another person. This is why I actively would try to avoid using nepotism to my fair in the future. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:20:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143258323 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143258276 If the situation presented itself, I do not know how to answer if I would actively try to not benefit from nepotism. I want to say that I would not and only taking things I received strictly on merits but it is a hard to clear cut say I would not. There have been many times in my life when I have benefited from nepotism to gain work and internships. Last summer I interned at a law firm in the city and the only reason that they took me in as an intern is because they had done business with my dad for years. They would have never taken anyone in for an intern if it was not for him so they felt as if they owed him. Myself and my resumé benefited greatly from this experience and any job from now on that I get will benefit from that internship. The firm also pulled strings to get me another internship this summer that although I had to apply for it I still was given a good word and recommendation. At the same time, I took the place of someone else who may not have had the opportunities that I have had because they do not have the same connections. If I was them I would think this was unfair because I would want to have the same opportunity to get the internship and experience based on what I have to offer. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:20:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143258276 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment141103087 I never realized how bizarre that statement is when guys go out in jeans, shirts and jackets and girls are only wearing short dresses or skirts and a tiny top. The standards that societies live up to and follow are so strange and it makes no sense that no one has questioned these standards before. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 22:22:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment141103087 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment141103039 Then I thought back to the weekend before. We had a few guy friends over to our apartment to hang out and I wanted to stay in sweats but my roommates talked me out of it even though the boys who were coming over all showed up in Nike track pants and tshirts. I do not understand how our culture and many others came to the conclusion that dressing up meant wearing heels that you can barely walk in, outfits that barely cover anything, and freeze in negative degree weather just to go to a party. I am also baffled by the remarks that girls make when asked why we do this. I am guilty of this myself by simply saying heels make my legs look good. In most cases when girls start to drink they can barely walk in their heels anymore and not only look less attractive but no one even notices what their legs look like anymore because they look so ridiculous bending over trying to keep their balance. It is also strange to me to think that guys complain about going to parties when it is cold out. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 22:22:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment141103039 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment141102915 I had never put much thought into what I wore when I went to a party. Especially in high school I was always “that girl” who was rocking sweatpants and a sweatshirt. When I got to college I was roommates with a girl from high school and she picked out my outfit and heels before we went to a party every weekend. Just thinking that being an outsider was less accepted in college I did what I saw every other girl doing. As a sophomore there are so many nights when I want to wear the outfit I wore to class because it is comfortable and I don’t feel well or don’t want to change. My roommates always reply “That is not socially acceptable and we cannot be seen with you unless you change.” Until the last lecture I was never really bothered by the fact that they said this to me. Then last night when they made the same usual remark it dawned on me that our guy friends were dressed in more casual clothes than I was yet I was socially unacceptable. The guys standing in my living room “waiting for me to get ready to go out” were wearing jeans, a free t-shirt and sneakers. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 22:21:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/31/women-what-are-your-thoughts-on-dressing-up-while-men-dress-down-and-did-they-change-after-this-lecture-119-blog/#IDComment141102915 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137601647 I know that sounds very superficial but my reputation means the most to me over anything else and to have anything harm that would seriously upset me and I do not know if I could handle it. I also do not believe that my aunts and uncles would come to my wedding if I was marrying someone of a different race. They refused to go to my cousin’s wedding who was marrying a Jewish boy because he was not the same religion as us. I could only imagine what the uproar would be if someone married outside of our race. I would not be able to handle the fact that my closest relatives would be boycotting my marriage. I definitely would not be able to go through with it without their approval. Having a mixed race child would be difficult for me too. I do not know how I would feel if my child had dark skin because I would fear that he would not be accepted into my family. On top of that, I would like my child to have the same opportunities that I had in life and I would fear that his skin tone would hinder his opportunities. This is many of the reasons why I would not be able to date someone out of my race. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:27:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137601647 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137601603 There are many factors as to why it would be difficult to date outside of my own race. The cultural norms in my family are very important to me. Growing up I can remember every Christmas getting excited to visit my Italian cousins. On Christmas Eve we would get in a car and drive to my aunt’s house for a traditional Italian dinner of seven fish. I could not imagine being in a family that does not appreciate the Italian traditions. There are also many values that come with different ethnicities and races. In my family I would be looked down upon marrying someone out of my religion but especially someone out of my race. My grandparents would argue that there are different values in every stereotypical racial family and if our family values did not match up we would not have a successful marriage so why date someone if you could never marry them. If I had children with someone outside of my race it would be difficult for me to deal with that. In my town of predominately white people, everyone would talk about me and would judge. I do not know if I would be able to deal with people talking about me and hurting my reputation just because of someone I was dating, married to or had a kid with. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:27:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment137601603 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135954910 children of color are the minority and growing up they feel left out because they are not in the majority. One of my friends when I was younger was mixed race. She had darker skin and her mom who was white, would always tell me how gorgeous I was. She always said she wished her daughter was white like me because her life would be so much easier with lighter skin. She would constantly say that I would get a better job and have an easier time. I never really understood this until I got older but her mom telling her this constantly is negative. This gave her the impression to be ashamed of her dark skin. Now she thinks that her dark skin was a negative thing and that she should try to lighten it. She even now buys foundation that is a shade lighter than her skin to give the impression that her skin is lighter than it really is. This shows that people really do think that dark skin is bad and light skin is good from the media. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:45:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135954910 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135954860 I believe that the messages that dark skin is bad and light skin is good come from how children are brought up in school, through the media, and through their family. In cartoons there are no black characters. All of the white characters are always the heroes and if there are minorities in cartoons, they are shown as having to be rescued. The Disney movie where the princess is black, she was in frog form for most of the movie. She also still needed to be rescued even though she was a princess and her prince was lighter skinned than her. Most heroes in movies are white and are portrayed as the richer and higher class. Parents also teach kids that white looks are more desired. Lighter skin is looked at as more beautiful. Hair is also another factor. Curly or straight hair are both looked at as being more of the stereotypical beautiful person’s hair. It is desired to look European and the more European looking the better. School also teachers about slavery and how the current culture is mostly black poverty and white people get better jobs. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:45:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135954860 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134327920 A huge stereotype of a hick is that they carry guns on them. It is also really illegal to carry a gun and the fact that a nerdy white guy is selling the product makes it more ironic, because nerds are usually not portrayed as violent. This fact makes him seem whiter because he is doing something more out of character. There are so many factors that go into the stereotypical white guy and this guy holds many of those factors. His language, how he carries himself, his clothes, and even the topic that he is speaking about all highlight his whitest qualities. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:56:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134327920 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134327815 It is known that white people cannot dance and his jumpy movements and lack of fluidity is proof to the stereotype. He is jumpy and almost comes off as a nervous confidence that is seen so often in the quintessential white guy’s personality. He also shows the awkwardness when he avoids saying anything questionable and instead says that no one stares are your zipper along with the fact that he is wearing gym shorts under his jeans instead of just underwear or boxers. These factors alone show that he is uncomfortable speaking about anything that is borderline not politically correct and pushes the boundaries. Being politically correct is a huge part of white culture. It is also funny that the thing he is selling a compartment to conceal guns. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:55:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134327815 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134327702 I am also a white person who feels that this video is hilarious and captures the perfect stereotype of the “white guy.” The guy in the video is very representative of the quintessential white guy. The way he annunciates words and pauses between thoughts is very characteristically white. His stance, how he places his pressure mostly on his back heels, is also very typical of the “white culture.” He also spent and is selling something quite useless for $50 which is very representative of how white Americans and mostly white people in general waste money on very useless and overpriced items. His outfit fits the white culture as well with the white polo with the high necked white undershirt underneath which are both tucked into his washed jeans and topped with a thick belt. He has the thick silver watch on his wrist that is sported by most working white men especially in sales and technological professions. His hair is cut short and in a hair cut that is very easy to manage allowing minimal time to be spent on his appearance. The awkward pauses and his jerky movements are very essential to the awkward nerdy stereotypical white guy.. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:55:10 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134327702 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130714269 As a small society Italians fought out against their stereotypes. A reason that white people do not all say that they are being discriminated against is because there are so many subgroups of white people in the United States. It is hard to generalize about all white people because there is so many different cultures and customs involved in white society. These are just some of the reasons that people white people do not talk about being discriminated against. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:30:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130714269 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130714242 This situation is very hypocritical because if I was of a different race than white and called someone out on being racist, no one would have gone back at me. I also almost feel bad saying that people are discriminating against me for being white because I obviously have many advantages being white. It is hard to say that people discriminate against me when people of every other race experience many other discriminations on a daily basis. There are many white groups that do complain that they are being discriminated against but just subgroups of white people, not white people in general. Many Jewish people are quick to say that they are being discriminated against for being their religion. Another subgroup of white people that have recently spoken out about being discriminated against is Italians. Ever since the Jersey Shore, many Italian societies have signed petitions about canceling it because it gives Italians a bad image. The show makes it seem like all Italians do is drink and party. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:30:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130714242 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130714108 White people are more reluctant to admit to having discriminations. This is because white is the dominant race. When looking around the United States in general, there are more white people than any other color. It is easy for someone of a minority to say that they are being discriminated against for their race and it is generally accepted, but when it is reversed, people are quick to point the finger and call the white person racist. As a white person, I have been discriminated and stereotyped against in many situations especially when I was the minority in that situation. By calling people out on the discriminations against me, I was called even more discriminating terms and was called racist myself. I was working in the city and all of the people in the office I was working in were black and Latino. They had all consistently made remarks to me about how I thought I was better because I was white, which is not my belief because my skin could be green and inside I am still a person. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:29:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/23/why-are-white-people-so-reluctant-to-admit-to-having-discriminations-119-blog/#IDComment130714108 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-does-the-statement-in-the-video-from-class-make-you-feel-119-blog/#IDComment128728492 Putting myself in their position and just watching the video in class gave me the chills. I could not imagine living in slavery and it is hard to think that other people live under those conditions with no way out. I also feel like I want to act. Possibly running a campaign or educating more people or talking to the corporations themselves about not using cocoa that was produced by slaves. Hopefully one day no one will be able to say “you are eating my flesh,” about any food again. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:57:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-does-the-statement-in-the-video-from-class-make-you-feel-119-blog/#IDComment128728492 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-does-the-statement-in-the-video-from-class-make-you-feel-119-blog/#IDComment128728392 The United States fought so hard to get rid of slavery that it makes me angry to think that major corporations in the United States still support slavery and its products. In such a free-market economy, people should be giving the jobs that are done by slaves to people being paid for the work, especially with the country in a recession, people are looking for work. It also makes me angry that large corporations are not doing something about this issue. All that they would need to do is purchase their cocoa beans from people who are being paid for their work and make chocolate a little more expensive and the slavery problem would be helped out a lot. I also feel guilty that I cannot do much to stop this problem. I can by free trade chocolate and inform others about the problems of slavery but I feel guilty that I do not know what else to do to stop this problem. I also feel depressed, not personally but for the slaves. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:56:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-does-the-statement-in-the-video-from-class-make-you-feel-119-blog/#IDComment128728392