en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3107925 Comments by zts5009 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170457918 I am glad someone else is realizing these things about the class. I am talking about how he said it was the best class before and we have seen the Oprah video before. I am not sure if we just re watched an entire lecture or what, but like you said it is very interesting still. The Oprah video just shocked me. To think if I did not grow up in State College but rather near Harper, things I know now I may never of learned or experienced. I was lucky enough to graduate high school and get into Penn State, but if I went to a high school that did not have the luxuries State College had, I may not be in college today. This class really makes you think. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 23:33:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170457918 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170456430 Unlike the professor I actually think Affirmative Action is good. If we lived in a perfect world then I would agree with the professor but since people actually think they are better than others for how they look or they were raised, affirmative action is needed. He is right that it is not fair to give someone a helping hand when others need it more, and the only reason they get help is for one thing that differs them from others. Since people do not treat people fairly, I will say it should be less government interference than there is now, but it is needed. I wish all companies were fair and did not look at someone’s name and turn them down for a job, just because it may be ethnic and then in turn they will not be white. If companies were not doing it I would see no need for affirmative action because the better man or woman should always get the job. I understand the counter side of affirmative action, someone of color may get a job over a white person because of the color of their skin when in fact the white person was more qualified. When a system is in place, there always problems, but to me I think the fact that someone of color getting a job over someone white is a better problem, then colored people not getting any jobs at all. I am a white person saying this, although as I said the better man should always get the job, the world is not perfect and we must overcome these obstacles however we can. The Harper school video was just saddening. There is a situation where government funding and its system are flawed and wrecking areas, because no education can be given because no funds are there. It is unfair that a school that has no funds can only receive them if they increase test scores and graduate rates. How can a school increase test scores if they can not get any new things to teach their students. Small things like current textbooks and enough teachers to teach a class are what some schools need to get better. But since they can not receive funds until they get better scores, they are in a standstill and the only place they can go in down. A school 50 miles away from Harper had plenty of funds and they produced smart bright students. If those kids grew up 50 miles away they would not have the same advantages, but they would be the same bright children, they just need time to learn. Without an education a person can not move up in the world, unless they are just incredibly lucky Wed, 6 Jul 2011 23:27:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170456430 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169468142 I have been saying this in the last couple discussions, if we as a nation become more educated racism will decrease. Individuals do not need more education but rather more individuals need education. How many people in this class can go out at night and still believe immigrants are bad for the United States, and still act racist towards them? they probably don't because everyone in this class is learning the truth of immigration and how it truly benefits us. I am not saying everyone has to take this class to not be racist towards immigrants, but the more people that are educated will understand immigration and therefore not be mean or discriminatory to other races and cultures. Mon, 4 Jul 2011 01:22:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169468142 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169467129 I hate to think so many Americans could be racist, but racism exists and more now than ever it is directed at immigrants. As sad as it is I can’t believe all these people can be so ignorant to what immigration does and how it mainly benefits our society. People could just hate change so much that they cannot stand other cultures invading what they believe is our own culture, no one else’s. But if they just hate change there would be no need for discrimination and racism but since it exists we have to assume there is just a natural hate of immigrants from some Americans. Growing up we always hear our elders talk about how immigrants are taking over, and soon will be the majority, and since they say it negatively we believe immigrants only take and give nothing back. Immigrants as we learned in class are essential for our society to exist. It is said a lot that immigrants are taking all of our jobs, but without any education they cannot take the jobs that are desired, but rather take the blue collar jobs because they need no education, and only need one day of training to be skilled at the position. We should not complain about immigrants taking these jobs because they have to be done, and if they want to come here to do those jobs why should we stop them. If people would just become educated and get the more desirable jobs then there would be no complaining for immigrants taking jobs. If immigrants don’t want to get an education, let them work to make a living, we as a society should want to become educated to resolves situations such as this. The more we as a society become educated the less and less problems we will have. The problem with immigrants is half them not being a part of our society so their labor goes un taxed and does not benefit society, and half ignorance from Americans. Everyone taking this class knows about the genocide that took place in this country before we started our society. Knowing that we know we are immigrants so we have no rights to turn people away, considering we came here at one point as an immigrant. There is racism and discrimination towards immigrants because people believe they do not belong here, but if they were educated they would understand how the United States came to be, racism would diminish because immigrants would be welcome. Saying that we still need to limit immigrants to stabilize our economy and society, if we have to much population it would do us no good, so there is a need to stop people at the border, but we should not stop them because of their race or culture, but rather to keep our society stable. Mon, 4 Jul 2011 01:16:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169467129 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168121723 The Corinthians slide was extremely interesting, although I know not everyone believes what they believe in, but when we witness so much cheating, drunkenness, fornication all the time, how can anyone get into heaven. With that said how can some people attack homosexuals but then not in turn attack drunks or cheats. Like you said people who use the religious excuse for not agreeing with homosexuality is dumb and if they truly disagree with all of those things, they should equally attack them all. Because at the same time they are attacking something I cannot attack them, they can have their own beliefs but they must back them up, they can't just discriminate. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:24:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168121723 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168120265 The topic of homosexuality always seems to come up, I am glad we are finally talking about it. The issue is everywhere, with the idea of is it a choice and can they get married? And do we call it a marriage or a union? Personally I do not care about gay marriage, or homosexuals in general, as long as they are civilized and are nice, who should care? The religion side of the argument I can kind of understand, because in all honesty, the standard of living is heterosexuality, because we need to reproduce. There can be numerous amounts of homosexuals but without straight people, reproduction would not occur, yes woman could still be inseminated, but the idea of heterosexual families should still exist as well. But about the religious side, it does make sense, and does not make sense. How being a drunk and a cheat can keep you from heaven as does homosexuality, but they only take on homosexuals. It is insane how they can target and harass a group of people who just want to be themselves. If they attack you, you can attack back, but not once to my knowledge as the gay community bashed or targeted religion. The idea of someone’s sexuality is important in their life, but someone else barging in to tell you how to live is, by not being gay is not right. It was like during the civil rights movement, when people decided to tell a black person that being black was not alright. As we know, it is not a choice to be gay, it is one owns sexuality. I recently too media ethics, and in that class we learned that if it does not enhance or go with the story it is not needed. One class we had a story about a black gay soldier who died in Afghanistan. The story was really about a soldier who saved other soldiers and sacrificed his own life to save them. Newspapers decided to take the story in a different direction and just talk about his homosexual life, and his black culture. His culture and sexuality were important but that was not the story, the mans race or sexuality did not save those people, the man himself did. Last word on the topic, gay people should be able to get married. Just as we saw in lecture, how is it ok for unfit people to marry, who will divorce in a year, and not ok for two people who love each other very much, but happen to both be men. If they want to live the rest of their lives together they can, just as two women can, or two of the opposite sex can. We say we live in a free country, but we put people down for being human. Just because they are gay does not mean they are less than us, it means they are different in one way. There is still two million other things about a gay person that make them similar to straight person, but no one looks at those Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:18:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168120265 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165919627 I can not believe black people want to be whiter, I understand why they might want, since media portrays white, or tan skinned as beautiful, and black is not. But to actually buy bleach to become white just seems crazy. I am a white person so I can not really grasp why they would do it, but I thought as we become more educated about life we understand that color does not matter. The baby doll thing was interested to me as well as I am sure it was to everyone. Like you said the one girl looked like she wanted to say black, because she understands herself a little bit, but also knows the trend of the media and went with what she thought was the correct answer, what we wanted her to say. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:30:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165919627 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165918574 Nothing was more eye opening than the girl like me video. I have seen it before, and it always makes me wonder how something like this can happen. As the professor said it is a sign of white supremacy, to basically mind control young black girls and boys, to think they are less than their white counterparts is sickening. I still can’t understand how young girls and boys can learn this; they are so young I didn’t think media could persuade them yet. I do not think it can be anything besides media, since whose parent is going to say their race is worse than the white race. Is media so corrupt to favor white people and oppose colored people that by age six, children actually believe the black race, which is their own race, is worse than the white race? Not only is the black race worse, but they believe the white race, by using the baby, is nice and better. It is something to really think about. The LL Bean topic was very interesting because I had an experience dealing with clothing lines that may or may not be racist with my friends. When I was younger my friends were black, and every time I wore a Tommy Hilfiger shirt, which was not often, they would say I was racist because I wore that line of clothing. They were young and ignorant just as I was, and they had no idea why wearing Tommy Hilfiger clothing may make you racist. If you don’t know Tommy Hilfiger said some racist things on Oprah in 1996 and because of that, if you were supporting Hilfiger so you may be a racist. They were young and were told by their parents not to like the clothing, they did not know anything about the news they just learned from their parents. Now in 2011 they know they were dumb, because the head of the company may of said those things, but just because I wore the shirt doesn’t mean I support him, I just happen to have one of those shirts. I never saw the story of the 101 year old woman being mugged until the lecture and just as the black man thought, that is crazy someone would attack a 101 year old defenseless woman. The story was crazy but the responses were interesting. The stereotype is that black people are loud and obnoxious, yet the black mans response was calm, and said correct things about the incident. While the white man was screaming his head off, he made a few solid points, but since he was yelling no one will take him seriously. The crime was probably not racist, the man probably just wanted some easy money, but it is true that it is almost always considered racist when its white against black. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:26:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165918574 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164424153 The racial identifiers subject caught my ear as well, I hate when people use race to add something which is usually nothing to a story. In the Media Ethics class at Penn State one of the questions is always do we print that a person was gay if the story is not about it. Although it is not a racial identifier it is a identifier that is not needed. I mean how often do you hear the story, the straight person received the medal of honor. It adds nothing to the story and no one cares if they are straight. It is the same with gay and all racial identifiers. Like Sam said, if the story is about it, yes talk about their race, but when its just a story and you add a racial identifier, it is absurd. Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:45:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164424153 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164423039 I have always understood why there should be some white guilt; I mean the white race did awful things to get to the top of the mountain. But, until this class I never thought it was so widely thought that white people should and do feel guilty. I grew up in State College, Pa, and was friends with all races. I knew of slavery and things that happened to colored people and not to whites, but growing up with everyone being equal I never thought of having any guilt, I am just a person not the spokesperson for the white race. There were poor black families but there were also poor white families, so I never thought that white people could feel guilty, when people in our race are doing just as poorly. I want to know how prevalent this white guilt is in people, because I never have felt it, and I am a white person. I like to consider myself educated since I am at Penn State, and since I have been taught to be more tolerant and understand the past without pointing fingers and labeling people, so the guilt just is not there since I know I am suppose to live in the present not the past. The political correctness issue about white people being quiet could not be truer. Not only do white people stay quiet they also stay out of business that is not there’s. I understand why white people want to be silent, I mean if you insult the white race, it isn’t exactly racist, but one slip up when talking about another race, and you are labeled as a racist. And we know in the world today, once you are labeled something it sticks with you. As interesting as everything always is in the lectures, the thing Sam said in the lecture about how black people torture white people. It comes up in TV Shows all the time, but personally it has happened to be numerous times. When I was 12 years old hanging out with a few of my friends, a few were black, and I was telling a story and I said the kid was black in the story, and instantly all in unison started attacking me, telling me it is African American. They were my friends so I knew they were kidding, but they kept at it, and of course I was laughing, and all of them with a straight face kept at it. After a long enough time I gave in an apologized, and of course as soon as I did they laughed and said just joking. They did it all the time, sometimes more convincing then others. It was not just a thing they did to me either, since I was a friend I was not tortured as much, but with other kids they would do it until the kid was begging apologizing. Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:41:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164423039 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163016587 I like what you said about white people having no one to identify with in sports. I have been saying it for years, there are no good white basketball players and you proved my point exactly, we don't consider them white because they are from Germany, or Canada, even though they have white skin. As much as I would like a white-American player to dominate in sports, preferably basketball, I can still live with myself supporting someone like Dirk, or Steve Nash. They are the minority in most sports just as white people are, so I can understand their hardship and the effort it takes to be a superstar. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:38:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163016587 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163015627 As a white person I can honestly say I have thought about my “whiteness”. I have seen the Louie C.K. standup before, and he is right, if a white person doesn’t say he has it best he is lying or ignorant. Growing up, we learn about other races being discriminated against until recently and now we are all going to co-exist and be peaceful. As a white kid you don’t see white people being discriminated against, so early on you understand the power of your own skin. It is sad in a culture that one color of a skin dominates another, but that is what race relations is trying to get rid of, by talking about it. I also like what was said about what do white people like, and yes as a white person I could tell you maybe I could tell you a couple things that white people like. I don’t think much about it, because I like it so it is just a reoccurring thing that I do. It is easy to say what you think other people like, not even race, but just other people, because things they may like are different from the things you like, and those stick out. It might be just me but I always do think about little things like what would life be like as a shorter person, or a heavier person, or even a different race. As I pass by someone who is disabled, who cannot walk, I think what little things like putting on clothes are so hard and time consuming for them. Changing clothes is nothing to me, it is something I do everyday quickly, I never think about it. Sometimes I have minor ear problems and I cannot hear out of it for a day, I think then what if I lost my hearing, even in this one ear, it is very different and something as simple as hearing, gets you from place to place easier. Little things change your life, whether you want them or not. Just as race misunderstand others, people with disabilities are misunderstood and so forth and so on, without an experience you do not understand. The other thing that got me was what Louie C.K. said about how white people cannot be insulted, since white people have gone through nothing. That is political correctness right there. White people have never been through anything that would leave a mark on them. As much as I just try to act the same around everyone, when you are around certain people you talk differently because the last thing you want to do is offend someone when you do not mean to do it. Political correctness is good in a safe world, but to get past just safe we need to just talk to learn to truly understand. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:34:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163015627 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160822096 I understand where you are coming from when you say how about the rich white kid's dad who paid off whoever to get into school, but the civil war thing is a little different. It is a shame that white people were helped so immensely while black and brown people were treated so terribly with Affirmative Action, but it is the past. I hate to say it, but we have to let things go, as much as it did shape the world today in favor of white people, we can't do anything about it today except try to get rid of racism. Yes the lazy kid who does not deserve it may inherit wealth and because white people had it better in the past, the lazy kid is presumably white. But, I would like to think it today's world the hard workers no matter the color of their skin or ethnic background will prevail. Some may fail because of the system and it is sad, but people would not want to live in America if they didn't think they could make it. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 02:49:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160822096 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160820749 Again and again this class gets better and better, every topic I could talk about for weeks. The King of the Mountain top was my favorite of the two lectures though, because it made so much sense. Of course when one race is more dominant they are going to try and keep it that way for as long as they can, because I mean who does not want to be on top. Power is everything. Although white were not the first ones in North America, they were the first race or group of people that wanted domination in North America. They wanted more land and more resources for Europe. Native Americans were here, so they kicked them out so they had more for themselves. Once that happened, white people ruled the land, and if you rule something as they did why would they give it up. Through time more and more rules came about to bring equality to the nation, and what did the people who rule the land do? They started making different new rules that attacked those that wanted the power. Going off how the power started, the whole inheritance question does make sense. Why should some lazy kid who was lucky enough to be born to a rich family deserve wealth for doing nothing, after their parents passed away? While another kid who was born into a poor family could do more with the money because they want to innovate and do something in the world. The question with this is, why that kid who was born into that family, does he/she get the wealth that they didn’t accumulate, but rather their parents did. I thought it was a good question and I never really thought about it, so I talked to my girlfriend about it. What she said also made sense, in that the family members that accumulated the money made a will, and in that will they had the free will to spread their wealth however they wanted. The lazy may not deserve it, but his parents chose to give it to him/her. This side also makes sense, so now I think the only real solution would be to tax inheritance a little bit. The child of the person who left the person deserves it, but why shouldn’t that kid in the poorer family who is clean from drugs, not deserve a piece just to better his life, which may be through education. The other topic which I always think is interesting is Affirmative Action. I can never choose a side because I think both sides have a reason to like it or hate it. I like that now Black or Brown people have to be interviewed, because from history we know racism existed and it needed to be eliminated, especially in the workforce. But, if I were white and were more qualified and didn’t get the interview possibility because I’m white I would be mad. It really does depend on how you look at it. I know the professor said Affirmative Action has benefited white people throughout history and is what put us on top, but sometimes we have to stop looking into the past. If we keep looking at the past we won’t ever think about the future, and the future in this case is getting rid of racism. But if we keep looking in the past and see how good the white people had it, so now we should even out history, we won’t go anywhere as a society. Things have happened, the past cannot be changed we must just look to the future and change things ones by one. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 02:42:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160820749 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159791716 I reacted just as you did to the Oprah video. It is very sad to think that this is happening in so many places, and it is very easy to say just give them more money. However when the government gives money to schools it is like an investment, and which school would you rather bet on, the school that is doing well or the one that is way behind. It is not fair that some people face such tougher obstacles than others but anything can be overcome. As weird as it is, if we swapped those kids at birth and changed their environment they grew up in, they would be completely different. The poorer kid would grow up wealthy and have all the advantages while the rich kid would now be poor and have to work that much harder. Although they are 35 miles apart the environment you grow up in influences your life dramatically. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 01:50:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159791716 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159788810 I believe everything the professor said about free will, no matter the amount or severity of the obstacles, if people try to choose to do the correct thing you can achieve anything. It is known that some races and some people have it much harder and more obstacles in the way then other people, but you can achieve anything with free will. Sadly, the world does run on money and you need lots of it to do the best of everything and to get the best of everything. Nevertheless, the opportunity is always there. If you do not have enough money to afford college tuition, loans can be obtained or financial aid or if you work hard, enough you can get a scholarship. Some things may be harder to achieve then others and it may take time, but anything can be accomplished. There are stories every year of single moms raising their kids, going to school, and working to raise her kids. To me that is as hard it gets, sure she can choose not to go to school because time with her children and work are more important. However, she is probably thinking long term, and the investment the hard work she is putting in now will pay off later. If she does not go to school then her kids will get their mother more, and she can even work more to have a little bit more money, but they will most likely never move up in the world socially. If she works her butt off and takes the stress of the added work of school, later in life she will be more financially sound and her kids will have more advantages. That is just one example of choice and free will. Another example would be a struggling teen from a bad neighborhood, Kids grow up every year and face decisions that adults would not even want to face. Some teens choose a life of crime or violence rather than sticking it out and working and getting an education because some things are just easier. Just as the professor said, some people have harder and more obstacles to get around achieving success but as he also said, you could always get around them. It is your choice and always is your choice, some choices may be made for you, such as race, gender, parent’s wealth and location, but if they become an obstacle, you can get around it. As we saw in the video from Oprah, some schools just do not get the funding and therefore do not get the same quality education and advantages. This leads to the poorer kids to do poorly on the SAT, again making it harder for them to get into college. With free will however, we have the choice to continue education, and if it may not be the best, we go out and study more. Choices can always be mad to achieve success we just have to strive to make the correct ones. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 01:40:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159788810 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158391513 I had the same feeling as you did after September 11, the only feeling I had was hatred, and it was for Muslims or Arabs. I never did anything while angry, I just was, but after that day, it was hard not to think that every Muslim was bad and wanted to hurt America. After a couple of years and more education Later, it is hard not to feel sympathy for them, especially when our soldiers crush cars and run locals off roads for no reason, other than to be tough. Your other thought on Ethnocentrism was similar to mine; I believe the media affects everyone into believing what he or she says. People are very trusting to what they say, for years violent crimes have been decreasing yet the media reports on it four times as much. So what happens, we think it is becoming more violent in our country or state, or town. We need to look at everything from both sides to always get a full understanding. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 02:32:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158391513 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158385442 I do not know whether it is the topics or the atmosphere but this class during the summer is a dream come true. As a senior now, I have been saying since a freshman teachers should just record themselves and put it online so students could watch lectures at will. Not only does it slow everything down for the student it allows them to be in a mood where they want to learn rather than forced attendance for an actual class that meets. Just some thoughts I had on the class so far, but to discuss the lecture material, my most fond part of it was the thought of just how easy it is to have a biased view on something. For years, I have been wondering how everyone can hate everyone from the Middle East so much. If another country invaded our country we would fight until the land was back to just ours. So just as the professor said, until we take the blinders off, it is easy to see how Americans might think all Muslims and Arabs are evil. We only know what the media tells us, or what horrific events have happened in the past. Since I was eleven when September 11th happened, I can understand why there is so much hatred towards those who we believe might of done the tragic event. However, just how we can hate someone for having the same ethnicity as a terrorist, Muslims can hate all of us, since they see the media events just as we do. The only difference is they are seeing the terrible things we are doing to them. As I said in one of my first blog discussions, the media controls how we see what surrounds us, so therefore we believe what they tell us because it is easier. The Media is a business and has to figure out how to get their ratings up, so what they do is make it seem like there is more violence than ever. Media companies put stuff the viewer wants to see, not what they should be seeing. The other interesting aspect of the lecture was how Christians are actually the ones who are trying to take over the world. Personally, I never thought of our military as a religious military but it does make a lot of sense. As much as our economy needs oil for just about everything transportation wise, I never thought of another aspect of war, that being a religious battle. We grow up learning that the United States is universal religiously, meaning anyone can choose any religion. But you do not think that if someone of a certain religion gets a certain amount of power they might use that power for their government rather than the Country. I did not only find these topics interesting because they are just that, interesting, but that they are topics that do not come up much and I love discussing them. There is not a much better right as citizens than the freedom of speech. Being able to discuss any topic, no matter controversial makes this class truly as good as it gets. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 02:02:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158385442 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156158648 Although I didn't get into much myself I thought it was also interesting how difficult it was to correctly answer where each person was from. It is very insane how quickly people are judged, just because of our own past or media portrayals of how a certain race should act is how we judge people. If it is positive that is good more than not it is negative. From the lecture it is easy to tell most of us don't know where others come from just by looking at them so its weird to think we can judge them that quick. The thing I did talk about in my response was how darker skinned toned women were changing their skin color to be fairer toned. From one continent to the next its interesting to know that their idea of beauty is basically the opposite of ours. Women here go out and tan every time they can, while now I know women from different countries buy cosmetics to become whiter. Never in a million years would I say the highest selling cosmetic would be a cream to become whiter. Thu, 26 May 2011 00:02:10 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156158648 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156155668 The things in this last lecture are things I have wondered about for a while, but being me I am to lazy to look anything up. But now that it is graded, I am happy to be learning about it. I am talking about how race truly came about. I knew we were all from Africa, but just knowing different theories and ideas of how race and different skin tones and shapes and sizes came about is something we should all know. The more knowledge and understanding we have on our true equality, would make for less racism and stereotypes in my eyes. Because insulting ones race would be no different from insulting your own race, since we all came from the same background, we just have adapted to the environment and time, we may have changed but it doesn't mean one change is better than the other. Other than where race started, the one group of slides made me most intrigued was the slides on the woman and using cosmetics to become whiter or fairer skinned. Why is it whiter people want to be darker and darker people want to be lighter? As soon as its sunny enough to tan, Hub lawn fills up at Penn State with girls and some guys who want to be darker skinned. I understand why darker women want to be lighter toned, it is more desirable. When you hear of a beautiful woman, most of the time they are talking about a lighter skin toned woman. But to actually use cosmetics to make their skin altered to be fairer is weird in my head. I understand there are geographical and cultural differences, and being a fairer skinned person might be like tanning here, but it is still odd to me. I guess since I have been around the idea that tan is beautiful, any idea that not wanting to be tan skin tone is different therefore weird. There were so many great things to discuss in the recent lecture but the the idea of wanting to be more white caught my eye the most. I am a very white person, so thinking someone wanting to be as white as me is a little confusing. I am glad to be learning about race because for a while now every conversation I have with my friends about the NBA, is about either a black or white player or in Yao MIngs Case an Asian player. I don't know if its because we are ignorant or we just unconsciously identify NBA players as just black and white, but its good to finally learn that it goes a lot deeper than that. Every conversation about why is there so many good black NBA players and so few good white players, is just black and white. Its good to understand that their skin may be black but that's not their culture or how they are classified. Some players are white but it doesn't mean they are from North America. Everyone is different but yet all the same. Wed, 25 May 2011 23:53:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156155668