en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2390151 Comments by eos5127 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143760188 Labels take a toll on people’s lives and can affect them in numerous ways. In the beginning of this article he explained the tension that formed between the men from the Graterford penitentiary and the college students attending Temple University. At first, being in a room labeled as “convicts” can be quite intense because you never know what to expect. But on the other hand, what do you think is going through their mind when they are sitting next to you? Some of them may not have a care in the world what anyone thinks while the other men hope the college students see that there is a side to them that is caring and welcoming. Therefore, I think judging someone before getting to know them ruins the excitement of actually getting to know them. If you automatically label someone in a negatively way, why would you do that without knowing what kind of person they are in the inside? Although they may get judged and have a label from other person, that does not mean you have to agree with them. Perhaps you should see who that person is before labeling them in a good or bad way. For example, throughout high school people were always labeled by the way they dressed or how they interacted with other students. Thus there may be a person you do not even know and they already have a label from the rest of the students and you decide to automatically give him that label as well. Why not take the effort in getting to know them instead of following other student’s perspectives? Likewise, It is the same situation for these prisoners. Since they have life sentences or need to spend time in prison for a crime they have committed, people automatically give them a stereotype. It is sad to say but they are already given cruel labels from their stereotype. Sometimes a person does not realize how much it impacts someone when you label them. Words are very powerful and they need to be used wisely. No matter what society says, as long as we know who we are in the inside, what else is there to worry about? Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:11:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/lifer/#IDComment143760188 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment142301360 I think this post can relate to many people who have been or are currently in a relationship with a significant other. Many women would like this ideal man that the prisoner described in his writing. It sounds like the perfect man to satisfy your every need and desire. In reality, no one is perfect or meets these standards exactly. Not everyone finds someone who looks like a movie star or acts like prince charming. People look for or even fall in love with a partner who is perfectly imperfect in their eyes. Personally, I have been in only one serious relationship where both of us had our flaws. There were good times, and then there were some bad times. In the beginning of our relationship, my boyfriend would completely open up his heart to me, but then hide his sensitive side around others so he would not deteriorate his “manly exterior”. But after a while he did not care what others thought because he realized I was disappointed in him trying to be a tough exterior, something he was not. If you are committed to someone, why not be a man and do whatever it takes to care for your girl? I believe it takes time for a guy to realize this. Perhaps realization hits a guy when he is head over heels for a girl, infatuated by her presence, or simply in love. Also, I do believe there are good guys out there in the world. Maybe they do not fit all of the standards, but they are pretty close. My relationship turned out to work with my boyfriend because we chose to make it happen. I believe everyone can change, but it only works for those who are actually committed and want the relationship to work so they can be with their significant other. Every couple has their flaws and you can either accept them or find someone new. Although this prisoner has written a list of what a man should be, I think if they do some of these actions that he had stated it can surely suite the woman. Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:42:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment142301360 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139979992 After reading this letter written by an inmate, I felt a connection between him and his words that he had used. He wrote his words with honesty and truth, something most prisoners can not put down on paper. Although he is still in prison serving time for whatever act he has done in the past, he believes family is the keen reason to keep him motivated. Thus, he is able to take one day at a time. Knowing that you are still loved by the people who care about you the most can be the most rewarding thing in life. But at the end of the day, family is always going to be there for you. It is a bond that is more than just being blood related, it is love for one another. Through thick and thin, family will be behind your back. For instance, this prisoner says he receives letters from his loved ones (maybe not as frequent as they used to come) because they are probably reassuring him that they are still there to give him strength. Since he does not see them as much, hearing from them can mean the world to him. Loving someone and having them give the same love back to you is refreshing. Family does not let another one fall, no matter what consequences are tossed at them. Hopefully hearing this prisoner’s voice through paper can show people to not take family for granted. Do we not realize how important family is in our life? While I was growing up, I never really appreciated all that my mother had given me. I always pushed her away because I did not realize what she was trying to do, such as protecting me from harm and showing me love. But as I matured, I formed a closer bond my mother because I finally opened my eyes and saw how much she really loved me for who I was in the inside. Why do we not value our loved ones as much as we should? It is our close family and friends that will be right behind us, every step of the way. Mon, 4 Apr 2011 21:16:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/27/family/#IDComment139979992 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/fear-2/#IDComment137769782 After reading this article about the prisoner’s childhood, I was completely speechless. I could not believe he suffered with this guilt his whole life. How does someone hide a secret like this basically their whole life? I can not imagine keeping this in or turning to someone for help. While he told his story, I can not envision the pain he endeavored by his family. As a child a family is supposed to show you love and not the opposite. This story talks about his father raping him and his mother taking no action to the situation. Mothers always protect their children, but why did she not do anything to stop her husband from the abuse? I am a little bit confused why the mother or the other siblings did not confront the father about this. If this was ever happening to my sibling or another family member, I would do something about it immediately. Sexual abuse in a household is not acceptable, so why did everyone else in the family let it continue? Perhaps the family had psychological problems that they needed help for, especially since they were lying and brainwashing their other children to believe that everything was okay. But in reality, this whole situation was awful for a young boy to suffer. The saddest part of it all is how he did not have anyone to confide too. Since the raping began at such a young age, how could he prevent it from happening? He knew his parents were after him and if he told anyone it could be the end of him. I have never experienced fear like this, but for someone this young feeling it, makes me cringe. Your childhood should be full of fun and exciting memories to look back on, but for him it is a different story. He feels ashamed for his past because it affects all of his relationships with women as he becomes a man. I can not blame him since this can leave a scar on someone for the rest of their lives. Although he murdered his parents like he said he would, he no longer lives in fear. Perhaps he can organize his life and put the pieces back together, even though he has to do it in a cell. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:35:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/fear-2/#IDComment137769782 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment136309295 After watching this video clip, I was very moved by Zach Wahls’s confrontation about homosexual couples. He spoke from his heart and had no fear about what other’s thought about him having two mothers. While growing up, he did not feel different from any other kid with two parents. So what if he had two mothers instead of the typical mother-father parents? He saw no difference because he believes it is “love that binds the family”. Throughout high school, one of my best friends had two mothers. People in our school would always talk about him behind his back because of his ‘not so typical’ family. But, he did not care what others said about him. He believed he was raised with love and warmth, which other kids ‘typical’ parents do not provide to their children. While growing up he was fortune enough to have two parents that wanted him to be safe and away from harm. All he needed was support and love as a teenager, which he was given by his two mothers that loved him like all other parents would do to their own child. On the other hand, society still judges families with homosexual parents. If someone is happy with the same sex, why discourage their relationship? Most religious people disapprove of the same sex relationships. Since it is not ‘holy’ and a ‘disgrace’ to the community, the religious part of society believes it should be banned from mankind and possibly affect a child they have in their household. It is not fair how society treats the homosexual community because they are humans just like everybody else. They should not be judged for having feelings for the same sex. Additionally, whether a family has homosexual or straight parents, it should not affect their chances of having/adopting children in their lifetime. Two parents can love a child, no matter what orientation they decide to be or if they are even single. As long as they give that child a home, what more can the child ask for in life? Love can be given by anyone or anything. Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:21:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment136309295 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134920180 In today’s society, people tend to speak before they think about what they are going to say to someone else. It is typical to have a tendency to blurt things out to someone else that you did not intentionally mean to say to them. Unfortunately, the r-word has been taken to another level nowadays. Whether it is stated in the conversations we have with other people in our surroundings or calling a situation the r-word, it still shows disrespect to the “special” people and their families. Every “special” person is affected by this word when they hear someone else saying it because it makes them feel neglected, disrespected, and unwanted. Personally, I try my best not to say the r-word since I know it is degrading to even mention it. When I was growing up, my mom was a teacher for the “special” or handicapped adults and she always taught me to respect them like every other human being, thus the r-word was out of the picture. This meant I could not call an object or a thing the r-word since someone around me could hear it and think I was talking about them. In reality, it is a rude word to describe or call something and people should really take it out of their vocabulary. Also, I think it is more than just a political topic or issue. In this video, it showed politicians using this word and the public seemed to be shocked by their inane actions. But hypothetically, isn’t it used by the public as well on an everyday basis without every individual even realizing the word is coming out of their mouth? It has become a trend for adolescents because it is one of the popular words to use in their slang dictionary, along with the n-word and f-word. I am sure they do not understand how it affects those with special needs. Therefore, I really think speaking the r-word is disrespectful for the “special” community and society needs to realize how hurtful it can be to others. Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:21:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134920180 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment134467935 The seasons affect everyone’s lives in one way or another. Since I live in New Jersey, I take advantage of the summer season and go down to the shore during the day since the sun is out for hours. While there is more light in the sky, I try to do all of my errands before the evening. It is a lot easier for me to get everything done during the day than at night because there are more people around me at the mall, which makes me more comfortable in the area. I think at night it is more dangerous for me to go shopping alone because there are an increase of risks waiting to happen at any moment in the darkness. Further towards the northern latitude, Helsinki, Finland only has access to a few hours of sunlight during there winter days. Unlike New Jersey, they do not have the opportunity to enjoy the afternoon sunshine’s to do their errands in about five hours. It is their dark time of the year and having less lights affects the people, making them more sensitive to their daily routines. Thus, their 40% of society suffers from winter seasonal affective disorder, which has a toll on mostly everyone. The invisible strings make people need each other to stay in a positive mood, but when even a few people feel depressed about the darkness, it affects another person’s life. The majority of the population in Helsinki gets affected with the lack of daylight because when one person suffers, they all suffer. Throughout the video, it stated that the winter has days of ‘good light and bad light’. During the day, people feel more secure with ‘good light’ because they have a feeling of safety with a larger number of people surrounding them. But since there is a shortage of sun in their day, the night approaches society faster. Also referred to as the ‘bad light’, the people of Helsinki feel as if the air is more cold and distant, making them feel discomfort if they walk down the streets. I am not sure how the people of Helsinki can still handle the lack of light throughout their winter days because I would have moved by now! Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:21:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment134467935 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130492518 In today's society, people assume the worst scenarios could happen to them. Everyone is cautious of their moves and the environment they are in because of the crazy people out there. Walking down the street or going to the mall by yourself seems like a hazard. Why do people live with so much fear running through their veins? Does the media have an impact on this fear? While watching this clip from the news, an abduction or kidnapping of a child is not as common as every parent thinks. Many of the cases in the country do not involve kidnapping or abduction because parents teach their kids not to talk to strangers in stores and on the streets. But is talking to a stranger hurtful for every child? I think strangers can help us with answers if we need aid with a certain problem. It is all safe and innocent as long as a child does not get lured into a strangers scheme (if they even have any attention of committing the crime of kidnapping the child). When I was growing up, my mom insisted that I do not ask strangers for help or walk the streets by myself. I was only allowed to go somewhere if I was with a large group of kids. She was just worried about the crazy people in our society because she never knew what someone was capable of doing. Her belief was "better safe than sorry". I never understood why she was so protective over me, but now I see her point of view. She always trusted me, just not the people in our society. The media made her worry a lot more since they constantly warned parents to watch out for the sneaky child abductors. Therefore, parents fear the unknown. They become more protective and careful of their children's whereabouts. Also, they expect the unexpected with acts like kidnapping since it is rare to occur in communities, yet we still have fear of this happening to each and every one of us. Everyone wants to take caution since they do not know what the unknown can do. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:23:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130492518 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128696056 In the United States, society automatically judges an individual who decides to be involved with multiple love partners. This act, known as polygamy, is not seen as a usual act since it goes against many cultures. It seems this trend has spread to other areas, such as isolated villages and China. Polyandry becomes a part of a woman’s life when she marries more than one man. How can a woman fully commit herself to more than one person? Although it might sound absurd for a woman to live this kind of a lifestyle, it is sheerly practical. Having an increased amount of men in the household can be worthwhile. They keep the farm preserved by taking care of it so they can then raise money and food in order to have a future. Also, the men can be quite helpful with domestic duties, such as taking care of the child or cleaning the dishes if the wife can not handle all of these tasks. On the contrary, how do the husbands handle jealousy since there are numerous men that have affection for this one woman? Although the woman try to be respectful to each man, they are careful with their moves and make sure each one of them is delighted so no one gets a hint of jealousy. Personally, I do not think I can have feelings for more than one person at a time and give each single one of them affection. It seems like a difficult routine to handle, but to them it is how they live and they are comfortable with what they do on a daily basis. As of right now, their village accepts polyandry and it is normal for a woman to perform this act of marrying more than one man. If the media in America gets too involved with this, will it become less popular in these villages and will it eventually come to a stop? How will these families that live this kind of lifestyle adjust to a “normal” lifestyle of two people being committed to each other, instead of having more than one to care for? Since polygamy causes enough havoc in America, polyandry might not have a positive outcome like it does right now in China. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:42:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment128696056 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127404235 In today's society, people tend to hesitate when it comes to traveling to another country. The United States is so prosperous, why should people want to experience another country's culture if America already has everything to offer? Some people do not like to leave a place they are familiar with or accustomed too. Fear and money are some of the few factors that have Americans second guessing about going on vacation to another land outside of their comfort zone.     The media seems to play a role in spreading negative news about foreign countries and how it is not safe to go near those places. Americans then absorb this information given to them, provided by the media, and automatically assume the worst about that country. Therefore, society judges other countries and assumes the worst without even exploring the place.         Also, having a fear of flying causes people to eschew going on an airplane and traveling abroad. Thus, Americans decide to stay in a place where they feel the most comfortable and do not have to travel far to get to where they need to go. From my perspective, I love to go on airplanes, so I do not have to worry about this fear. Unfortunately, most of society is skeptic about flying in the air, especially after the incident of 9/11. More people avoid the risk of getting themselves into danger with traveling to foreign lands due to this situation.       On the contrary, Americans take their jobs very seriously and do not let their vacation time interfere with their work ethnics. Taking time off from work seems like a hassle for most people. But, even if a person did take vacation time, figuring out the cost of traveling to another country makes them change their mind. Also, people believe it takes up too much time to schedule flights and picking out hotels to stay in. Do people really want to spend thousands of dollars to experience a new culture that is not familiar with them? Personally, I would not mind because I think it is fascinating to see all that the world has to offer us and I wish people could view traveling abroad as a new opportunity. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:53:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127404235 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125759601 Every single day each person witnesses something new, discovers new objects, or creates new ideas. All of these scenarios have to do with socialization among an array of people. Each one of us has interactions between objects or people. Certain behaviors from others reflects our every move. We follow one another’s footsteps, whether we realize it or not. For example, throughout high school mostly every teenager wants to fit in with the crowd. In order for this to happen, they must adjust to a certain style or attitude the “click” presents. To be accepted socially in the group, this individual does everything they can to acquire favorability. As a matter of fact, they will adjust to new things or even change their own personality only so they can be embraced by others. This displays an act of conformity since the teenager follows every move that another person performs. Although it may seem normal to the teenager wanting to fit in, others can see it as trying too hard to impress. An individual takes matter into their own hands and chooses who to follow or socialize with on a daily basis. In class discussions, we review the concepts of how people reflect one another. If someone is doing a certain act or behavior, we will probably copy what they are carrying out. The invisible strings lead us to other people that happen to do similar behaviors. Thus, every move is basically the same unless you decide to step out of the zone and do your own thing. Unfortunately, in this video the man does not execute individualism in the elevator with the other men around him. As the strangers do certain tasks, this individual feels a sense of awkwardness and becomes confused about what to do. Therefore, he decides to mimic the moves of the other men so he does not look like an outcast. Although his actions in the movie clip may seem funny to us, many people have been in the same situation. Mostly every person wants to be socially accepted in society, which makes us conform to what others are doing around us in order to look normal. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 20:57:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment125759601 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124444513 Across the nation, numerous schools have had to deal with pregnancies among teenagers. Although this may sound absurd and unreal, it is happening all around us. Do these teens want attention from the public? Statistics show that teen pregnancies have increased over the years. This could be due to the “invisible strings” that connect the teenagers together to do this act. Every one of these teenagers has made their own choices to be pregnant, whether or not it had to do with a pregnancy pact. Although the pregnancies in Memphis, Tennessee were in a lower class area, in which the students received reduced or free lunches, this does not have to necessarily affect the high rates of pregnancy. Stereotypically, lower class areas have an increase with pregnancies, drug deals, and murders. Thus, why would these teenagers want to bring a child in their life if they are not stable enough? Similar to other high schools in the country, my school required freshman to take a sex education class. During this period, teachers taught us to use contraceptives if we decide to have sex. Mostly all of the teachers knew teenagers were active, thus they wanted us to use protection to prevent pregnancy. Unfortunately, Memphis high did not have this opportunity to learn about all of this information like my high school. Maybe this was also why they had an increase in pregnancies since they did not receive proper education about sex. After seeing this pregnancy havoc in Memphis, their schooling hopes to provide sex education programs for the future students so the number can decrease. But, every human being makes their own choices in their life. These teenagers decided to have sex and risked getting pregnant (which they did). The invisible strings led them in this direction for some reason, but they chose to follow where their strings took them. There are always “what if” questions. For example, “What if they did not have sex or used protection to prevent becoming pregnant?” No one can answer these questions besides the teenagers in this dilemma. In the end, these pregnant teenagers were influenced by others’ behaviors to make them go down the same path. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:57:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124444513 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122560879 For years, prisoners lay in their jail cells contemplating about the mistakes they have made in the past or plan what they can possible do in the future to better themselves. As for this inmate, he decides to look forward in his life since the past brought him into the place he is in now. Though he is serving a life sentence, he summarizes how much he has learned from this experience so far. I believe he has a chance to witness freedom within himself. Although he may have lost the freedom that normal people perform everyday, he still has freedom in his mind. Having this ability allows him to think about anything or anyone, without someone taking it away from him. Similar to the class discussion about freedom, he has the right to do any action he pleases to accomplish, but being in jail prevents him from doing this. Sometimes we do not realize what is in front of us until it is taken away. Therefore, this inmate is grateful for the freedom that he has acquired in the past. Also, in our lecture we brought up the topic about a fish being the last species to understand water. The fish do not notice the importance of water until they look at it from out-of-the-box. Comparable to the analysis of the fish story, the prisoner has the opportunity to dig down deep inside of himself to discover his voice within and the freedom that he holds as a human. Thus, by being himself he realizes he can still function by living through other people, whether it is giving them an insight of his being or telling them how vital freedom is in their life. I believe this gets him through everyday of his lifelong sentence. He has a choice on what to do with his freedom- to either throw it away or find a way to make it useful. At any given moment he can choose to take his own life, but instead he wants his voice to be heard by others. I think he wants us to understand how lucky we are to have possession of freedom. Can you imagine having your rights and freedom taken away like this man? I know I would not adjust to that change so quickly. Once it is taken away from you, your mind realizes it can only depend on itself for freedom. Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:24:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/15/what-does-it-mean-to-be-free/#IDComment122560879 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cs%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment121893693 SOC 001 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:55:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cs%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment121893693