en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2430098 Comments by aguy1992 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145249416 The lecture about immigrants was definitely an eye opener to many people, including myself. When I think of immigrants, I normally picture Mexicans. I grew up in a very suburban area, where I typically saw Mexicans in the backyards of my neighbor’s houses cutting the lawns and fixing the landscape. And that’s normally the typical perception when people think of immigrants. We have people all around us that are complaining about how immigrants are taking our jobs, but people need to take a closer look at the jobs they are taking. Normally, they are jobs that we would never want to take. In beyond scorching weather, receiving hardily any pay, these workers are working in the worst conditions to do work that nobody would want to do. I know that when my dad makes me do work outside, I always wished that we could have hired someone else to do the work for us. When we saw the video at the end of Thursday’s class, a lot of different aspects of the movie really struck me. First, it was the kindness of the man that spends majority of his day and salary in order to help out immigrants that are homeless. The man said that his reward for all the work he does is simply seeing the smiles when he gives the immigrants their food, and for most of the immigrants, at around 9:30 it is their first meal they have eaten all day. The work for way below minimum wage, and most of the money they do earn they send back to theirs families back at home. A lot of people think poorly against Mexicans and think they are stealing our jobs and causing damage, but so many of them just came here seeking a better life for their families. Another shocking story is when the guy at the front of the class told us his story about when he traveled across the borders to get to America. I’ve always know that getting across the border is a struggle, but I didn’t know the specifics as to how challenging and dangerous the venture can be. We don’t even have the right to judge immigrants, when to Native Americas we are all immigrants. We question why they look down upon us, but at the same time we are being hypocrites because we look down upon other immigrants. We are all immigrants to this land, which is something that I never really thought of until Sam brought up the point in class. So in the end, many people have a negative perception on immigrants, which makes it necessary for us to take in different perspectives on the situation in order to gain a greater understanding of immigrants. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:07:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145249416 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/#IDComment142954862 Nepotism. Sam gave us the definition, told us what it meant, and then asked us to raise our hand if anyone in the classroom has never benefited from it. Although I may sit and the middle section and I don’t have a full view of the classroom, I personally didn’t see one hand raised. Nepotism is something that everyones experienced, weather it was a small favor to a large one. I personally have benefited not only in the past from nepotism, but it actually happened very recently as well. When I went home for break, I applied all over the place in hopes for finding a job for the summer. Out of the many places I applied to, my application to one in particular differed from the others. The restaurant, a place called Nectar, is located a couple stores down from my grandfathers business. A lot of the members of my family work at the business, and they often eat at Nectar, not only for social gatherings, but business meetings as well. Nectar employees also park their cars at the business’s parking lot; so many of the employees at both places have become very close. When I picked up an application and was filling in the references section, my mom told me to put my uncle as my top reference. I was hesitant at first, but she was really convinced that it would increase my chances at getting the job. My mom also told me to tell my uncle that I applied to Nectar, so he might also be able to help me find a job. Even though I didn’t get the job, the fact that I was able to put my uncles name on my job application to possibly enhance my chances at potentially getting the job definitely displayed a case of nepotism. It definitely made me uncomfortable to be putting his name down as a reference, but in the end it was a decision that i was finally convinced by my mom to do. In the end, I don’t think that I would say no to avoid nepotism. In this economy, getting ahead in life and job really does come down to the connections that you have. And although it can sometimes make me feel guilty, when it comes down to me getting a job in this rough economy, I’m not going to let my guilt stop me from making a living. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:15:18 +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/#IDComment142954862 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141081516 Growing up, politics was never really a topic that was heavily discussed in my family. My parents are really well informed, but they never passed on their political views onto me. I remember very clearly where I was when the towers were attacked. I was in fourth grade sitting on the United States carpet, when our teacher told us that an airplane has run into a building. At that young of an age, I had no idea what was going on, and had no idea what the tears coming out of my teachers eyes meant as they flowed down her face. When I went home that day and saw my mom balling, something I’ve never seen before, I knew that something was terribly wrong. As I’ve grown up in this war, I’ve still not become fully aware of everything that’s happened in the war on terrorism. However, my perception on the war has been very skewed because of the media. The news has greatly influenced my perception on this war. Seeing horrible videos of our soldiers being tortured, and hearing stories about our soldiers being brutally murdered, it was hard for me not to have a horrible perception on the war on terror. Without my parents explaining anything that was going on, my only option was to create my own viewpoint off of the limited materials that were shown to me. However, this last class has definitely changed my perception on the war, and it was really remarkable that Sam was able to put us on the other side of everything that is happening. There is no changing the fact that what the terrorists are doing to soldiers is completely wrong, but what’s never shown to the media, and what was never shown to me, what was what our soldiers in America were doing to people living in the Middle East. When we were shown that video of the soldiers crushing the taxi’s driver’s car, which was the man’s only source of income, it was horrible to see the man actually laughing at the fact that he just completely destroyed someone’s possession. This class not only opened up my viewpoint to the war on terror but it’s also taught me something really important about something that could relate to a variety of issues. I definitely need to become more informed about the issues that surround me, and not only that, but I need to be myself on the opposite side of a situation so that I can understand both sides to a story. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 20:26:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141081516 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/would-you-be-willing-to-learn-a-new-language-for-a-job-119-blog/#IDComment139001580 In these harsh economic times, if you really want to make an effort to get a job, then learning another language might have to be a necessary component of your efforts. Living in a very multicultural world, it is nearly impossible and very unrealistic to think that everyone can speak English. Acquiring the ability to speak another language would not only help you for the specific job you wanted, but it would also help you in your outside surroundings as well. For me personally, and especially during these hard times, I would choose learning another language in order to get a job. It would most definitely be hard, but if the job is something that you really have a passion for, then learning the language should be worth it. In high school and for a bit of grade school, I took Spanish classes. Apart from having a pretty good Spanish accent, I was pretty horrible at actually learning the language. But as I progressed and got older, learning Spanish became a lot more natural to speak, and I found it was beneficial to not only my grades in the class, but I also began to use it outside the classroom as well. When I went to Mexico, I got to practice my Spanish to the many different people living there, and they were all thoroughly impressed with my ability to speak Spanish. When we were walking down the streets and would walk by venders, what was impressive to me was the people that could talk to me in English. This ability to speak English to me was not only very impressive, but they were doing exactly what the video question is asking. This venders that are working their table need to be able to learn English in order to be able to communicate to all the tourists that could potentially be buying their goods. The same thing goes for an area in New York called Canal Street, where many people that don’t typically speak English must learn it in order to sell as many goods as possible. But in the end I would definitely take up the opportunity to learn a new language. My younger cousin is already learning 2 other languages, Armenian and Japanese, and I envy her ability to have the capability to speak to my relatives in Japanese. Knowing the other language would only help you in your job, and provide you with a new way of communicating with other people. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 03:20:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/would-you-be-willing-to-learn-a-new-language-for-a-job-119-blog/#IDComment139001580 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137073546 My grandma emigrated here from Japan and then married my grandpa, who is completely Irish. Back then, this was a time where not only Japanese people were discriminated against because of the World War, but interracial relationships weren’t accepted as well. After what they have told me, I know that my grandma and grandpa’s marriage was not accepted, and even people in my grandpa’s immediate family didn’t talk to him because of the marriage. So at the start of their marriage their marriage was not easy. However after they had four kids and time started to pass, their close relatives became to accept the marriage, and look past that there skin tones differed. My grandma and grandpa were able to stick through the troubles that they faced with their relationship, and thank goodness they did or else I wouldn’t exist today! Love conquers all. I think how my grandpa’s family members reacted to the interracial marriage is similar to the evolution of how people have reacted to interracial marriages. When interracial marriages first started occurring people were very against them. Not only were families not accepting of it, but also people around weren’t either. Although some people today are still against them, they have become much more accepted. For me personally, I am all for interracial relationships. If my grandparents hadn’t gotten married because of their different races, not only would have not been born, but I wouldn’t be the mix of ethnicities that I am today. I think that interracial relationships are completely acceptable and what’s confusing is why people are not accepting of it. Loving and liking someone should not have to do with what someone looks like. It should be about how a person respects you, and the connection you have with them. I personally have never been in a relationship with someone of another ethnicity, but I know I wouldn’t have anything against it. I’ve been attracted to men of other races, and if the relationship worked out, I know that not only I would be happy, but my family as well. My family’s number one concern is that I’m happy with whomever I choose to be with. I think as time goes by, interracial relationships will something that will be fully accepted by everyone. And at that time when it is fully accepted, as Sam says, we are going to look back and wonder why we never accepted it in the first place. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:49:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-do-you-think-about-interracial-relationships-119-blog/#IDComment137073546 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135764433 I think that feeling guilty is too strong of a word to describe how I feel for being my specific race. When I feel guilty, it’s a feeling that leaves emptiness in my stomach. It’s a feeling I get when I mess up something that I was in my own control. Being white is something that I cannot control, so I can’t say that I’ve ever felt guilty for being white, but there are definitely other emotions that I’ve felt. I feel bad for how whites have acted towards other races in the past. I feel bad that I can walk through an airport worry free, while others get glares and looks when they walk through. In our break apart class, one of the students said that he has to wait for two hours when he travels to other countries so that his passport can be thoroughly checked. When I went to another country, I gave them my passport and got it back two seconds later. The only thing that would make me feel guilty would be if I took advantage of the fact that I am white. In class, Sam mentioned that sometimes minorities take advantage of the fact that they are a minority. For example, a girl mentioned that she cut in front a huge group of people knowing that they would not say anything to her because she was part of a minority group. If I took advantage of opportunities just because of the face that I was white, then this is when I may or may not start feeling a slight bit of guilt. I think something important is that I’m aware that my white skin does have an affect on how other people treat me. It stinks that just because I have a different amount of melanin in me, or my eyes aren’t almond shaped, it can make such an impact on how I am treated in comparison to others. I can’t really do much about the way that certain people treat others, but what I can do is try to make people understand that the differences we have from one another are so minimal. I’ve always treated people with respect, because that is how I was raised, but taking this class and seeing that the only things that make us different are such factors like our melanin levels, they are facts that help people put themselves into different perspectives and can hopefully eliminate how people are treated PS- As crazy as Lady Gaga is, her song “Born This Way” have lyrics that I really think relate to a lot of the lessons that Sam has been teaching us. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:14:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/have-you-ever-felt-guilt-from-being-of-a-certain-race-119-blog/#IDComment135764433 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064503 (part 4) From selling bracelets to having bake sales, this money helped to relieve some areas from deep suffering. If my high school was able to make a small difference, it’s amazing to think what nationwide organizations can do. They not only help out small areas, but groups like these can make a huge difference, like passing petitions. Hopefully, if we pull our efforts together we’ll never have to see another video like the cocoa video we saw in class. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:10:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064503 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064459 (part 3) Cocoa beans. It was beyond crazy that a cocoa bean could cause so much harm to so many innocent people. So after this video we all became brutally aware of how horrible people were being treated just so we can have chocolate to enjoy. But this awareness only takes us so far. Taking action is the next step, and its’ definitely the hardest. Even though we are aware, it doesn’t help if we don’t do anything with our awareness. And this isn’t something that everyone does, because it requires a tremendous amount of work. It’s amazing to the people that put forth that amount of effort, because they are the people that make a difference in the world. I’m not one to start up one of these amazing organizations, but I definitely love to take part in them. At my high school we had different types of sales that would benefit countries that were in poverty. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:10:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064459 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064297 (part 2)I think it’s definitely obvious that we live differently from other countries, if we didn’t, then we wouldn’t travel abroad to experience the different cultures of different areas. However what was most shocking was when Sam explained to us the difference between how people in poverty live in comparison to how people in poverty live in other countries. When Sam told us that we live 97% better than the rest of the world, and I’m sure everyone in our class was shocked to hear that statistic. But these are the kinds of things that world needs to hear. It helps us to become more aware, and I think that awareness is key in these types of situations. I think a great example was when we watched the video about slavery going on for cocoa beans. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:09:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064297 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064249 (part 1) My brother currently lives in a pretty scary part of Philadelphia; in fact his area was voted one of the top 25 most dangerous areas to live in. After driving through this area to go to visit him, it made me realize how fortunate I am that I was able to grow up in an area where I felt completely safe and didn’t need to worry about walking the streets alone. Then after taking into consideration that this area is better off than millions living in even lower poverty in other countries, it was a really crazy thing to consider. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:09:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-do-you-feel-about-the-way-people-live-in-america-compared-to-other-places-around-the-world-119-blog/#IDComment134064249 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/is-it-selfish-for-people-in-poverty-to-have-more-kids-because-of-their-lower-income-119-blog/#IDComment130694817 I think our class was all in shock when we heard that Tammy was one of twenty-two siblings. Not only is it rare that we hear of families of such a mass size, but how is it possible that these families can somehow be adequately supported? We all saw the conditions of Tammy’s house, from a toilet outside their house to a pile of junk in their backyard, its definitely not something that I’ve ever seen in the area that I live in. Yes it is a miracle bringing children into the world and keeping families expanding for years, but when children are part of families of extreme amounts of people and cannot be taken care of the right way, it leaves their lives to become deprived. I do believe that families of lower class are being selfish by bringing this many children into the world. Tammy walked over ten miles to work everyday, and that small income did hardly anything for her family. Yes the fact that she was working was a positive aspect, but considering her income was not enough to support her family was not enough. One of Tammy’s sons wanted more for his life and sadly had to look down upon his mother and some of his other siblings, because he was the only child who thrived for more. He was ashamed of how is mother looked, dressed, her job and basically her life. It is difficult to even imagine being a part of a family where I would have to be ashamed of my parents as oppose to being able to look to them as role models in different aspects. In reality we as children are not going to always agree with what our parents and families do, but at least we know they are there to support us and take care of us when we need them. Tammy’s children do not have the same luxury; they have to wonder everyday if and when they will completely have to take care of themselves because their mother is unable to do so. If you cannot provide for a family you should not be able to have such a large one. Not only is the money an issue, but also so is the aspect of love. With so many children and responsibilities, large families’ children may become neglected at one point or another simply because there responsibilities are too vast and they have too much to handle at one point in time. A parent should try and prepare themselves for what they are expecting when they are getting into when starting a family. If they cannot handle it they should then rethink their decision, simply on behalf of their future children. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:08:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/is-it-selfish-for-people-in-poverty-to-have-more-kids-because-of-their-lower-income-119-blog/#IDComment130694817 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/do-arrests-of-different-races-occur-more-due-to-racism-or-more-police-in-urban-areas-119-blog/#IDComment128718860 I think that this is a concern that involves racism and an increase in police enforcement. It’s also an issue that varies from area to area, and also from police officer to police officer as well. In many urban areas, we’ve learned through statistics that its often home to many minority races. What it is also home to is a huge amount of police officers, which ultimately leads to more arrests. When we have this huge number of police officers, they are most likely to be found roaming the streets of urban areas, and not the streets of suburban areas. And after last class we learned that plenty of drug deals happen in suburban areas, but they are less likely to be caught by the police. The reasons are obvious, with the streets of urban areas are loaded with people; it makes police arrests more common so that they aren’t waiting all day. These arrests bring money to the government, which again is another reason why police are always on the constant hunt to arrest people. It’s pretty similar to the how arrests go in area. An increase in arrests are made purposely so that more money is given to the government. I read about a similar situation about state college. The police in state college are looking to give out more underage citations. To pay off an underage is very expensive, so the money going to the government definitely adds up as more citations are given out. So where do you see the police cars around campus? Along the crowded streets of campus where your bound to see underage drinkers stumbling along the sidewalks. This goes the same for the urban areas. The police are going to be in areas where they expect are the best locations to find drug arrests, so these areas are most likely to be found in the urban locations, which is home to many minority races. So when these arrests are made, I think it mainly has to do with the increase in police enforcement. However, I definitely think racism does play a part in this issue. I live in a very suburban area, so its very rare that these arrests are made, but when they are it tends to circulate rapidly throughout the area. My brother currently lives in Philadelphia, and the stories that he tells me definitely show that the racism exists. When he walks the streets of Philly, where police are all over, he knows that although they are looking at him ( a white guy), they are more concerned about the minorities that are in Philly. This is definitely defined as racism, and until racism is in our past, it’s something that surrounds many people in different aspects of their life. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:57:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/do-arrests-of-different-races-occur-more-due-to-racism-or-more-police-in-urban-areas-119-blog/#IDComment128718860 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127453350 The weight that free will and determinism have on a person’s life is a really interesting topic that we discussed a lot during our last recitation class and the class we had yesterday. When you look at a group of people, free will and determinism are both weighted evenly. However, when you look closer at a person’s life, you see that the distribution between the two doesn’t always weigh out evenly. Some have to work way harder in their life to get to the same spot that someone else barely had to work for. This topic also made me wonder about families, and whether or not families have the same distribution of free will and determinism. After thinking of my own family, I’ve realized that families definitely do not. Family households may be given the same opportunities, but it’s all about how we respond to them and our own drive that gets us to where we end up. I grew up in a nice suburban area about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Growing up in this area was not based on my own decision, making that an already determined part of my life. Living in this area allowed me to be a part of a great school district, so for my four years of high school I attended the second ranked best public school in Pennsylvania. Because I lived in my house, going to this great school was also another part of my life that was determined for me. Even though I went to a really great school, my older brother and I both had very different academic experiences within that school. I’m definitely not the type of person that can not pay attention in class and earn straight A’s all throughout high school. I’m the kind of person that studies hours upon hours, and gets guilty feelings in my stomach when I miss a homework assignment. This will to work hard was also something that is my own decision, not my parents. My parents were always there to support me, but they were never the type of parents to check to see if my homework was done, or care about my grades. In a way it definitely helped to ease the stress whenever I did receive a bad grade, knowing they wouldn’t be disappointed, but on the other hand my older brother definitely took this carefree parenting to his advantage. Something I’ve always been really jealous of is my brother’s natural intelligence, however, he’s the kind of guy that is smart but didn’t use it to succeed in school. He took the easiest classes he could possible take, and I’m not really sure I ever saw him doing homework in the house. So basically both my brother and me had very different free wills, but our determinism definitely played an impact. Because I went to a really good school and got fairy good grades, even the fact that I went to a really good school helped me get into Penn State. And although my brother didn’t earn good grades, attending the school also helped him get into Temple. So in the end, my free will is what made me into a hard worker, but living in the area that I did definitely made it easier for me to reach my goals. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:58:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127453350 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment126022133 It’s interesting when you watch comedians of different race with a group of people. If an African American comedian is on the stage, he can make fun of his own race along with others. You also see minority races on stage making fun of other races and the crowd hysterically laughs. However, when a white comedian comes onto stage, he can make fun of his own race, but when it comes to making fun of other races, the people in the audience don’t know whether or not its appropriate for them to break out into laughter. This awkwardness has always been something that has crossed my mind, and I was glad that we were able to discuss it in this class. Like Sam says in class, racism still exists. If it didn’t exist, then this class wouldn’t exist, and everyone could make jokes about whatever race they wanted. But the problem is that racism exists, and it brings a lot of trouble to comedians and other people as well. This question reminds me of an interview that I saw of the rapper Eminem. When he was interviewed he talked about what it’s like being a white rapper in a predominately music industry where most rappers are black. In his interview he said that African American rappers can use certain words, but when he uses that word, he is looked down upon. This is similar to the comedy issue; when a white comedian says something about another race, he is also looked down upon, and more likely to be called a racist. When I saw Dane Cook live this past year, I found myself unsure about when was an appropriate time for me to laugh. He is a great example of a white comedian, because of his fame, but it was obvious that looking around, some of his jokes some people were not finding very funny. When he pulled out a African American joke, some African Americans were okay with it, but other kept a completely straight face. I think that the way you were raised and your beliefs also play a huge impact on what you take seriously and what offends you. Depending on those factors, some things might offend you, while other you can just let slide off your shoulders. For example, if you grew up in a very impoverished area, and thought that another race were all very rich, you would be offended if that race made a joke about your own race. Because this racism still exists, this sensitivity to certain jokes will not just disappear, but as we work to get rid of racism, we will become a more accepting society to these kinds of jokes. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 23:48:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment126022133 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124281466 I think whom we are friends with is really based off how we were raised and how we grew up. I grew up in a suburban area outside Philadelphia, where majority of the students were white. Many of the minority students, primarily African Americans and Asians, stuck together in groups. A lot of other students are mentioning that they feel more comfortable with people of the same race, but why cant we pinpoint the specific reason that makes us feel more comfortable? When I asked my friend why our group of friends in high school had only white people in it, she said it was because we have more things in common with people of the same race. But why can’t we have those same things in common with other races? The only thing we have in common is our skin color, which shouldn’t play a part in making friends. Friendship should be all about compatibility and personality. The only thing that does make sense to me is why the exchange students stick together. If I traveled to another country, chances are that the things I would have in common with people are the people from my area. Especially because many of them do not speak English very well, it’s understandable that they would feel more comfortable with people that speak their same language. But as for people that all live in the same area, it doesn’t make sense that we don’t assimilate ourselves with other races. Because a huge majority of my high school was white, I never really thought about why mainly all my friends were white. Looking back, in my small elementary school, my best friend was black until he moved away. Then when I got into middle school, where numerous elementary schools combined into one, my friends were majority white. However, when I went to high school, our two middle schools combined making the majority of students were white, all my friends were now white. I never really thought about how my group became more and more white until I thought about my progression of friends throughout my school years. It also makes me notice that as my student population got bigger and bigger, the more spread out races became. However, now that I am in college, I think that my group of friends has now gone back to the way it was in middle school. My closest friends in college turned out to be the girls that are living on my floor, and all of us have different backgrounds and religions, but we all get along so well. We’ve all found different things we have in common with one another, and we all look past whatever race or religion we are. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:56:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124281466 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122677114 During class I attempted to categorize the class, and then came to the realization that there was no way this was possible. The pressure that was put on the two girls who were chosen to go in front of the class was incredible. They were single-handedly responsible for choosing what they believed the people of our class were, and in all honesty I believe that this would have been extremely difficult. Throughout this activity though, I pictured what it would be like to be the person who had to choose the ethnicities, and then realized how diverse my class truly was. Take me for example, I look completely Caucasian, but in reality I am Irish, Polish, Swedish and Japanese-this you would never know by simply looking at me. Before the activity began, we had to pick a race, which corresponded with the people in the pictures. It was so intrigued by the fact that I looked at a certain person, and was able to judge them so quickly, and because of this was completely wrong about who they were. We never consider that someone who is Asian may be more than Chinese or Japanese. Or someone that has dark skin may be more than an African American. When you truly take the time to learn about who a person is, and where they come from it completely changes you perspective on whom they are. Especially as being someone who looks one race, and is actually many different ethnicities, I know what it is like to have people judge what you are, and be shocked that you are actually the person you are. I could not believe that there was actually a girl who was Native American who was placed with the group of Asian students and yet nobody knew what ethnicity she actually was. Then there was a girl who they were convinced was a mix, but was really one hundred percent Vietnamese, which is something I myself had no idea about. This activity truly opened up my mind to the world around me, and has now made me more aware of whom I am surrounded by. My peers possess more interesting cultures and qualities than I could have ever known, and because of this activity I am now able to consider the diversity even occurring in this class. To me the most interesting part of this activity was when students whose ancestors were from the same place had to be grouped together, because you would expect them all to resemble each other. Though this was not the case at all. Most of the people put in one group looked completely different from each other and this was something that literally blew my mind. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:21:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/what-do-you-think-blog-2/#IDComment122677114 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment121931943 soc119 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:25:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment121931943