Forum #1: Words and Meanings - Mr. E's Forum: 2006-2007

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Forum #1: Words and Meanings

Date: Jan 31, 2007

The word I chose to write about was gender. I think gender maens the difference between male and female. Sexual discrimination, makes up a problem with gender. One thing that worked well for gender in a reallife situation was when women got the right to vote after they were told they couldn't that was a sucess too. One of the challenges of gender would be being a single mother.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

I had #8 which is, what is activism?

Definition:
Action to acheive a desired goal.

Describe a challenge in the past:
When the United States declared war on Iraq to stop terrorism.

Describe a challenge in the present:
The execution of Saddam Hussein, to get rid of the Iraqi leader and mastermind.

Describe in a real-life scenario:
In order to pass the class (the goal) you must have the want to study and work hard in the class and do your homework (the action).

Date: Jan 31, 2007

mre wrote:
Last night, I asked each student to analyze one of the following questions from a couple different perspectives. The questions were, 1) what is race?, 2) what is culture?, 3) what is class?, 4) what is gender?, 5) what is diversity?, 6) what is peace?, 7) what is power?, 8) what is activism?, 9) what is unity? and 10) what is equality?.

The answers to these questions are both simple and difficult. They are simple because they are common words that have everyday meanings, but they are difficult because they are all 'deep' and contain multiple contexts and perspectives. I had asked each student to complete three tasks for each question: 1) define your word, 2) describe a challenge in the present and a success in the past for your word and 3) use your word in a real-life scenario.

So, I'm going to ask all students to post their work here today. To write a post, all you have to do is click 'reply'. If you are responding to someone else's post, click 'quote'. Remember that everyone sees what everyone writes, so respect is key. It's perfectly ok to disagree with someone in a respectful way and it is a specific necessity in this class. If you want to cite evidence to back up your position (which is encouraged) you should paste the URL of your source to your post.

This assignment is worth 100 points and will count towards your Journal grade. You will receive 20 points for a definition, 30 points for a challenge and a success, 30 points for a real-life scenario and 20 points for a response to another student's post. I will give extra credit to students who continue the discussion and answer the responses. The goal is to build a dialogue on serious, complicated issues that we live with each day. Let's have fun and speak our truth with respect!

What is Diversity?
The condition of being different or having difference.
All the students and teachers at New Bedford high shcool are multi-cultral but yet were all put together . Even though were all diifferent we all belive in diiffrent things were still all together in one way.Other example some cultures celebrate other hanukkah other christmas but yet its all diffrent ways of celebrating in what they belive but where all together because each one of us belive in one god although its different we still all belive in one god. That challge we face every day on us being diifferent is because were diffferent were not all going to get along so thats going to cause problems not everyone is going to like everyone . This is why we all need to understand that just because were different doesn't mean we cant get along and come together. Difference dosent mean a thing it just makes your personaliity who you are. The succes in all this is many times people from all diffrent cultures from portuguese to afriacan american to chinese were all united as one and we all learn to like one other to learn about one other. This is the success of the chalenge when we all learn to be united and understand and respect the other person culture. This is why we have diversity.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is activism?

Activism is is being active in something, or being involved in something important.
for example to stop something or even be for something. Activism can be negative as well as possitive. Activists face challenges as well as sucesses for example,The challenge of this issue is trying to get people to stand up for an issue that should be stopped.The success of activism is way back when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was preaching about racism. He was a very well known activist. He tried to reach out to people to help them realize that racism was wrong. Actvism is a very important role in the world today because without activism serious issues in the world today might not get resolved.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

The word that I had was class. The definition I got for class was: social rank; a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics and having the same social position.

I think that in the present day the challenge for classes in the United States is based on race and and how much money you make. I think that most white, wealthy people are held in higher positions then say African Americans. Even though most racism has been taken care of, I still think that that idea is still in some people's heads just because of how they were raised or from a personal experience. I think that because of this sometimes races, that aren't white, aren't respected as much or are even considered a lower class.

A previous success for class was Women's Rights. Before it was written that women should be treated as equals in the Constitution women were considered a lower class then men. It was very unfair. They fought for their rights and won them and got what they wanted. The y now had the ability to do anything that a man was allowed to do, like vote.

The real-life scenario that I thought could relate to class was this. I thought that maybe the different socialgroups in a school could be considered, maybe, like different social classes. I thought that maybe a higher social class might be preppy, and a lower social class might be nerdy kids. I don't really know if this is true in New BEdford High School or not, but I know for a fact that this is true at Dartmouth High School having attended it for 3 years of high school.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is race? Race is someone's nationality or background.

The challenge that deals with race today is rasicm, and the success that deals with race is the Civil Rights movement.

A real life scenerio could be an interracial couple. A couple who are just as much in love as anyone else-but happen to come from two totally different backgrounds. The reaction of people can be negative, because a lot of people still believe people should stick to their own race. Couples go through the uncomfortable feeling of being stared and pointed at, and being talked about.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Power: authority over something(s) or someone(S)

One major challenge in the present for the word power is the issue whether or not police officials have too much power or authority. There is a huge debate in society deciding what type of power officials should have.

Another major challenge in history for the word power is the decline of power from Hitler. Hitler had enormous power over Germany, and because of all this power, Hitler put the Jewish people through a tragic crisis. Hitler showed his power by the concentration camps and his munipulation. The only success in this challenge was Hitler's decline of power.

A real-life scenario for power in the world is the fact that in many third-world countries women are beneath men. In other countries men have mor power by their government, jobs, clothing etc. For example, in a family in Iraq the women cannot show any skin, can't make more money than the man in the family, and basically have no rights.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is equality?

Equality- is equal rights and every one has there own.

In the world now more woman have equality they can do more things now then back then like to vote and to be in the army. Back then people had less equality then now people like woman or other race or even somtimes people that were in the lower class. Now woman can go to the army but still not have the rights to do a lot of things but every year they work at it. But the equality now is not as strict and mostly everybody has there own equality in certain things.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is peace?

Definition: Peace is non-violence amongst each and everything thing in existence. Equality also plays a part in keeping that peace.

Challenge (Today): A challenge today would be trying to keep peace amongst the people in Iraq by the soldiers. With all the fighting and such going on, peace is a much needed thing in their lives.

Success (History): A success in history would be when Great Britain tried controlling the settlers in the U.S. and failed to do so. By failing in the attempt, over time, the tension between these two nations eventually disappeared and peace was made.

Scenario in Real Life: A scenario in real life would be gang fights and rivalries and such that happen frequently throughout many cities in the world. These things cause a disruption in the flow of peace that should be within the city.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

     Gender is what you are classified depending on if you are a male of female. It also makes you different from a male/female, in some ways how you look, but really I feel as though a male and a female are equal in all other aspects. These aspects would be that they are equally strong, powerful, intelligent and should also be respected equally.
     I think a challenge in our world that included gender would be giving women the right to vote. They could not vote because they were not a male. There was no reason at all. They just had no rights. As time went by they succeeded and got their right to vote.
    A challenge that is still a problem today is women cannot become president. No female has ever became a president and I feel as though that issue is based on gender.

-- Edited by mre at 16:15, 2007-01-31

Date: Jan 31, 2007

POWER
Too me the word power means having control over anything and everything. A present challenge in todays world dealing with power would be the fight over in Iraq. The U.S soldiers are trying to take all the power that al quida has in Iraq away to make that country a democracy. A past event dealing with power would be WW2. The Allied countries stopped Adolf Hitler from taking complete power in the eastrn Continents.
a real life scenario is happeneing in north korea . Kim Jong il is rtying to take control over sounth korea.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is power?

Power is having the ability and willingness to make changes and be a leader. It is having authority and control. It can be both positive and negative, leaders can abuse their own power, but they can also use it to make changes for the better of their people.

Challenge in the present:

A challenge that deals with power that we face in the present is that much of the country disagrees on how much power the President should have over the armed forces in Iraq. There are people who are against the war and feel that it should end, but the President feels that troops should stay in Iraq.

Power in history:

An example of how power has been successful in history is in World War II when the U.S. used their power as a nation to fight and stop Nazi Germany from taking control over Europe.

Real life scenario:

George Bush has said that all countries who wish to send anything into space must first get the approval of the United States. If the United States feels that another country’s space exploration could be harmful to the U.S., then the U.S. could deny them the right to do so. This shows that the U.S. feels that it has the power to control space.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Culture is the various traditions and activities of different countries, religions, ect.

A cultural challenge that is happening in present day, would be how different cultures fight. This has been happening for years. People from one culture may feel that another one is wrong, just because it is different. What they don't realize is that culture is different for a reason. It shows the differences between people and how they're individual.
A previous cultural success in history is when slavery came to an end. The African people brought their culture back after is was taken from them.

New Bedford is full of cultural diversity. We have people from all over the world in this city and it makes it really come to life.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Donald Venerable wrote:
The word I chose to write about was gender. I think gender maens the difference between male and female. Sexual discrimination, makes up a problem with gender. One thing that worked well for gender in a reallife situation was when women got the right to vote after they were told they couldn't that was a sucess too. One of the challenges of gender would be being a single mother.

Good answer, Donald. We've definitely come a long way since 50 or 100 years ago concernign the rights of women. 50 years ago many colleges didn't even allow women to wear pants. All had to wear skirts or dresses. Before 1969, girls weren't even allowed to play any schools sports. They were all male. Today, many are wondering if women should serve if a draft is called, or if women should serve on the front lines in combat. What do you think? Do you think that, today, most people don't care about gender... only whether someone is qualified? Or do you think that some inequality still exists between men and women?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Nathan Vidal wrote:

I had #8 which is, what is activism?

Definition:
Action to acheive a desired goal.

Describe a challenge in the past:
When the United States declared war on Iraq to stop terrorism.

Describe a challenge in the present:
The execution of Saddam Hussein, to get rid of the Iraqi leader and mastermind.

Describe in a real-life scenario:
In order to pass the class (the goal) you must have the want to study and work hard in the class and do your homework (the action).

Nate, I was in some of those protests against the Iraq War (well, this was even before we invaded Iraq). What do you think will encourage teens to become social activists? Do you think that everyone can find an issue that they believe in and work towards it or do you think that some people just won't get involved? How do you think you convince someone that they CAN change the world?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Tiffany Vilacha wrote:
What is Diversity?
The condition of being different or having difference.
All the students and teachers at New Bedford high shcool are multi-cultral but yet were all put together . Even though were all diifferent we all belive in diiffrent things were still all together in one way.Other example some cultures celebrate other hanukkah other christmas but yet its all diffrent ways of celebrating in what they belive but where all together because each one of us belive in one god although its different we still all belive in one god. That challge we face every day on us being diifferent is because were diffferent were not all going to get along so thats going to cause problems not everyone is going to like everyone . This is why we all need to understand that just because were different doesn't mean we cant get along and come together. Difference dosent mean a thing it just makes your personaliity who you are. The succes in all this is many times people from all diffrent cultures from portuguese to afriacan american to chinese were all united as one and we all learn to like one other to learn about one other. This is the success of the chalenge when we all learn to be united and understand and respect the other person culture. This is why we have diversity.

Very true, Tiffany. How do you think you reach those people who don't agree with you on diversity and still have prejudice or stereotypes in their hearts (or in their words) in this school?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Shallyn Carreiro wrote:
What is activism?

Activism is is being active in something, or being involved in something important.
for example to stop something or even be for something. Activism can be negative as well as possitive. Activists face challenges as well as sucesses for example,The challenge of this issue is trying to get people to stand up for an issue that should be stopped.The success of activism is way back when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was preaching about racism. He was a very well known activist. He tried to reach out to people to help them realize that racism was wrong. Actvism is a very important role in the world today because without activism serious issues in the world today might not get resolved.

Shallyn, you're right. The real question is: how do you get people to care? Or if we assume that all people care to a certain extent, how can we get them to do something about it. Think about the NAZI's and the Germans in World War II. Do you think if enough average German people protested and spoke out against the NAZI's, that they would have been able to be stopped *before* they became a huge threat? Do you think that people who don't help are hurting an issue? Or is it possible not to take sides on an injustice in the world today? Like the people being killed in the Sudan or the war in Iraq or poverty in the US...

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Mason. wrote:
The word that I had was class. The definition I got for class was: social rank; a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics and having the same social position.

I think that in the present day the challenge for classes in the United States is based on race and and how much money you make. I think that most white, wealthy people are held in higher positions then say African Americans. Even though most racism has been taken care of, I still think that that idea is still in some people's heads just because of how they were raised or from a personal experience. I think that because of this sometimes races, that aren't white, aren't respected as much or are even considered a lower class.

A previous success for class was Women's Rights. Before it was written that women should be treated as equals in the Constitution women were considered a lower class then men. It was very unfair. They fought for their rights and won them and got what they wanted. The y now had the ability to do anything that a man was allowed to do, like vote.

The real-life scenario that I thought could relate to class was this. I thought that maybe the different socialgroups in a school could be considered, maybe, like different social classes. I thought that maybe a higher social class might be preppy, and a lower social class might be nerdy kids. I don't really know if this is true in New BEdford High School or not, but I know for a fact that this is true at Dartmouth High School having attended it for 3 years of high school.

Mason, you're right about levels. We call it 'stratification' in technical terms of sociology. Most of the levels are determined by money and wealth and wages and income and costs - stuff like that. Other levels are reinforced by stereotypes and generalizations. Do you think its possible to 'bridge' different levels? Do you think that different perspectives create different levels? For instance, do you think that preppy kids could be considered lower class by others?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

XxMike JOnesxX wrote:
POWER
Too me the word power means having control over anything and everything. A present challenge in todays world dealing with power would be the fight over in Iraq. The U.S soldiers are trying to take all the power that al quida has in Iraq away to make that country a democracy. A past event dealing with power would be WW2. The Allied countries stopped Adolf Hitler from taking complete power in the eastrn Continents.
a real life scenario is happeneing in north korea . Kim Jong il is rtying to take control over sounth korea.

Mike, you know something interesting about WW2 is that the US never officially declared war on Germany, only Japan. Germany declared war on us, though, but you're right about power. Power is a concept that changes situations, but it really matters most to who has it and who doesn't. It's not always so clear either. Think about all of the best changes in US history concerning RIGHTS. The people *demanded* power to change the government's policies from inequality and racism to ones where people were treated more equal. The people had the power. Do you think they still do?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Catherine wrote:
What is equality?

Equality- is equal rights and every one has there own.

In the world now more woman have equality they can do more things now then back then like to vote and to be in the army. Back then people had less equality then now people like woman or other race or even somtimes people that were in the lower class. Now woman can go to the army but still not have the rights to do a lot of things but every year they work at it. But the equality now is not as strict and mostly everybody has there own equality in certain things.

Catherine, thanks. How do you think American society (or even just issues related to women) can be made more equal today?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Sabrina wrote:
Power: authority over something(s) or someone(S)

One major challenge in the present for the word power is the issue whether or not police officials have too much power or authority. There is a huge debate in society deciding what type of power officials should have.

Another major challenge in history for the word power is the decline of power from Hitler. Hitler had enormous power over Germany, and because of all this power, Hitler put the Jewish people through a tragic crisis. Hitler showed his power by the concentration camps and his munipulation. The only success in this challenge was Hitler's decline of power.

A real-life scenario for power in the world is the fact that in many third-world countries women are beneath men. In other countries men have mor power by their government, jobs, clothing etc. For example, in a family in Iraq the women cannot show any skin, can't make more money than the man in the family, and basically have no rights.

Sabrina, you're right and since I know that you know about the Patriot Act, that is one of the biggest challenges today. Do you think that it will ever be removed? Do you think the threat of terrorism will give police and others permanent power over the civil rights and liberties of the American people?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Heather Roy wrote:
What is race? Race is someone's nationality or background.

The challenge that deals with race today is rasicm, and the success that deals with race is the Civil Rights movement.

A real life scenerio could be an interracial couple. A couple who are just as much in love as anyone else-but happen to come from two totally different backgrounds. The reaction of people can be negative, because a lot of people still believe people should stick to their own race. Couples go through the uncomfortable feeling of being stared and pointed at, and being talked about.

Heather, do you think that will end at a certain point (disagreements over inter-racial couples) in the future? Today, for instance, most people don't consider gender the obstacle it was to job applications (back when society was more male-dominated).

Date: Jan 31, 2007

My word was unity.
To me unity is people coming together as one no matter their race, culture, ethnicity, sexual preference, religion, etc. It's just about people becoming one and putting aside their differences.
something that challenges that from happening is how people tend to stick with people from their own race, sexual preference, religion, etc. because that's who they feel safe with. I know so many people that are afraid to become friends with someone from another race just because they're afraid they won't be accepted.
A success in history that showed unity as a country is in history how different countries would come together in order to take part in wars for a common cause. They would put their differences aside and would come together as a group of people and would fight for a common cause.
A real life scenario is my everyday life. As a Puerto Rican I know first hand how it feels to not feel like I'm accepted just because of who I am. That doesn't make me any less proud of who I am because I'm very proud to be what I am. It's just that this school says that we are all a family and I know that's not true. I'm faced every day with the constant challenges of being around people who don't all like me because I'm different. A lot of people don't know what it is to be in classes with people who won't even talk to you because they are intimidated by stereotypes that they hear. I wish people could just put the differences aside and see the real people. If more people thought like this, the world would be a lot more united.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is culture?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

RE: Forum #1: Words and Meanings

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Equality means to be equal; the same; even; balanced.

Throughout history different people have not always been considered equal. Men have had more power over women. Things have changed since a lot, but to this day, no one is still really equal. For instance, we still have yet to have a female president. That needs to change. However, women have been obtaining more powerful jobs and such over the years.

Today, men and women are definitely more equal than in the past. A big part of women becoming more successful and important is thanks to the women's rights movement.

Women's status in the work force is a perfect example of how times have changed.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

One would claim that the definition of unity is a group of people coming together for a common cause, no matter what the cause may be. As long as the people stand together as one voice, as one person, then that is unity. I think a challenge for unity today in the world is that is that this country will not stand together to support this country and the leaders of it. We do not all have to agree with what is said and done but we MUST all stand together as one country now more than ever. It's in our title, the UNITED States of America. A success of unity would be the civil rights movement of the mid fifties to the late sixties will Dr. King. For those who don't quite grasp the meaning of this word yet. A situation where unity would come into play would be, something to the effect of a group of people were persecuted by the government of the country they are in because of the their race or ethnic backround in a given area. Well when these people got together and protested together and made speeches publicly so on and so forth. When these people stood together as one voice and spoke against what was wrong would be an example of unity.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is Peace?

Peace is an agreement to end all hostilites. Peace is making love not war.

A challenge of Peace is right now with the war in Iraq and Iran. A sucess of peace is ending a war or fight, like world war I & II.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

I do think inequality exists between men and women today for example there has been no women president the whole time span the united states has been under rule. The thing that makes me laugh is that some men think they are better than women and thats not true we are all equal race and gender

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Winnie Z wrote:
What is peace?
Definition: Peace is non-violence amongst each and everything thing in existence. Equality also plays a part in keeping that peace.

Challenge (Today): A challenge today would be trying to keep peace amongst the people in Iraq by the soldiers. With all the fighting and such going on, peace is a much needed thing in their lives.

Success (History): A success in history would be when Great Britain tried controlling the settlers in the U.S. and failed to do so. By failing in the attempt, over time, the tension between these two nations eventually disappeared and peace was made.

Scenario in Real Life: A scenario in real life would be gang fights and rivalries and such that happen frequently throughout many cities in the world. These things cause a disruption in the flow of peace that should be within the city.

This is really good, Winnie. What do you think should be done about the gang violence in cities? How do you think peace can be brought back to cities in order to stop violence?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Winnie Z wrote:
What is peace?
Definition: Peace is non-violence amongst each and everything thing in existence. Equality also plays a part in keeping that peace.

Challenge (Today): A challenge today would be trying to keep peace amongst the people in Iraq by the soldiers. With all the fighting and such going on, peace is a much needed thing in their lives.

Success (History): A success in history would be when Great Britain tried controlling the settlers in the U.S. and failed to do so. By failing in the attempt, over time, the tension between these two nations eventually disappeared and peace was made.

Scenario in Real Life: A scenario in real life would be gang fights and rivalries and such that happen frequently throughout many cities in the world. These things cause a disruption in the flow of peace that should be within the city.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Nicole wrote:
Equality means to be equal; the same; even; balanced.

Throughout history different people have not always been considered equal. Men have had more power over women. Things have changed since a lot, but to this day, no one is still really equal. For instance, we still have yet to have a female president. That needs to change. However, women have been obtaining more powerful jobs and such over the years.

Today, men and women are definitely more equal than in the past. A big part of women becoming more successful and important is thanks to the women's rights movement.

Women's status in the work force is a perfect example of how times have changed.

I agree Nikki we definately need to have a woman President like Hillary Clinton :]

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Kate Snell wrote:
Culture is the various traditions and activities of different countries, religions, ect.

A cultural challenge that is happening in present day, would be how different cultures fight. This has been happening for years. People from one culture may feel that another one is wrong, just because it is different. What they don't realize is that culture is different for a reason. It shows the differences between people and how they're individual.
A previous cultural success in history is when slavery came to an end. The African people brought their culture back after is was taken from them.

New Bedford is full of cultural diversity. We have people from all over the world in this city and it makes it really come to life.

I agree with you totally. People have no appreciation for other cultures. Not everyone feels the same about religion, and other things. People are intitled to feel however they want about certain things. People in the world would know so much more about other cultures if they just respected all of them-even if they're culture is different.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

nessaA wrote:
Culture is the things that make up a group of people. It's the food, the way they dress, their religion, and even how they decorate their homes. Everyone has a culture and everyone has been influensed by another culture. A challenge in the present that relates to culture is how some people don't understand another person's culture and they might discourage that person for being different of having different ways of doing things. A success in the past with culture is how some cultures have spread across the world and influenced many other people. A real life problem we have with culture is that many people in the US don't understand the culture of Middle Easturn people. Because we don't understand how they live we tend to critsize them because they don't live the way we live and we do it to many other cultures as well. There are people that are open-minded and are willing to learn about other cultures, but other people are just ignorant.

i agree with everything u wrote. Unity is deffinatly what this city is lacking. Maybe if we had a little bit of unity there would be less homicides and gang violence and stuff like that.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Kate Snell wrote:
Culture is the various traditions and activities of different countries, religions, ect.

A cultural challenge that is happening in present day, would be how different cultures fight. This has been happening for years. People from one culture may feel that another one is wrong, just because it is different. What they don't realize is that culture is different for a reason. It shows the differences between people and how they're individual.
A previous cultural success in history is when slavery came to an end. The African people brought their culture back after is was taken from them.

New Bedford is full of cultural diversity. We have people from all over the world in this city and it makes it really come to life.

Katie i completely agree with you about the amount of diverse culture in New Bedford. It can have a positive and negative impact on us. It may cause too many differences, however it can also bring people together.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

I think that racism ,different cultures,nationalities, and racism,war, animal cruelty and much more will ebcourage teens to become social activists.There are so many issues in todays society so it's up to the person, what they feel is wrong or even what they believe is right to stand up and be active about it. Make your opinion known. Their main goal is to reach out to others and tell them what you think is right! thats activism. Also, activism is believing in yourself because by doing this and reaching to others with your own beliefs your already changing the world, maybe not the whole world but some of it.
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Date: Jan 31, 2007

Amanda wrote:
What is power?

Power is having the ability and willingness to make changes and be a leader. It is having authority and control. It can be both positive and negative, leaders can abuse their own power, but they can also use it to make changes for the better of their people.

Challenge in the present:
A challenge that deals with power that we face in the present is that much of the country disagrees on how much power the President should have over the armed forces in Iraq. There are people who are against the war and feel that it should end, but the President feels that troops should stay in Iraq.

Power in history:
An example of how power has been successful in history is in World War II when the U.S. used their power as a nation to fight and stop Nazi Germany from taking control over Europe.

Real life scenario:
George Bush has said that all countries who wish to send anything into space must first get the approval of the United States. If the United States feels that another country’s space exploration could be harmful to the U.S., then the U.S. could deny them the right to do so. This shows that the U.S. feels that it has the power to control space.

Great work Amanda. :) I like your definition of what power is and how it can have a negative effect and positive effect. Your challenge in today's world is good too. What is your position on the war? ^.^ Do you think the U.S has overrated its' capabilities in the real life scenario?

Date: Jan 31, 2007

what is diversity?

What is diversity to me? Diversity to me is a wide range of different people with different cultures living in the same community.Althought all those people live different or act different they still live together to form a diversity

A challenge to me in the present would have to be how there are so many different people living in one area and they are having trouble with getting along with one another and judging eachother in a way they dont want to be judged.

A success in the past is with all the different cultures living in the same area people are able to learn about one another and be introduced to how different people live.

A real life scenario would have to be all the different diversities living in New Bedford such as how there are portugese,spanish,and cape verdian people living in the same area and interacting with one another. Also, how there are different types of students in New Bedford High School.
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Date: Jan 31, 2007

Gender is whether your a female or male thats what gender is. The issues today with gender is that is that male and female are equal for any job For example females can work in construction just like male. Back then it wasn't like that the male had control over everything while the female slaved over a hot stove and clean took care of the childeren thats how it was then and now. A real live situation a little boy in England who was 12 changed his sex gender to become a girl but i feel that that is his decision but on the other hand his to young. Thats how i feel about it.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

I think that woman should stand up more for there rights. Men are the same as woman what a man can do a woman can do to if not better. I think that there should be more woman leaders and maybe everything would change and woman would have more rights I think there should let woman try what ever they want to try if they cant do it then at least they were brave to try it but i think we should all have equal rights and not be sexest thords anyone.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Gender...

1) In my opinion, gender encompasses much more than literal, biological sex. Gender is complex. Like I said, gender isn't limited by biological sex, it includes characteristics such as speech, appearence, personality, and psychological dimension.
2) Sexism is one thing that plagues gender equality today. To be specific, sexism is considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on gender rather than individual capacity. Another challenge is the struggle of genders to succeed in an environment which is primarily run by the opposite sex. A great example is of a woman succeeding in a atmosphere which is predominantly male. An even better example is that of Hillary Clinton and her presidential pursiuts. A past success concerning gender was the U.S. Equal Pay Act which made a great leap in the topic. One other is Title Vll of the Civili Rights Act of 1964 which like the U.S. Equal Pay Act, took great strides in putting an end to gender inequality. Both fight to prohibit workplace discrimination (including firing and hiring), workplace reduction, benefits, and sexually harassing conduct.
3) Gender is discussed widely in real-life today. The term often comes up in schools, t.v., in the workplace, and in the numerous studies released often which chronicle the differences and similarities between males and females.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

What is Race?

Race is can mean alot of different things. There is no one real meaning. i can,however describe it the way i see it. Race"" to me means your charateristics and nationality. i don't think of it as a negative way, even though there are negative ways to look at it. i see it more as your traits and religion. its not always about your Skin color or your background.

Where you live in the U.S. isn't just a matter of preference. It's also about providing for the future. Not everyone have the same access to home ownership, good schools, and resources.

Every one grows up different ways, with different beliefs.... judgeing them for it is wrong.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

I think that teenagers need to want to be social activists. If they really find something that they want to work towards and that they want to be able to make a difference, then that is a good thing. There are also teenagers that face challenges but give up do to the actions that it takes to acheive that goal, that is not a good boost of self esteem. I think that I can convince someone that they can make a change in the world, if not in someones life. If you can help out somebody in need of assistance than that can make that person feel good. If that person wants to achieve something big you can be there to help them acheive it. People are faced with issues everyday, it is their decision if they want to pursue the actions that will make them acheive that goal.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Lexie Wetzel wrote:
What is activism?

Activism is, the use of direct, often confrontational action, such as a demonstration or strike, in opposition to or support of a cause. Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change.
A challenge in the present concerning activism is when picketers go on strike for their work if they are underpaid or overworked. A success in the past would have to be what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did because he was an activist. A real-life scenario would have to be when a group of people sign a petition to bring about some type of change in society.

I agree with you Lexie about the acitivism. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a huge influence on society.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

mr e wrote:
Heather Roy wrote:
What is race? Race is someone's nationality or background.

The challenge that deals with race today is rasicm, and the success that deals with race is the Civil Rights movement.

A real life scenerio could be an interracial couple. A couple who are just as much in love as anyone else-but happen to come from two totally different backgrounds. The reaction of people can be negative, because a lot of people still believe people should stick to their own race. Couples go through the uncomfortable feeling of being stared and pointed at, and being talked about.
Heather, do you think that will end at a certain point (disagreements over inter-racial couples) in the future? Today, for instance, most people don't consider gender the obstacle it was to job applications (back when society was more male-dominated).

I'm happy that you used interracial couples as an example. People are so caught up in stereotypical marraiges, that's why they stare. This is something that should be accepted in society.
When people love each other, they cant help it. Just because two or three people dont like it, it shouldnt matter. The people outside of the relationship are NOT important.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Lexie Wetzel wrote:
Nicole wrote:
Equality means to be equal; the same; even; balanced.

Throughout history different people have not always been considered equal. Men have had more power over women. Things have changed since a lot, but to this day, no one is still really equal. For instance, we still have yet to have a female president. That needs to change. However, women have been obtaining more powerful jobs and such over the years.

Today, men and women are definitely more equal than in the past. A big part of women becoming more successful and important is thanks to the women's rights movement.

Women's status in the work force is a perfect example of how times have changed.

I agree Nikki we definately need to have a woman President like Hillary Clinton :]

I agree also, but i believe Oprah would be perfect for our next president, eventhough she's not planning on running, i believe she would do an awsome job.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Heather Roy wrote:
What is race? Race is someone's nationality or background.

The challenge that deals with race today is rasicm, and the success that deals with race is the Civil Rights movement.

A real life scenerio could be an interracial couple. A couple who are just as much in love as anyone else-but happen to come from two totally different backgrounds. The reaction of people can be negative, because a lot of people still believe people should stick to their own race. Couples go through the uncomfortable feeling of being stared and pointed at, and being talked about.

I feel as though you had to good examples and I kind of feel stupid replying to yours because your answer was all smart so Im done.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

Nicole wrote:
Equality means to be equal; the same; even; balanced.

Throughout history different people have not always been considered equal. Men have had more power over women. Things have changed since a lot, but to this day, no one is still really equal. For instance, we still have yet to have a female president. That needs to change. However, women have been obtaining more powerful jobs and such over the years.

Today, men and women are definitely more equal than in the past. A big part of women becoming more successful and important is thanks to the women's rights movement.

Women's status in the work force is a perfect example of how times have changed.

Nicole, I think that your definition for equality is right. I also agree about the woman president. I think that it would be really cool if for once a woman would be elected president. I'm not sure but I think my Dad told me last year that some women in politics were thinking about running for President, like Hillary Clinton. I'm not sure if they still are, but that would be a big step up for women's equality in the United States. I think that another great struggle for equality would be in the Middle East. Some countries still have a law that force women to hide their faces behind a veil.

Date: Jan 31, 2007

days wrote:
What is Race?

Race is can mean alot of different things. There is no one real meaning. i can,however describe it the way i see it. Race"" to me means your charateristics and nationality. i don't think of it as a negative way, even though there are negative ways to look at it. i see it more as your traits and religion. its not always about your Skin color or your background.

Where you live in the U.S. isn't just a matter of preference. It's also about providing for the future. Not everyone have the same access to home ownership, good schools, and resources.

Every one grows up different ways, with different beliefs.... judgeing them for it is wrong.

Good job Ashley !