News

yeah.. sadly im not really up to date with war on iraq.. it seems like news in general has nothing postive to talk about anymore. they are always ranting about people dieing and suffer in the world.
People dont always like to constonaly hear things like that.. i think tahts why so many people don't watch the news unless there is a mass murder... we became a little apathetic, becuz of all the death in movies games, in music. and on the news..
its kind of sad.

War in Iraq

Like many of the other people who posted, I have no clue what is going on in Iraq at the moment. I always hear people say that we aren't getting anything done there and Bush should pull out the troops so that the US stops losing soldiers for no reason. I think that if it were really that bad in Iraq, Bush would have pulled all of the troops out already. I think that people need to understand that Bush is the president for a reason and we should trust him and his decisions with regard to the war in Iraq.

War

I truthfully have no idea what is going on in Iraq right now. All i know is that we are over there trying to help and that Bush may have had some bad decesions but we should still support him, his job is hard enough as it is. But as Americans are dying over there all time it might be time for a better solution and we should rethink about why we are there and what good we are actually doing. All in all, the whole war thing is probabley not what we should be involved in right now with people dying in our own country and us pouring our federal dollars into Iraq.

War

Being in the army, i have my view on the war. What most people dont know is that we are doing a lot of good over there. Im have a lot of friends that have been over there and they were telling me what they did and how they helped people. They say that the people in Iraq feel safer and are glad the Americans are there. Some of my friends are engineers and said that they are building schools improving roads and civil works programs. Im going over seas next October and i will see the Iraq war first hand. Going over there is going to a new interseting experience. But i will to go because im told to and i signed up knowing that will most likely be going to war. And im willing to put my life on the line for this country and its citizens

War

I definitely feel that we should not be in Iraq right now and that we aren’t doing anything productive there. I feel that Americans are dying out there everyday for no reason. But I think that now that we are there, there is no way that we can pull out in a time like this. I agree with Brian and Lindsey though and believe that we need to keep supporting our troops and country and need to figure out how we are going to handle the problem.

war

Whether we should be in Iraq or not is, I feel like, a pointless conversation. Because, at the end of the day it's really too late to make that decision. The decision to enter the middle east was made shortly after 9/11, and I doubt many people objected to it then. You make a commitment to the US whenever you gain your citizenship or are born on this soil, and your commitment is to support your country for better or worse. So, whether you believe we should be there or not (I find myself leaning towards not a lot), the fact remains that you must support your country, and most of all, the men and women protecting your freedoms everyday.

war

I totally agree with Julie on this one. She is 100% right. People also have to realize that we can't pull out of the war right now. If we do, Iraq with fall apart even more. While, we all want our troops home safe and sound, they are there to serve our country and protect us. I think we need to stop whining and complaining about getting out of war, and focus on repairing and doing the right thing. We need to think into the future and forget about the past. We need to stop saying how this is all Bush's fault, and that we never should have gone. Instead we need to figure out what we need to do now to correct the situation.

War

OK first off, I'm getting a little frustrated that people can say that they have NO CLUE whats going on with the whole war issue but then, they go and say that we shouldn't be there. if you don't know whats going on, then should you be entitled to that opinion? it seems as if they're just going with the flow. Since maybe they heard that not everyone is too cool with being over in Iraq, maybe that's where everyone(Americans in general) are getting this idea that the war is bad. I'm not saying i agree or disagree, but that is only because i don't pay attention to whats going on over there. i understand that Bush has reasons to be over there, even if some of them are overdue. maybe people don't agree because they don't fully understand his position. i think that to have an opinion on something, you have to look at both sides.

war and new topic

to be completely honest. i`m not really too sure what's going on with the whole iraq war. all i know is that we are still there and we don't seem to be making any progress because i feel like i would have heard about it. right now though, i'm having a really down week. today seems lke it was the longest day of my life. i'm not prepared at all for our test tomorrow and just completely stressed out. so i'm gonna change the topic off of war and onto something more happy. well maybe not happy, but to something other than war. is everyone excited for the football game this weekend and all the homecoming festivities? who is taking mr C's place in the pep assembly this year?

Columbia University-

And also going along with the Colombia University incident, i agree that it wasn't right for them to bash on Ahmadinjad. There was one thing that confused me though...did Columbia University ask for Ahmadinjad to come in to speak with the students/faculities? because if they did, it was really rude of them to bash on him for about 40 min before they actually began interviewing him. i also felt that they should've gave Ahmadinjad a chance to visit the site of 9/11. Yes, there would be the question of security but i think that it would've been better for Ahmadinjad to go down there and see the memorials of the 9/11 incident.

War

I think we can all agree on not knowing much of what's going on with the war in Iraq. As Americans we should be in tune with what's going on with the war-especially since we're very much involved in it-but just like mindy mentioned before, with the government censoring the media, it' hard for us to hear/see what's really going on. I'm also confused on why we went to Iraq in the first place. I thought we went to help build back their government, watching and helping them get back on track, but after hearing every other reasons why, i am even more confused on this whole issue. I'm not at all interested in politics and war and etc-because i've never understood it-but i'm sure if i find out more about it and actually understand it then it'll be interesting. Hopefully by talking more about the war i can learn something new about it.

Iran and Columbia U. part deux

I agree with Mr. Spoor. Whether or not we believe in the principals Ahmadinejad practices, it is up to us as Americans to respect them. No matter how difficult that may be. The Columbia U. principal should have taken his visit much more seriously, and really take advantage of the oppurtinity to sit down with a president of a sovereign nation and discuss his views and what actiosn he is going to take. Not only would that be more respectful and politically correct, but it would be much more informative to the general public and an eye-opener. I really wish the interview was conducted differently so that we, as Americans, could have benefited from such a controversial yet powerful president visiting a highly respected university. That's the last time he'll be doing that... and that's unfortunate.

The War

As I read every one's comment about the war I realized that no one really pays attention to it and I agree with that because I myself have no idea what is going on and why there are still soldiers dying far from home. Sometimes I even ask if we even are in war because no one knows what is going on and why it is not beginning to settle down so our troops can go home. Not only that, but many people don't even care because they are getting on with their life since the war does not affect their daily life. I think we need to end this war because it seems dead and like mindy said it doesn't portray our country very well.

Rita's post...

I do not agree with the actions of Columbia University's President. Universities and schools should be places where ideas and people are permitted to speak freely and people take in ideas and knowledge to form their opinions. This is vital to the success of democracy. To introduce him with such negativity and bias is inappropriate. Not to mention that regardless of what he has said in the past and how much I disagree with him, what makes America such a better place than Iran is that even though I disagree with him he has the right to say it.

One more thing, he is the head of an independent and sovereign state. We, as Americans, would be furious if President Bush went to a foreign country and was treated the way that President Ahmadinejad was treated. Here's a question... don't you think this is almost what Ahmadinejad was hoping for? Now that he was treated this way it gives him more fuel to add to the fire of his rhetoric... when he calls Americans bullies and imperialists he can point to this, protests against the United States have already started in Tehran as a result of his treatment.

Alright, those are just my thoughts...

comment on Rita's post

I must say, the Columbia University President and the protestors made it clear that Ahmadinejad is not welcome in this country. I just read a complicating article about the Iranian president and a lot of the things he said seem like they are bashing America and the American government. However, the Iranian president didn't really take the Columbian President's actions and the protestors very seriously. He said that it is important to be patient with the opposing side. I don't know... this guy seems pretty hard to understand. He bashes the U.S., but then he wants to put a wreath on the 9/11 monument? um... huh?

the war

I remember from last year, our AP U.S. History class learned that the Vietnam War was a war that everyone in the U.S. knew about. They knew the details and watched full-coverage on the war. This made them almost experience the reality of the war and understand it. However, I believe that the war in Iraq today is hard to understand and not many people really know much about what's going on now. For me, I am confused on my we are still fighting. I mean so much stuff happened and it seems like the war is about to end, yet the world is still fighting and I just don't seem to understand why. Part of the reason is due to how biased the media is. So much of it is censored by the government and army so a lot of the things we get our knowledge and recent news about are just not all the actual things that go on in Iraq. This war is so confusing in my opinion and I wonder when the troops are coming home.

WaR

I would have to agree with a few of the posts before me. I am not really up to date as I should be on the war. I feel bad and wish I did know more about it. What I do know though, is that we should not be in it anymore. Bush has not made the best of decisions and I just think there is no upside to being involved in this war any longer. For a nation that is supposed to be known for its freedom and nature throughout history to stay neutral as much as we can, I think we are not displaying that very well.

Iran and Columbia University

Okay, this changes topic a bit. But, it's very relevant to the War. The Irani President, Ahmadinjad... (ish.) Um, he came to Columbia University to speak with students and faculty and lots of press was there etc. Now, there's a bit of controversy because the President of Columbia University bashed him for forty minutes before they really interviewed him. Was that right of him? I mean he obviously is very criticized from denouncing the State of Israel and denying that the Holocast occured and so forth (and also enriching uranium for the production of nuclear weapons) but was Columbia's president supposed to do that? Or should he have just allowed Ahmadinjad (spelling) speak.

Furthermore, they also did not allow him to visit the site of 9/11. Officials stated they did that for two reasons: 1. They couldn't ensure the safety of the people around him. 2. They couldn't ensure the safety of him also. Was this right? Should he have been able to visit and lay a reef like he stated he wanted to? Because there were protestors out on the streets not happy with his arrival. These are all questions that are tough to answer. Anyone have an opinion?

honestly, i can say i'm right in the position that julie is. I don't have clue what's going on over there and even if i try to understand it by watching the news, it just makes me confused even more. I don't even know what we're doing over there anymore, i think it's time we stop.

war

i do no thtink we should be in this war. I think bush is and idiot and makes many bad decisions but there is nothing we can do since he is the president. We went into war to get the weapons of mass destruction but when we invaded Iraq we did not find any weapons of mass destruction.

war

I hate this war. While I think we were right to go in the first place, now I'm just confused. The news is so buyest and it's like you can't get the real story anymore. It's sad how warped our news has become.

The War..

I'm with Charis on this one, I have no clue whats going on over there. I do feel guilty and wish I knew but i never know where to look for stuff like this. How do you hear about it? If you're going to say watch the news, is that even reliable? They pick out the stuff that people want to hear and report that. It makes me sad to think that I'm one of the many Americans to say that since it doesn't effect me, then I don't care. Maybe, this class, this blog can help me to be a more responsible American.

opinions on war...

I am not as in tune to the war going on in Iraq as I should be, but I do believe that it has a purpose, obviously. That purpose is to protect our rights and our safety. If those brave men and women did not take those risks every day, we would no longer be a strong, protective country, but a helpless, distressed one. Of course I don't like to hear about the losses during this war, which is what makes my views of the war so undetermined.
I would like to hear others comments, and then perhaps I will gain a stronger opinion.
I'll get back to you on this topic Mr. Spoor!

Comments and Topic 3

Hey everybody!

Great work so far, I have really enjoyed the conversation and definitely had a good laugh. You are all pretty good about changing the topics, but I need to post at least one a week and I wanted to comment on a couple of things I have heard in a couple of posts.

I think that one of the greatest mistakes we can make as free people is not questioning the world around us and not learning. I am not a member of the Ku Klux Klan nor do I support their platform or their actions, but I know a lot about it. Why? Why would I want to learn about a group that espouses hate and violence? I want to learn about it so I can fight it. So I can make an intelligent argument in response to it.

I am a religious man, without my faith I would not be the person I am today. The belief that God exists has helped me a great deal in life. This is not something that everyone agrees with and some of my closest friends are atheists. These perspectives, the conversations, the arguments that we have as a result of our different opinions are what make me so happy to have the friends I do. You can't have these discussions unless you have knowledge. That is why it is so important to learn about evolution in school. I teach religion, and in religion class we don't learn evolution because there is a time and place for each! Alright, enough on that... I hope that helps clarify a little as to why we learn this.

Anyway, our new topic. I want to go back to something that Chris mentioned but then we did not really discuss. I met up with a former student who I am now really good friends with on Saturday. He served in Iraq. I know how I feel about it, but what about you. I will try to add some more of my own thoughts as we get going, but I want you to start off... opinions... ideas?

About what Elliot said about using only 10% of our brains...I don't really think that's true. Maybe we only use small percentages of our brain at a time but if it wasn't necessary then I really don't think that our brains would be so huge. If you think about it when someone has any sort of brain damage like a stroke or something, their entire body goes crazy and can't function. I belive that as humans, we are so specialized that it's necessary for us to have such big brains. But who knows... and your other questions like can we ever have wings? Who knows but I don't think humans would ever have to need to develop wings.

hmm

hmm i have a question.. so lets say evolution is constantly happening..
does that mean the animals around us are still in the process of evolving into something greater?..
also if i remember correctly from biology class.. isn't it not possible to have a mutation for lets say, us growing wings. if it wasn't previous writtin into our genes as a dormant code... or does mutation
re-rewrite it so we can grow wings..

also. why the need of a constantly evolving brain (taken from the movie), and big skull
if we only us about 10 percent of it..
wouldn't that mean we only need about 1/10th the size of our brain..so why did it keep growing...

movie

I thought the movie was very interesting, for instance seeing all of the different types of ape-like humans we evolved from. The movie was also interesting because it explained how each human was different from the other and how they came about doing that. Whether it was the weather or the food they ate or the climate they were in. All in all, the movie was very interesting and explained a great deal about where we came from.

OOGA BOOGA!!

So I definitly agree with everyone on how this is the most holarious and interesting educatinal movie that I have ever seen in a school classroom. I had no idea that there where many different types of bipedal apes or cavemen looking people. It was interesting to just see who we are most like and why we are related to them.

Evolution in the movie

I have always believed in a God, but the concept of evolution can sometimes conflict with a lot of christian views. Seeing the movie really gives a good visual representation of how humans could have evolved from earlier animals that existed. I do not doubt that people have evolved and gained new qualities because of natural selection, but i still believe that there was a higher power which had some influence in our creation. I liked how the movie didn't show the very beginning of how the early species of humans were put on the earth becuase it leaves it up to the viewer's mind's interpretation.

la pelicula

I will say that, that movie was the most entertaining school movie I've watched in awhile. While I don't agree with the whole evolution thing, I do believe there was some evolution to get where we were and I thought it was sweet how they guessed how those apes looked like and such. And, thank you Mr. Spoor for making it so entertaining and playing the barf part over, and over, and over, and over. hahahahahahaha.

MoViE

I liked the movies sometimes. It was kind of interesting toward then end but I felt like the beginning was sooo slow. I agree with Rita and the last couple posts that the work packet threw some people off. I thought we started on the first page. But, even after we figured it out, it was still difficult to listen and pick up what the packet wanted for the filling in the blanks because it was like something the narrator would say but it went by so fast that you couldn't catch it. Also, it was like statistics and facts that I couldn't fill in because I forgot what number they said. But, overall I thought it was funny when we re watched all of the funny parts..and not so funny, like the banana scene..that was just nasty. It was weird to continue seeing how we "evolved" but I thought we had a common ancestor...not just evolving from apes. They most have just forgot that tiny detail I guess?! I still will never believe it so I just watched it and took the notes. Kind of blows that we have to learn about all of this when some people strongly disapprove/disagree with it. I don't think its right. But the movie was entertaining at times, and helped us prepare for the test.

yeah monkies

I didnt fill out the study guide during the movie and I really enjoyed it. I waited until agter the movie to fill it out. I think I learned a lot more by doing in that way.

i found the movie pretty silly.. and it was hard to follow with the 4 page movie note fill out sheet thing...

i don't really agree with some of the concepts they proposed but otherwise it was interesting...

movie

i thought the movie was pretty good overall, but i agree with rita about the study guide. we were so worried about where we were suppose to be in the packet that im not sure that we retained as much from the movie as were were suppose to. i think not knowing that it didnt start on the first page of the study guide is was really threw everyone off. it was a pretty good movie though and had some gross/funny parts in it but after watching it for the past 3 or 4 days.. im glad we're through with it.

Homo Erectus Sapian Bosei...

I completely agree that the movie was hard to follow. Not only did I despise the study guide by the end of the movie, but I much rather had just watched it rather than take notes in the first place. I know that the notes we took will help us study, but I was so stressed watching the movie, trying to obtain all the information, that I think I would have retained more answers if I had been focusing more on the film. Now, I am going to have really look at my notes because I don't remember anything I wrote down. Otherwise, the movie was very interesting, and I cannot believe people were paid to do this. Ahh, the British.

The Movie

I felt that this movie was very funny and also very informative but at the same time, this movie was also very confusing at times. We got a lot of good information about our evolution but because they went through some many different groups of hominids, I would get confused as to which group was known for what. The movie was also very funny with classic parts such as the female spitting out whatever that yellow stuff was and also the man eating the spider when Mr. Spoor told us that he wouldn't. Overall the movie was very informative and should help us understand more about our history but it was still way too long for all of that information.

Walking with cave men

I thought that the movie was very intriguing because it really shows us how humans are animals. We may not live in the same environment, or struggle to survive as much, but the movie really showed how the mind is what made our species unique and able to dominate the earth more than other animals. I thought it was very important how the movie stressed the power of imagination, and thought process. It really showed that the key to survival was through being able to precieve the world around us, and react to it with in depth and creative thinking.

about that movie...

I agree that this movie was funny, and it really gave a lot of information on the evolution of man. I do not neccessarily believe everything that the movie stated, but it was very interesting to see how the early hominid adapted to the present day hominid, us! The movie did a fantastic job of "re-enacting" the past behaviors of our "ancestors". Those actors must have been extremely dedicated to this production. Anyways, I thought that the whole imagination idea was neat. We saw that the Homo Heidelbergensis used their imagination to think up a mechanism to produce sanitary water. To accomplish this, they emptied an ostrich egg, closed the hole with grass, and then burried the egg in the sand. This was very clever. I always wondered how people think up crazy ideas similar to this, I now know. It is because we have an evolving imagination!

The Movie

I think that this movie was a pretty sweet movie. There were a lot of funny parts that kept me interested and I enjoyed watching it. I think this was the funniest movie we have seen all year. Even though the packet we had to do was extremely long, watching the movie made me want keep paying attention and it was easier to find answers. I hope we get to see more funny movies like that this year.

movie

I liked the movie too.
I wasn't sure if I did at first, but as the movie progressed, it became more interesting.
The stories in it were very extreme. I also wondered how scientists can piece together all these stories from the few fossils and artifacts they found. They made the stories seem very easy to relate to us, human beings.
Most of their lives were all similar. Their main concerns seemed to be survival and finding food to eat. Long time ago, it seemed that leisure and relaxation did not really exist.
It's crazy how the scientists can create a full visual and image of how these creatures looked like back then. How do the fossils tell us what they looked like?

New Topic..the movie

So what did everyone think of that movie?
I never really realized our history. I thought it was interesting to learn about how we evolved. What I don't understand, is how scientists can know this much about our ancestors. I mean, fossils can only tell us so much. How do they know the stories that were in the video? Well obviously, some of it was fabricated, but even if it was, there's some scientific evidence to it. How do scientists know why certain tribes died out? With fossils you can get genetic things, what they ate, and how they lived(from their clothing and tools with them) but how can you get a reason for dying?

Another thing that I found interesting was all the environment changes. I had never realized that Africa went through so much environmental changes, or even that there was a rain forest there previously. I think it's pretty cool how there used to be rain forests all over the world.

Finally, I liked how the movie outlined our history(even though it was a very long outline). I had always thought of our prehistoric caveman as such a simple thing. I didn't even pay attention to how tools are such a big deal. I just assumed that all animals could make tools. When we saw the chimp movie too, I realized how hard that concept is to grasp. overall, I enjoyed watching the movie, through its nastiness and funniness.

THE ACLU

The assembly about the whole ACLU thing was kind of interesting. I thought that just because someone is an American, all of their freedoms and rights would be protected. That was not the case. I think that the government should not have the ability to remove peoples freedoms, but if they have a reason to believe that the person is dangerous, then it is somewhat okay

aclu

So, it seems to me that everyone is complaining about how boring the ACLU presentation was. But I think a lot of us are missing the point of their presentation. They didn't come here to tell us what the Constitution is and the history about it. I mean, we all learned about that in our U.S. history classes and stuff. So, what was their purpose to come to our school? I think their purpose was to show that we all have our rights in this country and that's what makes this country such an awesome place to live in. When our rights and freedoms our violated, we are able to defend ourselves and protect ourselves. The ACLU gave us an example of how the government can even violate rights. The Hamdhi case is a great example of this. They stepped over their boundaries and we should be aware that this could happen to anyone.
For me, I wouldn't have wanted to come to an assembly where they put up a powerpoint and pretty much just read off of it and we just listen and then leave without learning much. I liked how they tried to get their audience to be a part of their presentation. They wanted us to be more appreciable and knowledgeable of the freedoms we have in this country.

ACLU, who?

I thought the ACLU presentation was extrememly beneficial. What many Americans do not realize is that they have an organization like the ACLU that works to make sure their rights to not get infringed upon. If an administration like them did not exhist, many people would get taken advantage of by politics or the government. Not because the government is particularly bad or harsh, but because ultimately our stability relies on money. So, if the government or corporations do something illegal, they won't go out of their way to admit it, so we in turn, as people, can be victims to their dishonesty. What does the ACLU do? I learned on tuesday that they make sure that every day people do not get manipulated by the "big dogs" who are really only watching their own back and the money they are making. I was really glad they came to our school. And I am glad they exhist.

ps

And I totally agree with Julie. The PowerPoints are a plus. The random noises are fun to listen to and gives the whole classroom setting a more positive and fun atmosphere. Using fun little things like that would also really help keep our attention on serious subjects.

To mr spoor

Well, to reply to your suggestions comment, I just felt that the speakers were presenting the facts but not giving us anything to work with. I mean I know it is a serious subject and is not always going to be the most fun thing to listen to, but it could have been presented to high schoolers(not a word but you get my idea) in a better manor. I have learned all about knowing your audience when you speak or write because it does make a huge difference on what your speech/paper with entail. I think they didn't have a full understanding that lecturing on for 45 mins was probably not the best approach. In class, when you talk to us, I know will be a lot more easy to listen to because we interact as a class and discuss as a whole. I felt to distant and overwhelmed in the auditorium and it was not personal enough to keep my attention. The reason why I liked the intro so much about the 3 stooges, was because it was something I could relate to and understand. I don't know all of the world issues right now and government problems they were mentioning and they could have related the situation or made up a story to help us understand more what was really going on. So for suggestions, I would say just help us to understand it with something we can relate the topic to and also make it fun and personal because otherwise I know I will totally lose you and interest in the topic within a few days. But, that is just my opinion.

another ACLU!

The ACLU "chat" was not particularly my top choice for an assembly topic, but it was very appropriate for constitution week. I don't think that I have ever heard of constitution week before. Anyways, The three speakers did a great job of grasping many students attentions. I especially liked how they would ask questions to individuals, that way they could avoid awkward silences, and everyone has to pay attention in case they get called on. Oh, and in response to Mr. Spoor's question of how we should conduct our classes, I think that we should have debates. Obviously everyone has their own beliefs, so it would be an interesting way to compare them without a reading packet.

ACLU presentation

I'll admit the presentation was boring. Just like everyone said they were boring because they didn't have anything visual to show us but one thing i liked was how they tried to get everyone involved-asking questions- instead of going on and on, talking about the government system for the whole 45 min straight. i also liked how they used the story of Hamdhi to talk about the unfairness of the government. i've never heard of Hamdhi's story so it was very interesting to hear. i think that was the only thing that really really caught my attention. it also made me mad because they impeded on Hamdhi's rights, by not giving him a right to a lawyer. i thought that the "us letting you go for 3 conditions-one being you can't sue the government" part was very unfair. i would've sued the government. [It was also kind of hard to hear them at times.]
The one thing that surprised me was that they didn't talk as positively about the government as they probably should have-because they did come to talk for Constitution Day. Like everyone, i thought that they we're bashing on the government especially on the Bush Admin. If they talked a little more positive about the government and how much some things improved because of the government, i think that most of the students there would've liked the whole presentatin and the dicussion better. And even though government, politics and stuff like that don't really catch our attention as much as other subjects do, but i agree that it's important to be updated with the current events going on in the world, even more so because, like chris said, we're getting to the point where we're old enough to vote and become involved with politics.

Making a government talk more exciting

I think to keep teens more interested in this presentation its a good idea to have a visual aid. Even if its just a poster, it makes you not only appear more prepared but it gives the audience something to look at. Also, I think that (even though I understand that this is difficult to do) I find that when adults relate things to a teen's life or a teen's perspective, it makes it easier to understand. Personally, I'm not the best at all the government stuff, but when speakers relate it to something that I do understand, it makes it so much easier to understand, and it also grabs my attention to hear them talking about something more familiar. Finally, when speakers, or even teachers bring a little something to keep our attention, to make us more motivated to focus, it grabs and holds our attention. For example, candy works great. It it a major motivator and even just giving it to the students that answer questions, or raise their hands. Another thing to substitute for candy, for people form a large company or organization is that they could give out t-shirts or key chains, surprisingly i think this would keep the students attention. Of course, not everyone wants or is able to do this, so, you can also do little things like Mr. Spoor did in class the other day for notes, he just put little sounds into the power point. This created a little break in the notes to stop and laugh. It made the notes so much easier to pay attention to. For a big presentation, you can just add little things to keep our focus.

I hope that was you were looking for Mr. Spoor!

Future Leaders

Since we are the nations future leaders, I think it is up to us to stay informed with current events. About two weeks ago, we took a survey in English class about the genocide in the Darfur. I looked over at my friends paper, and he had no idea where Darfur was located and what was happening there. I strongly believe that if the young adults today don't know whats going on and why, we are going to have more conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan in the future due to ignorance.

ACLU Presentation

I also thought that the ACLU presenters were a little harsh on our government on a day when we should be talking about the positives of the constitution. Also, I think that they should have spent more time talking about the actual constitution and less time talking about the man from Afghanistan. Although the story was important, it was boring and I don’t think they had to have taken up the whole period talking about it.

Reaction to the Speaker...

I am really excited to hear your impressions of the speaker today. It is always interesting to hear how different people perceive different things. I think that the comments have, for the most part, been very thoughtful and insightful.

I do want to comment on something Nate said about how the last thing you want to do when you are talking to teens is talk about an American government issue for 45 minutes straight. I think this comment goes to the heart of why the ACLU wanted to speak to you. I understand that the bigger issue is probably that it wasn't multimedia and flashy, but the problem is that you are all about to become voting citizens and discussions about these issues need to happen. I was wondering what it is that would make a discussion about these issues more appealing. We are going to be spending almost an entire quarter talking about these issues and I want to know how I can make these discussions more interesting for you. Suggestions...

ACLU Presentation

I thought the attorneys brought up some good points, but did bash the Bush administration a little. But, it's not just them. I remember reading something last year that said for the first time since the Nixon Admin. the majority of citizens in America are unhappy with the present presidential admin. But, I felt like the lawyers should have focused on how our rights are great, rather than concentrating on how our government does them wrong. I almost felt like it was more of an ACLU presentation; they were giving, not a Constitutional presentation.

P.S. I kinda started out with a bad feeling towards the ACLU, because I do believe they were the ones to call Dr. Scott.... causing the uproar over the blackout.

agreed

I totally agree with nate. That was totally innapropriate for guest speakers to talk about our country like that. I can't believe how rude and disrespectful they were! I also agree that they were not prepared at all. Basically, the whole presentation was just all about how we can diss America for all the problems in the world. They failed to mention about how wonderful our country is...where else do you have freedom of religion like we do, or can diss the country without any punishment, and they dure displayed that today.

the assembly

The speakers today were not all that interesting. Yes, I agree, they were bashing the government a little bit; but on the other hand, who doesn't? I think they did have some good points. I think they were just trying to get us to think about the things happening around us. Also, it was a little bit boring, but I think the reason for that is that some adults just forget that we are teens, not adults an we have short attention spans. Not everyone is blessed with the ability to entertain teens. Its a difficult thing to keep our attention. all in all, i think we have had better speakers, but we've also had worse.

ACLU Assembly Response

I'm not really sure how I feel about the ACLU assembly that we saw today. On one hand, I didn't think that the presentation was very organized and the speakers didn't seem to be that into the presentation. However, I kind of liked the story of the man from Afghanistan and how he was not treated like a United States citizen. I am glad that the presenters didn't just have a powerpoint and tell us about the different parts and the history of the constitution because we would all be asleep five minutes into it. I thought that the presentation was okay but it could have been much better.

ACLU Assembly

I agree with those of you who said the ACLU presentation today totally sucked. When i heard there was going to be a presentation on constitution day, i thought i would hear about how America was the most successful, privledged, and safest country in the world; not some bitter clamor from ACLU officials who thought it was okay to debase their own country on constitution day. On constitution day, (I know it was yesterday) you're supposed to talk about what a great and privledged country America is. It seems like these days people only focus in on the negatives of our country instead of the positives. With the actual presentation, all three of the officials did an abysmal job with getting the attention of a teenage audience. If you want to get a teenagers attention, the last thing you do is talk about an American government issue for 45 strait minutes. They didn't present any pictures or vidoes to entertain their audience.
I'm sure all three officials are intelligent, they just didn't know how to prepare a presentation with a positive vibe to amuse a room full of young adults.

assembly

Today's assembly truthfully kinda sucked. Instead of pointing out the main problem they just kept talking about the guy that was a U.S. citizen and he was tortured. Why couldn't they just get to the main point and let us think about it. They were a little on the boring side too almost as if they were never prepared. One thing I did like was the beginning how they let us know the fact that more people know the three stooges names better than the 3 branches. Although if you look at it differently it is like an insult saying that people are not interested in our country and rather watch the three stooges. Or it is telling us that we should get more involved and learn about the way our gov. works.

today's assembly

I actually thought the assembly about the Constitution was interesting.
I actually like to hear about cases and laws and this discussion really got me thinking.
I've always wondered, how are the middle-eastern-American citizens dealing with all the issues going on now? The case about Hamdhi interested me a lot. He seemed like the perfect example of what I've been wondering about. He should have not gone to Afghanistan at that time, but he WAS doing volunteer work and helping out during that time. He just happened to be at the wrong moment. The way the government handled this situation was not fair at all. When the speakers asked us what Hamdhi could have done or his family could have done, I thought right away about sueing the American government. Because this is not fair to him. I think Hamdhi represents a great portion of the middle-eastern-American citizens today. Many people question them and are suspicious if they are connected with Al Queda or terrorists. I know this is for safety of the country, but is it fair to be suspicious on EVERYone of them, all because they are Middle-Eastern?

the assembly

I really didn't like the presentation today. All of those officials seemed very anti-american to me. All they talked about (or inferred) is that our government is horrible, lies, and is hypocritical. I'm not saying that this is true or not but at least they could have shown some more respect to our nation, especially in a public school. You don't have to agree with everthing going on in our country right now, but don't go into schools and diss on it. That's just not right.

Week 2

Alright, I have enjoyed the posts so far, here is what I am thinking for this week...

First, after reading your posts it makes me wonder about the very foundation of our country... are we not built on a document that begins... "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." We have struggled since our beginnings to reach a point where this statement was actually law, and still you are saying that we are not equal. What more can we do? You are tomorrow's leaders what can you do to fix this problem?

You can also feel free to continue a discussion about some of the issues raised by the ACLU attorneys today...

Thanks for your effort!

Communication and Video

I definitely thought animals had language too. Because those sounds that the chimps made in the other movie usually meant something, but I guess just screaming at a really high pitch doesn't count. Also, how about that guy stealing the baby in the movie by its leg haha. I think this video might be up there with Unicorn Planet...

Communication

So i definitly thought that animals had their own language. I mean i always woundered how my dogs comunicated with each other. The movie is funny and no idea on those questions i didn't hear anything that would even go with the question.

that witting in my last post is supposed to be writing..or I guess pictures too could be a language.
And I didn't not get the answers becuase I was talking to Allison Mr. Spoor....don't get any ideas! haha

Gotta love monkey movies

Ha ha that was great...the part where they all pop up out of the grass...classic. Yea I'd love to play that role! You get to swing from trees and jump around while grunting. Easy money. The only negative is those hot itchy suites. Well I'm guessing that's what they are. That has to be annoying. I defiantly do like the movie though..it's kinda funny. Did anyone even get any answers to the packet cause I defiantly didn't hear any. What do you think it would be like today if we didn't have a language. Man, that was stink. It's interesting to see how they communicated but really never had a set language. When did language evolve and did it start with witting or speaking I wounder? hum

those actors

Yeah i was wondering who they got to play those roles too during the movie. I asked Josh how much it would cost him to play a role like that and we both said it would take a ton of money to get us to dress up like that and act like that. Also it was freakin hillarious when the camera was just focusing on the grass and like 20 of our "ancestors" just stood up like they evolved in 3 seconds.
Anyway, how much would you want to be an actor in that movie?

moving on..

OK, enough about OJ. I think that the video that we are watching in class is sooo funny. I don't care if people think that these monkey movies are boring, they're hilarious. Although the crocodile attack was a little gruesome, along with the monkey man grabbing the baby by the leg and running away with it. I guess that's what it would be like if we were early hominids. I'm not saying that I believe that those are our early ancestors though.
I wonder who they get to play the roles in these videos?

OJ

I agree with the comment Lindsey left. He is already known as a criminal why would he want to draw more attention to himself. I cant believe he thinks he could actually get away with it! I think its ridiculous!

Cozzy says....

Some odd people love britney though....

http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news?id=18012846

Cozzi says...

whoa linds, you're right. I hate britney spears, she's fat and ugly. Right now i love oj simpson for a topic, he's an idiot.

Oj is crazy! Why would a guy with that history want to call even more attention to himself. I don't understand why he's not laying low and staying out of the lime light. It just goes to show you how far people will go for attention. At least he gave us something else to talk about besides Brittany Spears.

oh OJ...

OJ Simpson is messed up. This whole thing with the alleged armed robbery is a cry for attention. With the release of his book just last month he needed to get publicity, i dont know what his deal is though. Publishing a book on how you would go about the murder of your wife and friend and then robbing a Las Vegas casino is going to get you attention, but normally thats not the type of publicity most people are looking for.
Really... if this doesnt get him some jail time, there is something seriously wrong with our justice system.

OJ..is he serious?

OJ is basically a big joke in my book. He has already been in trouble before, and you would think he would stay out of it. He got lucky once and i doubt this time he is getting away with anything this time. Like serious;y, why would you steal when you're already known as an idiot. I think he has to like all of this negative attention becuase he sure is doing a great job capturing it. i don't understand him.

oooh snap... it's OJ Simpson

So, doesn't it seem like someone likes attention?
Someone like OJ Simpson?
Um.. I don't understand this guy at all.
He's got money, he's got fame, he got headlines about his trial (which everyone probably knows about), yet he still needs more attention and now there's stuff going on about him stealing sports goods at a casino?
This guy is so out for no good? And doesn't it seem like a coincedance that he has a book out too? I mean... does he just need to make his name more well known? A bad reputation too?
I don't understand why people would waste their time to do press conferences with OJ Simpson? Surely, this guy seems to be out for no good and he just needs to do something that will make the headlines again, wheter it be true or not.

OJ

i definitely think that OJ is dumb. why would you steal after you just had a murder trial?? and i agree that setting up a press conference for him to explain himself is a waste of time. i say they should've solved the case quietly on their own instead of making such a big deal out of it-press conference?! psh..

PaperClip

So i"m reading a book called One Red Paperclip for Spoor's class and its so cool. It's a true story and I'm sure plenty of you heard about it already how the guy ended up with a house in the end for a paperclip. To me it kind of related to an old time rags to riches story. Do u think a lot of poeple get lucky enought to trade up to a house or something of that high value from something as small as a paperclip? I really don't think it happens very often and it sounds prety boring to trade but after starting to read the book, it actually sounds like something fun to do when you want to kill some time. Maybe if I start trading now,I'll end up trading for a crashed lambo that was left on the highway. Hey it's bigger and better than an office supply!

Response to: equality

i agree with the before mentioned statement that 'equality is more of a mental issue'...although there may never be a time where everyone is FULLY equal, --being raised by parents who aren't as open-minded to other races and ethnicities may influence their kids to think like them and become discrimative towards others. As a society we often teach our children to treat others like they would want to be treated..but in reality do WE even treat others respectfully/equally? do we treat everyone that we know (or people we may not know) the same? i think that in our society we are so quick to judge people without getting to know them or hear their story out. Same thing like i mentioned before, maybe it's the way we were raised by our parents-by their thoughts and opinions of others-that pushes us to judge others too. our generation now compared to our parents generations way back in the day has changed a great amount. we've improved a lot by desegregatingg schools, giving everyone an equal job opportunity, the rights to vote and so on but equality hasn't reached its full limit. One thing that holds us back from everyone being equal is judgement and stereotypes. yea the government has done alot to create equality by setting up laws but judgement and stereotypes are from the mind. it's the way we think of others and basically no one could tell us what to think, when to think, and to stop thinking the way we do, except ourselves. that's why it's important for us to be open minded and accepting so that we could pass down our ideas of eqaulity to the generations to come.

O.J. Again?

About O.J. Simpson, I am left speechless that he is yet again in the headlines. And as much as I want to believe he is at fault again, I can't. I know he was on trial for murder and there's a great possibility he was guilty, but he is an alleged suspect to an alleged crime. We want to pin him for this because of his past, but I don't think it's fair. And until there is more evidance that he is at fault, I think it's unfair to assume he is behind this. Although I agree with the last post, he is dumb.

O.J.

I think that it is funny that O.J. Simpson is in trouble again. I heard he stole sports items in a casino. He said that he was taking back what was his or something. O.J. was a great athlete but for someone who was on trial for murder, you would think he would try and stay out of trouble after that. I agree with what Spoor said in class too: "Who would want to see a press conference of him explaining himself?" I think O.J. is dumb

Slut?

I used to get annoyed when people called me or each other 'sluts'. Sadly, I have grown used to it. I have come to the realization that when it comes from your best friends or someone that's just silly like that, it doesn't mean anything. I used to take offense to it and have ask myself if they really meant it. I feel the same way towards swears; I feel that in the high school culture they are over used. I think that swears are OK to use when you're really angry ..or in moments of surprise. Unfortunately, swears in the high school culture are used as a common word. Sometimes I get the impression that some people use them to look or sound 'cool'. Which, to me, totally depletes the purpose of having them in our language at all. If swears become part of our everyday language, then what words do we use when were angry or surprised? Again, I feel as if the word 'slut' and 'whore' have had that same effect. They have become of the high school cultures everyday language. Sadly, I have fallen into this trap. I have let the high school culture hook me in and use that word out of its popularity.

comment on lauren's post

The discussion over the word "slut" and how it's often misused these days really stuck to me too. I mean, I've never really felt comfortable when people call others whores or sluts, and I'm not too crazy about being called one either, even if my friends just say it and don't really mean it. I mean these words really do have something ugly about them. They have a way of degrading women and their purpose in this world.
This got me thinking that there are many things people say and call each other, not aware of the dead weight it carries and the deeper meaning of the words. I can think of many off the top of my head.

ok......

The Soony and the Shiest have a problem ok... were pretty much ok, right now what we really need to tack care of 1st is the "war" and how to end it or blow them up and never wore about them again! After that we should worry about unemployment, crime and education. Ones we have all of are neighbors back, every one has a job and can support them selves, get a 99% literacy rat rather that 92%, that will led to a lower % of crime. Then when we are actually content and can trust the government again then we can worry about all the individual problems.

Iraq War

i want to see some peoples views on the Iraq war. Being in the army, i have my own opinion. i just want to here what my peers think about it.

For serious now.. NeW ToPic as well

To answer Rooney's question now. I think he did a good job changing up the subject.
I mean, over the years it's undeniable to say that the government has done a vast amount of contributions to cut back on discrimination and favor civil rights. (I hope this is somewhere along the lines of his question, I forgot already what it is..opps). Are they doing enough, it's hard to say. Although they have the power to make laws and technically tell people how to live, you cannot take away people's free thinking and rights to have their own beliefs. As sad as it may be, our society today can be awfully cruel to one another. The gov't can make laws until they are blue in the face, but I feel they will never achieve equality to the fullest extent. I think times are changing and getting better with equality issues and women's rights, but at the same time Mr. Spoor brought up a really good point in class. He said something along the lines of, "Sometimes women can be their own enemies in their fight for equal rights," and that stuck with me. It is so true. Being a women myself, I am guilty of calling my friends "sluts" and using degrading words freely.

How does everyone feel about the conversation we had in class about people using the word "slut" loosely these days? Is their any other words and situations you feel strongly about that society has often abused and taken the literal interpretation lightly? Is it appropriate because everyone does it and knows people are not serious, or is it still offensive and carries baggage and history?

Civil Rights

This is also a response to the whole civil rights and all people being born equal thing. I think that even though everyone has the same "legal" rights in this day in age because of the integration of schools, the end of slavery and everything else, white people still have a distinct advantage in the working world over minorities. I read the book "Freakonomics" for my summer reading book and the last two chapters talked about how the name of a child can affect their life. The main point was that if a girl named "Roshanda" would be treated the same and judged the same if she had a more common name such as "Elizabeth." Since many of the minorities in this country have unique names they will not be looked at the same as the people who have traditional, "white" names.

P.S. I watched the first two episodes of Unicorn Planet, HILARIOUS

alright, well as a response to rooney's post... i think that the government has helped alot in the progression of civil rights, like they were crucial in the 60s with intigrating schools and everything, but now equality is more of a mental issue... and the govenment cant put laws on how people think. now its more up to society as a whole to have an open mind, and that takes time. i think that slowly we are making progress though. i mean i think that our generation is more open minded than our parents', and if we teach our children to be open to all types of people, then maybe one day racism wont have to be an issue anymore.
buuuuut, at the same time, i dont believe that all humans will ever be completely equal. i know that probably sounds hypocritical, but weve seen that total equality doesnt work. evidence?--communism. still, right now we can atleast work on improving the issue of racism, because i think that can be done.

Random topic...

This is just a random post. I already made a comment on the last topic, so I don't really know what to talk about. Oh ya, I was watching an animal show on t.v., when I saw a an animal, the marine iguana. It reminded me of something that resulted from natural selection because this lizzard has adapted to land and swimming under water for up to an hour. It cannot stand cold water because of its lack of body fat. Maybe an iguana will be born with skin better suited for cold water, and natural selection will take place. This is just an idea!

fo sho!

haha, i had to check out unicorn planet and its halarious! But, is there any way we can get this mixed into the curriculum in class? maybe we should try to figure out how the unicorns evolved over time or something haha.

thought on brian's questions

I didn't realize there's a new topic to talk about.

I think naturally, all people have certain prejudices.
I'm not saying that all people are racists.
It's just that naturally some people tend to have a feeling of superiority and advantage over others, whether it be race or gender.
I think the civil rights laws and the work that the government has done to protect people from racism has progressed throughout the many years of fighting for equal rights. However, it won't hurt to do more to fight racism.

First steps that can be taken is to open more oppurtunities to those less fortunate and educating them so that they get a chance to succeed and survive.

another comment

well.. before I say anything about unicorn planet, I just want to explain why I asked those questions earlier.
I just want to make a point about how I feel like evolution is missing many pieces and sort of is contradictory. It makes sense with how animals and everything living is changing now. That I can say is evolution. But, it doesn't really make sense to the explanation of human origins since evolutionists say that we are descendants of an old primate. If they say that, then they should have an explanation of how the old primates came to life.
I'm a believer of creationism aka God created us the way we are.

omg. Unicorn planet is RIDICULOUSLY funny. It's totally not how I imagined it to be.

Unicorn Planet!

Seriously..unicorn planet needs to be the new topic. Sorry Rooney. It's just too funny! Since when did Tom Cruise speak with a lisp. Its fantastic.
Gives the lily garden a run for its money
"yaaay.. Yay I'm happy!"

new topic

Mr. Spoor made a comment today in class about how caucasions are just born with advantages over other minorities, which I cannot agree more with. But, do you think things like Affirmative Action and various civil rights laws have compensated for these advantages? Does our government need to do more to try to eliminate these advantages? Or, will some people just continue being closed-minded about issues regarding racism and prejudice?

MMMM DELICIOUS!!

Has anyone tried the warm delights? with carmel drizzle....try it! you'll love it. =D

Answer to Mindy

Mindy I'm not sure what answer you are looking for but if you have some belief in creationalism it does say that god created as he is so how do we know that he even looked like a monkey at the time he created us and all. Not sure...I don't even think that makes any sense actually...=/

Yes unicorn planet is HILARIOUS!!!

question just came up

I was just thinking about something and a question came up in my mind.
If we really did evolve from some primate many, many years ago, then where did that primate come from? What created the primate or who created the primate? How did the primate appear?
Is this where the Big Bang Theory comes into place? I really don't know and I was just wondering.

I strongly believe in creationism...but that doesn't mean I don't believe in a little bit of evolution too. Yes, living things do evolve...they have to in order to survive. But, the chance of all these "random acts" turning into the world we have today is impossible. God created the earth and everything in it, therfore he created the way species evolved.

oh my god. sorry i didn`t even read that last post on here but everyone go onto youtube and search unicorn planet or planet unicorn i can`t remember at the moment but it was hilarious. it`s too good to wait to see it during class. it`s just so ridiculously stupid that it`s funny. go search it! haha

Why human evolution is a hoax

Human evolution isn't supported by any facts. I know an evolutionist would say, "But what about all the fossils?" Those fossils aren't supporting evolution, evolution is supporting them. Evolution is a theory which proposes to explain the evidence. It's like claiming that the earth has conscioussness on the fact that there is gravity and then using the fact that there is gravity to support your statement that the earth is a living thing. Also, how can one "believe" in human evolution. Evolution has nothing to do with faith or beliefs. It comes from scientific evidence...and scientific evidence is not something you believe in like a religion, its something you have the means to measure. --Just my take

Mary's response

I do believe that evolution occurs, but I’m not sure whether I fully believe in creationism or evolution. Going back to first question, I don’t think that all people are equal. Everyone grows up in different situations. It depends on where a person grew up, and how they were raised. People who grow up in a poor environment without money do not have the same opportunities as someone who grew up wealthy. Also, people of different races are not equal. People who are part of a minority might have a harder time than a white man even if they are equally talented.

Evolution

I strongly believe in evolution. the scientific facts and evidence are there to prove it. There may be some outside force involved but there is no evidence to support it.

also want to post something about equality

I also want to write about Mr. Spoor's first post...
the one about equality.
It's always bothered me a little about how America boasts about being equal and free, but feel like it's not very realistic. I understand that our county is one of the most free countries in the world, yet we face this question everyday.
So the question is if we are all equal. I feel that everyone is born into the world equal. What sets people apart are where and which family they are born into. For example, if a baby is born into a rich family or a very poor family. The wealth status is a big driving point in this country. Definitely those who have more money are sadly not close to being equal with people living in poverty. Also, another thing that affects people's equality status is probably their race. I don't want to have to say this, but I think we all know that some races are not treated equally as other races. It shouldn't be this way, but it's the truth.

what I believe

As for me, I am a strong believer of creationism.
Sometimes, when I have to learn about evolution, I have to tell myself that it is just something that I have to learn about in school. However, I think it's important to learn about evolutionism and creationism both because different viewpoints should be studied.
I'm glad that I don't have to be enforced in any way to believe in something that I don't believe in. I do respect that evolution is a science and we all should learn about science.

Well, to reply to the previous comment, I would have to say I am a believer in creationism. I can listen to people tell me about evolution and learn about how scientists these days feel, but I never feel any more accepting towards it. Obviously, like we mentioned in class... I believe evolution happens within a species and organisms change to adapt to the environment, but I will never believe we came from monkeys in any way, not even a common ancestor. Personally it is a shame that we can't focus more on the creation side as much as schools favor speaking of evolution. I understand that people don't think creationism should be able to be talked about much because it's not a science, but because it is one of the biggest opponents to the evolution theory, they should be equally talked about. Schools should not be able to bias evolution and have a large unit on it, if students cannot hear an equal interpretation of creationism.

New topic??

Who belives in evolution? or do you prefer creationism? I can never decide on which to choose. I find them both believeable. If you believe in evolution, where does the bible come from?

Equality within society

I believe equality is a great goal for people to work towards, but it will take time and change to get there. I don't think there is equality becuase then all kids would get the same quality of education despite how much money thier parents are making. Also if there was equality we would all be treated the same, which is untrue because some people are treated better or given more than others. People of a certain race can be born with certain stereotypes that will affect thier future because of the identity they may have for themselves and the identity everyone expects for them. I think if equality was taking place right now that there would not be differnt expectations for someone based on thier race, and everyone would be treated with respect and acceptance. Every person is different and thinks differently, and because humans naturally judge eachother there will be unfair judgements or feelings put on some people and not on others.

Equality?

I believe in a more perfect society equality is possible. However, in the decade we live in equality is twisted to fit into cultural images. In the prospect of intelligence, some people are born with genius iq's take Einstein for example, our culture emphasizes the importance of knowledge because it is a foundation that creates peace. Or what about attractiveness? How do we rate what is pleasing to the eye and what is not? We are raised in a society where good looking people are treated better, and we think they are good looking because we are accustomed to a certain type of look since birth. We read in fairy tales of a handsome prince charming, the fair beautiful princess, and the ugly, evil, antagonist. Even in todays media, good looking people are praised, posted on magazines, and are the source of main topic today. So basically, Intelligent people of the same iq's are equal to each other, but if one is lower or higher it is not equal. If we compare attractive people with attractive people, it is more equal, but compared to wat our society calls ugly, it is not equal.

I believe this question has many different answers depending on how we view it... too vague

I think everyone is born in the U.S. is equal. Everyone has all of the same rights but its just different on how people treat others. Everyone are equal but some people are racist and they discriminate people. So everyone is equal but it all depends on how people treat it each other.

opportunity not equal

Although people call America the land of opportunity not everyone here has an equal shot at it. The social classes that people are born into are a huge indicator of future opportunity as well as the success of their parents. If a child born into a wealthy home and they have successful parents they will most likely be given many more opportunities than a child born to poor parents. It boils down to the fact that the wealthy family will be able to pay their childs way through life, sending them to better schools and allowing them the chance to be more successful. Althouh we make our own opportunities, its up to our paretns and caregivers to provide us with the first of these.

Hate = Inequality

Are people born unequal? Obviously, as humans we all have extremely similar mind sets when we are born. And even as we continue through life, we all have basic needs and wants in life, making us virtually equal in the emotional sense. How we decide to go about obtaining these things is how society begins to label people unequal or equal because people have different resources and levels of opportunity to obtain what they want . It is naive to believe, in the racism debate, that people are all created equal because we have grown into a society that is overwhelmed by fear. And if fear of others exist, then there is a misunderstanding. If there is no understanding, then hate is allowed to grow. If there was no hate, there would be no inequality.

hummm

As much as I want to say yes, the answer is no..in my opinion. I think it would be very difficult to argue that all people are naturally equal though. Sadly, African Americans or lower class people are born with the disadvantages of constant reminders and put downs by society that they are not on the same social level as others. What gave people the right to discriminate others is beyond me, but I know it is a terrible thing. As Rooney was saying... people are given privileges and I definitely agree with him. I think some people abuse their privileges at times and deserve to be treated as an unequal. But for our society, i think as of now, we are far from achieving common equality.
ps. the spellcheck thing is really fun to use!

On the fence on this one.

I believe people are given PRIVILEGES when they are born, not rights. In today's society, though there are exceptions, people all are governed by the same laws of the land, or the Constitution if you will. I think sometimes we seem to confuse rights and privileges; due to much of white America (which is what most of Fremd High School is) living in a good standing, leading us to believe that being in a good standing (socially or financially) is the norm of society, which is not always the case. But, still, whether its rights or privileges, all people are not born equal in my opinion.

Allison's Response

I don't think that all people are born equal. They are given their rights from the family that they are born into. Everyone has the ability to succeed, if we take that ability and apply it, we will have the same accomplishments.

what i think...

I do not believe that all people are born equal. While some have the perks of being born into a rich society, others have to work twice as hard to survive. I am not saying that only rich white men get real careers, while others take what they can get. I am saying that if we were all born equal then some wouldn't have to work harder than those who are simply chosen to run large corporations, or become business managers. I do believe that a person can succeed in whatever he or she sets their mind on. We all may not be born equal, but if we work hard, we all have the same opportunities.

I do not think that all people are born equal because we are all born into different situations. Some people are born to two loving parents who are married and have been for a little while, so the family is very strong. Others are born to 16 or 17 year old mothers who have no clue what they are doing and that teenager ends up either neglecting the baby or putting the baby up for adoption. From the second that someone is born, they are put into their own situation, and no one is born into the same exact situation that someone else is born into (not even twins.)

I think all people are born equal, but it depends on the individual if they will succeed and do better in life.

I agree with the previous posts. I do not think people are born with equal rights. They recieve their rights from which ever type of family or society they are born into. Which really isn't fair because two children can be born on the same day and time, but which ever one is born in a more respected society automatically gets more rights than the other baby. Enough about equal rights though, what do you think about the bears game?

I don't think people are born equal either. I think it's true how someone can be born into a lower class household, and that is how they are raised, making them lower class also. Of course, along with being lower class financially, comes how you are viewed from society. In our society, being lower class is not viewed as being a good thing. On the other hand, what if they are adopted? Then their social class is 'cleared' and it now coordinates with the family they are being raised with. Also, in some more specific societies, some races are frowned upon, and there is nothing people of that race can do to change that. Sadly, that will only change throughout generations. Now, just because this is how society is, it doesn't make it fair.

Jory's response

I do not believe that all people are born equal. I believe that people with racial differences are born with a disadvantage to society already. Even people born into a lower class than others are treated differently than the upper class. The only way for people with those disadvantages to be treated equally is that they have to earn them in their lifetime. Some people work their entire lives to be treated as an equal. I don't think that this is fair but for now that is how our society seems to be.

First discussion topic...

Hi everyone! Here is your first discussion topic...

Are all people naturally equal? Please explain your answer.