Week of September 24-30 Discussion Quest. #2

2). The International Listening Association (ILA) http://listen.org is a rich resource for learning more about listening and networking with others who recognize its importance in everyday life.  Its website features exercises to test and improve listening, factoids about listening, Internet discussion groups, quotes about the nature and value of listening, and a bibliography for those who want to read more.  Review "Listening is a 10 part skill", and report on what you learned: 

"Listening is a 10 part skill" made me realize I had a lot of listening skills to work on. I have learned that listening is actually so much more difficult than it sounds. A lot of what i read was very true and made perfect sense to me. For example, #6 Work at Listening, I thought that a lot of us could relate to this one because this is exactly what we have done in the past. Listening requires hard work, attentiveness, flexibility, and so many other qualities that we overlook in our everyday lives. It is funny to see how our world is made up of mostly poor listeners, just imagine what it would be like if we were all attentive and how different things would be. Lastly, this made me realize that I need to stop judging the person by how they speak but by their content. Their content may be executed poorly but their ideas could be amazing and out of this world. I feel like a lot of ideas are lost between the cracks of judgement by others.

Week of September 24-30 Discussion Quest. #1

1). Review the six types of nonlistening discussed in this chapter.  Are any of them common in your communication?  Make a plan to overcome this type of nonlistening you have engaged in.  Describe the type of nonlistenging you engage in, and discuss how you plan to fix is.

I definitely have had my fair share of non-listening. In the past, I have used all 6 forms of non-listening. That may not sound very pleasant but i feel like each type of non-listening is essential for different times through out our lives. Pseudo-listening is not being an attentive listener but sometimes we have a lot to think about on our minds. We will always have stressful phases where we are crammed with midterms or hours of homework ahead of us. Usually, when we are this busy, we tend use monopolizing because there are some things in life that worry us. For example, a passing family member, breaking up in a long term relationship, losing a close friend, and lastly losing your job. I don't plan to overcome these types of non-listening because i know we cant always live our lives to listen to someone else when ours is not doing very well at the moment. Of course, i will try to listen as much as i can but if i'm in a situation where my life is in a crisis, i will take care of that.

Week of September 10-16 Discussion Quest. #2

2). Visit the Free Speech Museum's Hate Speech Page.  What did you learn about how hate speech is defined, who engages in it, and efforts to regulate hate speech on the Web?  What should be done about hate speech on the Web and off it?  Should we censor it?  Would doing so violate our constitutional right to freedom of speech?  Are there other, perhaps less formal, ways to reduce hate speech?  

I learned that hate speech is defined as any form of verbal language or physical action that may discriminate against any other individual or organization. I'm sure that many of us have engaged in hate speech but we do not have the intention of hate toward that subject. I honestly think that hate speech is very poorly regulated over the web. I have been to countless websites and forums that have racist language and hate speech written all over it. In addition, i'm sure there are websites dedicated to racism and hate toward multiple ethnic groups. In all honesty, there is not much that we can do about hate speech on the web because it's so anonymous that individuals cant be held accountable. In terms of off the web, we could fine people for hate speech but that does not seem constitutional and people would have large complaints over this issue. Yes, we should censor hate speech because we don't want younger generations to pick up on it but it's inevitable and is very difficult to stop. There are ways to reduce hate speech but the problem is that it's already so integrated into our society that it is part of the norm. I admit hate speech is bad but most of the time it just helps us get rid of stress and half the time we never really mean it. (Or at least i don't)

Week of September 10-16 Discussion Quest. #1

1). Think about different metaphors for American society.  For many years, the country was described as a melting pot, which suggests that differences between citizens are supposed to melt down and blend into one unified character.  Recently, some have criticized this melting pot metaphor because it emphasizes wiping out differences, not respecting them.  The Reverend Jesse Jackson refers to the United States as both a rainbow and a family quilt.  Both of Jackson's metaphors emphasize recognizing and appreciating differences.  What metaphor would you propose?

I would propose a similar metaphor to Reverend Jesse Jackson because my family embraces American culture but Vietnamese culture as well. We still carry on old Vietnamese traditions like wearing formal Vietnamese clothing, cooking/eating Vietnamese dishes, and burning incense for the deceased. I think that America is described as a melting pot because due to racial discrimination, people always tried to fit in and tried to be someone they were not. Nowadays, we have china town or japan town and many other ethnic based societies/cities that carry on their own culture. I have to admit I have changed myself to fit into society, and in the process of doing so, I have wiped out certain differences between cultures for my own benefit. I feel that this isn't necessarily a bad thing because we learn and accept more about a culture that is dominant where we currently live. I feel like it's necessary for us to embrace different cultures but often times many traditions are lost along the cracks that rise up through our lives.

Week of Sept 3-9 Disc. Question #2

2). You may want to reread the section on race and identity in this chapter.  What is race?  Is race a useful way to classify people?  Why or why not?  Do you think the Census Bureau should allow people to check multiple races to define themselves? 

According to "Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters" Race is considered a primary aspect of personal identity. To me, race is a way of labeling an individual for who he or she is in terms of where they came from. Race is a useful way of classifying people but in return stereotypes are made toward others. It helps us define or describe who we are but it also adds the window for negative aspects to be applied toward us as well.Yes, the Census Bureau should allow people to check multiple races to define themselves but they should be limited toward the number of boxes they can check. This will help solve the problem of people abusing their rights and stealing benefits from races they are not a part of. All in all, race is very useful to help us organize people but it's also a great way or organizing stereotypes and labeling people with attributes they may not have.

Week of Sept 3-9 Disc. Question #1

1). Talk with one man and one woman who are 20 years older than you.  Talk with one woman and one man who are 40 years older than you.  In each conversation, ask them to explain how men and women were expected to be when they were 20 years old.  As them to explain what behaviors, goals, and attitudes were considered inappropriate for woman and men when they were 20 years old.  Compare their responses with view held by 20-year-olds today.  Discuss your findings in a blog post.

For this discussion question I chose to speak with my parents and my cousins. Women in Vietnam at the age of 20 were expected to work for a degree and receive a higher education in order to live a richer and more fulfilling life because many Vietnamese families were already born in poverty. The parents wanted them to live a life better than the parents themselves. They were also expected to take care of the family and to make sure that there will be food on the table for others that work full time jobs. Some attitudes that were considered inappropriate would be disobeying rules and commands and talking back. Women lived a harsh lifestyle in Vietnam. As for men, once they have completed their education, at the age of 22 they were called for service to the army. My uncle being one of the soldiers, was expected to kill Viet Congs on the war front. Men were expected to get an education and if they could complete their 4 year degree before 22, they could choose to go toward a higher education that could possibly get them out of being on duty for the army. My cousin's lifestyles were completely different from the people i spoke to that were 40 years older than me. My cousin was expected to do normal house chores around the house while going to school for a 4 year degree. Their goals and expectations were not very far from our 20 year-olds today. Definitely, the men and women 40 years older than us would have very different lifestyles. Seeing that they were expected to serve the army due to war, I did not have to go through would that process. Today, I am expected to help around the house and to receive my 4 year degree. Once i have received my 4 year degree, i may choose if i want to go toward a higher degree or find myself a job. My goal would be to find a nicely paid job that is stable enough for a family.

Week 2 discussion