Response to “Is Arranged Marriage Really Any Worse Than Craigslist?”

Like the author of this essay, I do not think arranged marriages are entirely undesirable. I come from a close-knit, traditional Italian family. My parents allowed me to date whoever I wanted, but ultimately, they were never happy with my choices. To them, my boyfriends were never good enough for me. There was always some fatal flaw that they could immediately pick up on that I was unaware of or refused to believe. Of course, I always though they were being closed-minded or too judgmental. What was surprising, however, was that my parents were always right about every guy. In the end, I always got hurt and would realize who these guys really were: losers. After one particularly long and painful relationship, I decided that I had had enough. I told my parents that I was never going to date anyone again unless they had hand chosen him for me. After all, they had always been able to see what I could not in my choices of men and had always been correct in their evaluations. A month later, my mom introduced me to a guy who was the son of a friend of hers from high school. I never believed in love at first sight until that day when I met Steven. We were incredibly perfect for each other in every way. Later, we found out that our mothers had pre-arranged the whole thing together. To make a long story short, we recently got engaged in Paris at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I never thought I could be so happy with someone my parents decided on for me. So, I have found there must be some truth to the saying, “Mother knows best.”

Response to “The Politics of Rescue”

Before reading this article, I always felt that the United States should not intervene in other countries’ internal affairs. I believed that we had too many problems in our own cities that needed remedy before we went out fixing other people’s problems. Although I still mostly feel this way, this article helped me to recognize and understand viable reasons why the United States should intervene. When people are being made “…victims of [radical] tyranny, ideological zeal, [or] ethnic hatred…”, then I can accept the arguments for foreign intervention. If vast numbers of these victims are being exiled, tortured, or murdered, then I may even have to agree with the arguments. To take it a step further, if the victims themselves are crying out for the foreign interventions, then I do not see how they can be denied.

Response to "Our Moral Duty in Iraq"

After reading this article, I have found that I do not necessarily agree with Powers and his opinions on the United States war in Iraq. I do not think that we have any moral obligation toward the Iraqi people. Nor do I think that it is our job to right the injustices of their society. I feel that we need to fix the problems in our own country before we even think about the others. What about the homeless and the starving in our own cities? Should we not end the gang wars in our streets before we attempt to end them in another country? When the author talks of “…end[ing] the war between Sunnis and Shiites….” I wonder is he is aware that these groups have been fighting for ages. Jews and Muslims have been warring over Jerusalem since their religions began. They are not going to cease and be peaceful just because the United States has decided it is time. We are attempting to resolve centuries old resentments in one generation’s era. It is just not going to happen. So, why do we not put our efforts towards bettering our own people instead of wasting them on foreign issues that we cannot solve?

Response to “The Moral Equivalent of War”

I think that William James was ahead of his time when writing this essay. The ideas and situations he discusses are ones that our country is dealing with now. The solution he proposes to “…get the desire to fight out of men…” is “…a conscription of the whole youthful population to form for a certain number of years a part of the army….” In our present day this idea is used in some countries. One example that I am familiar with is Italy. At the age of eighteen, all Italian males must join the Italian army for a certain amount of time (I am not sure exactly how long). This military enlistment is mandatory and I believe it has a very positive affect on the entire society. Italy has a very low crime rate. Certain crimes that are on the rise in America are unheard of over there, such as rape and gang violence. It is not a problem because these crimes are rarely committed. If you think about it, this is probably because the young males are given a positive outlet for their aggression while at the same time being taught discipline and the proper virtues of men. The population as a whole is much calmer and laid back and the people are truly able to enjoy life, no matter what class they are labeled into. Compared to the American people, they are complete opposites. I think this is all caused by the mandatory military experience and training that all the Italian men must go through while they are still young.

Response to “Al Gore, Global Warming, Inconvenient Truth: Scientists Respond to Gore’s Warnings of Climate Catastrophe”

Reading this essay was very surprising for me since I do not think I have ever heard of anyone arguing for the other side of the global warming issue. When people talk about global warming, carbon dioxide levels, and human consumption, it is usually in a negative and often frightening way. Most “experts” insist that we are destroying the planet and if the world’s population does not urgently change its ways, we will undoubtedly find ourselves extinct. The author of this essay, however, claims that “…human emissions of carbon dioxide…” are not the cause of “…significant global climate change.” He asserts that there are “…hundreds of highly qualified non-governmental, non-industry, non-lobby group climate experts…” who believe that “there is no meaningful correlation between CO2 levels and Earth’s temperature over…time….” These opinions coming from such authoritative people had me very shocked. I never recognized that there could be evidence to support the opposite point of view on the topic, even though common sense should have told me otherwise. I still feel that the entire human populace needs to start treating its home (Earth) with more respect and concern, but now I am interested in finding out more about what this other group of experts has to say.

Response to "The Matter of Whiteness"

My honest and first response to this essay was that I should not even be reading it. First of all, the article was published more than ten years ago and most of the author’s claims are outdated and no longer apply. He is an English professor who predominantly comments on racial agendas in the United States. How can you accurately judge a society that you are not a part of? I also feel that the subject matter of this essay, the historical race issues that were such a large part of our country’s past, no longer apply. It is 2009 and we have a BLACK president. If you still think the “Western world” has race issues, then watch your evening news. Furthermore, the author claims that if you are Italian, or Catholic, or Jewish, then you are considered white in the United States. In my experience, this statement is absolutely false. If the author was to ask a white supremacist in the U.S. if these people are white, he would adamantly tell the author “NO!” To the whitest of the white in our country, if you are not an Anglo-Saxon Protestant, then you are just as racially inclined as any African, or Mexican, or Asian, etc. I am an Italian-American and have been called racial slurs, such as a “dago” or a “guinea”, by people who are white. I am sorry, but I cannot take seriously someone in Britain who is telling me that because I am Italian, my country considers me to be white, when actual people in my country tell me that I am not white for that same reason.

Response to “Your Gamete, Myself”

When I turned to this article and read the “Before You Read” box, I was surprised by my immediate answer to the question posed. I was sure that if I could not have a child, I would want to adopt. When I thought about why I felt this way, I initially believed it was because I would not want my spouse to essentially have a child with someone else. When I thought a little deeper, I found that the reason was even more selfish. I realized that I would not want my husband to be able to biologically linked to our child and have me be left out of the family circle. It would probably make me jealous and resentful. So to be equal, I would want to adopt. After reading the article and learning about other women’s experiences with adoption, egg donation, and infertility, I totally changed my mind. I recognized that if I were unable to conceive, using an egg donation would probably result in a more fulfilling and unconditional love for my child. I would have carried it, delivered it, and nurtured it and it would be a genetic product of the person I love, my husband. It would be as if the child really was my own even though no physical part of me was a part of the child.