HW #10
This past Saturday I went to the Phillies at Pirates baseball game at PNC Park. Going to this event alone exemplifies American culture. Major League Baseball is an American tradition. Going to the ball game, eating hot dogs, eating cracker jacks are all traditions of the American culture. Another part of this culture is tailgating. Americans like to show up hours before the actual game starts and make a day of the game. The whole day revolves around this one game. They barbeque food, drink beer and sit around talking sports or playing games. All of this takes place in the parking lot outside of the stadium.
Personally, I am a Philadelphia sports fan so I am part of the culture of this group. We are known to be loud, obnoxious and always honest. If our team is not pleasing us, they know this and when they are pleasing us, they also know this. Some people know us as fans that throw snowballs and Santa, and some know us as violent maniacs that hate opposing teams. For example, when an opposing fan comes to a Philadelphia sporting event, that fan can expect to be relentlessly taunted throughout the game. Philly fans are proud of this hostility though; it is unique to us that we create one of the hardest environments for opposing teams to visit. We also have a culture of optimism that is in our fans. When the season starts, it is always thought to be to ‘our’ year until proven otherwise. Another funny thing about Philly fans is that sometimes we don’t even like each other. We cheer for the same team at the same time, but it is not always a bonding moment. I can remember walking out of the Wells Fargo Center after a Flyers playoff lost last year and seeing Flyers fans fighting other Flyers fans over getting out of the parking lot. One passerby screamed, “We are all Philly fans here, calm down”, this wasn’t received well by the men in the fight and the passerby was responded to with threats and that it does not matter what team they cheer for.
These are all differences between one culture compared to another. On a more concentrated spectrum of this, is individuality. Instead of the differences between groups, it is the differences between people and their uniqueness. Americans are very individually oriented and are expected to stand on their own. We are rewarded as individuals and punished as individuals. For example, I was struggling with math this past week but I didn’t seek help. I wanted to figure it all out myself or fail by myself. There is a certain pride in me, or maybe a certain flaw, that will not want the help of others to complete a task. I assume you can blame this on the American environment, that you are on your own and nobody is out there to help you.
HW #9
1.) Three topics that Americans think of as rude to talk about are religion, personal finances and politics. It is rude to talk about religion because not everyone is the same religion, therefore, not everyone is going to have the same views. And if you voice an opposing view to another persons religion then you could offend them and start unneccesary confrontations. Personal finances is seen as rude because nobody wants to feel less of themselves because they do not make as much money as their friend or neighbor. Also it is rude in the workplace because you could have the same job as someone but make more or less then them and that can cause jealousy which doesn’t lead to healthy relationships in the office. And it is rude to talk about politics for pretty much the same reason that is is rude to talk about religion. If you have an opposing view it can start unneccessary arguments and anger.
2.) In Thailand, not taking care of your elders for your own times sake would be seen as selfish and frowned upon. This would cause bad blood between the family most likely. But in the US, it is socially acceptable to value your own time and doing what you want rather then taking your time to take care of an elder.
3.) For me, it would my attitude towards wealth and success. They are both tied together and come hand-in-hand in my mind, if you are wealthy then you are successful and if you are successful then you are wealthy. You can drop out of high school or college and still be considered successful because of your wealth and financial achievement. Based on the article, this is different in Thailand. Success is judged by academic achievement and living life with good morales.
HW #3: Moral Machines
1.) I think a catastrophic event, like in the text , is actually more likely then people think to happen in our lifetimes. Maybe not as science fictional and large as “I-Robot” but to a certain level. For example, I could see the stock market crashing because of a software problem and I could see military bots malfunctioning and killing people because of a software problem. I do not see robots taking over the world or anything like that though. I think the public reaction will be to have humans make the decisions and no more robotic decisions.
2.) I don’t think it is very likely that a robot will be able to think and reason as a human does. If it is possible, it will be far past our lifetimes. If it does happen though, it will affect our identities greatly. What would separate humans from robots? There wouldn’t be that genuine human quality that makes us all different but also connects us to each other.
3.) Positives would be faster transactions for financial reasons, better care of the elderly, more efficient days, and less responsibility. Negatives would be malfunctions causing harm or death, loss of human identity, and possible robot take over.
4.) Yes, when writing a long paper one time my computer crashed and I lost all of my work. This was just on a small scale though, imagine having a computer fail and lose all of your money that you’ve worked for.
HW #2
1.) My gut reaction was Bill Gates was the most admirable because he built an empire, something not many people can do. Also I know he has multiple charities set up and gives back to those in need. Obviously Mother Theresa is admirable, we’ve been told she is the most loving person on earth since little kids. And I had no idea who Norman Borlaug was. My mind did not really change except for the fact that I was impressed with Norman Borlaug. He has saved billions of lives and does not take to the media for thanks.
2.) Right off the top of my head I would have to pick the average working parent as the most admirable. The man or woman that wakes up everyday at 5a.m. to go to work all day with no days off because they cannot afford it. I couldn’t think of any one specific person but I definately know many family members and friends that do this and I admire each and every one of them for their hard work with no thanks. A second person I would pick as most admirable would be Tim Tebow. How does anyone not admire that guy? With all the stories and all the good works he does, he has without a doubt earned my respect.
3.) I do believe that morality is universal. There has been plenty of studies to support is also. For example, playing dead is known as a form to deter a violent person or a violent animal. It is said that it is human nature to not want to harm a person that appears defenseless. Also another example would be soldiers when they first shoot at enemies naturally aim high and away from their target because it is natural to not want to kill another human being. There is medical reason as to why somebody wouldn’t be moral and there is also environmental reasons. If someone grows u in a violent environment where if they don’t protect themselves they will be hurt or killed then they are going to not be the norm.
4.) Harm, Fairness, Community, Authority, and Purity. I think that Americans would rank Fairness first because we expect everyone to be fair in all aspects of life. That is why there is laws in place, to be fair to all. We strictly obey these laws also. Nobody likes when they are cheated.
