Cultural Pluralism

Cultural Pluralism

Group 1

1. Many atheist maintain that they do not believe in God because there is no evidence God exists. What is your opinion?

I believe that God exists. The complexity of the universe shows that there is a deliberate Creator who created it and sustains it even to date. The universe had a beginning and scientist only provide theories which cannot be proven completely.

2. Do you think people who don’t believe in God or gods can live good lives? Why or why not?

No. because they have to bear critics from the majority religious people. Many people who do not believe in God are constantly consumed by fear that they may be following the wrong path because most people in the world identify themselves with a religion or God.

3. Where do you think people who don’t believe in God or gods get their moral compass?

People who do not believe in God get their moral compass from the law of the country they live in, from other people who do not believe in God, from the society, or from within themselves.

4. Should everyone in a country have the right to practice any religion they wish?

Why or why not?

Yes. Because when people have the freedom of religion, the cultural majority cannot use the government to impose their believes on others. Again, believing in God is a choice and everyone should be allowed to choose what they feel is right.

5. Do you think the government should have the ability to “manage” religious expression? Why or why not?

No. Since every individual has the freedom to religion, the government should not manage how individuals express their religion either in private or in public. The only instant that the government should manage religious expression is when they threaten the peace or lives of others.

Group 2

1. Do you feel that your parents class or the class you are born into limits the opportunities that you have later in life? If so how do you think people transcend these boundaries of class?

No. Through hard work, education, and talent.

2. What do you think is most important for higher-income people to understand about lower-income people?

Higher-income people should understand that lower-income people also work hard and they make a significant contribution to the society.

3. What do you think is the most common misconception about classism?

The most common misconception about classism is that higher-income people in the society are white males while the lower-income people are the blacks.

4. How do you think that classism affects the society that you live in?

Classism leads to social division between the upper and lower social class. Classism also creates low self-esteem, discouragement, low expectations, and resentment towards the upper class people in the society.

5. What would be the best or most efficient way to get classism listed as a form of discrimination so that the government could be more helpful with this issue?

People should be educated that classism is a form of discrimination in the society since most people do not see classism in that perspective. Educating people about classism makes the society more open-minded and the government could easily intervene.

Group 3

1. What is the difference between heterosexism and homophobia?

Heterosexism is the prejudice or discrimination against homosexuals based on the assumption that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation (Pearsall, 2016), while homophobia is a strong dislike for homosexuals or their culture and lifestyle.

2. Can homosexuals change their sexual orientation if they want to? And if so, can

heterosexuals do the same?

Yes. Both homosexuals and heterosexuals can change their sexual orientation if they want to.

3. Why do researchers generally recommend using the term “sexual orientation rather than “sexual preference”?

Sexual preference suggest that a person has made a voluntary choice to identify with a certain sexuality. Scientists theorize that one cannot choose a sexual orientation because it is a complex interplay of hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors. Thus, the term sexual preference is discouraged.

4. Should discrimination based on sexual orientation be outlawed to the same extent as discrimination based on race and sex?

Yes. Since science reveals that sexual orientation is not a voluntary choice but rather an interplay of hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors, discrimination on bases of sexual orientation should be outlawed.

5. Why do people call homosexuality unnatural, when it exists in all sexual species in nature?

A large percentage of people have been cultured to believe that heterosexuality is the morally acceptable sexual orientation. Most religions also condemn homosexuality based on the principle of duality and that God condemns homosexuality. Again, most people have been raised in heterosexual settings; thus homosexuality seems unnatural.

Group 5

1. How have people with disabilities been marginalized from mainstream society during historical and contemporary times?

Historically, people with disabilities have lowers education achievement, poor health services, less participation in the mainstream economy, and higher levels of poverty compared to people without disabilities (Borsay & Dale, 2015). In the contemporary times, disability s understood as a human rights issue; meaning that people are not just disabled by their physical bodies but by the society.  However, despite the new classifications and understanding, the historical forms of discrimination on disabled people are still experienced by the disabled individuals.

2. What feelings do you experience when you see a person with a visible disability (e.g. wheelchair user, person who is blind)? Why do you think we feel this way?

I feel compassion and empathy. I feel compassion and empathy because every disabled person has some unique and amazing talent and they usually seem to have a way of turning their disability into some sort of ability.

3. How do you think your reactions to people with disabilities affect people with disabilities?

When disabled people are shown compassion and empathy, they feel good, appreciated, and worthy. A simple act of kindness is a gesture that their presence is appreciated, and this boosts their confidence and self-esteem.

4. Is even using the word disability enabling prejudice, why not use differently abled?

Using the word disability does not enable prejudice; this is because disability is a fact of life and there is no shame or prejudice in talking about disability. Using “differently abled” suggests that there is something shameful or wrong about talking directly and honestly about disability.

5. What are the individual, cultural, and institutional changes that can create a more inclusive society?

At the individual level, we need to ensure social inclusivity by showing compassion and empathy for the disabled rather than isolating and discriminating them. At cultural level, the society needs to recognize and treat disabled individuals as a complete human with talents, desires, skills, and feelings. At the institutional level, more disabled people should be employed in all fields, the political representation of the disabled people should be increased, and universal access to resources for both disabled and abled people should be advocated.

References

Borsay, A., & Dale, P. (2015). Introduction: disabled children–contested caring. In Disabled Children (pp. 1-14). Routledge.

Pearsall, J. (2016). Concise Oxford English dictionary.