Discussion

Discussion 1:

This discussion essentially talks about one important fact: That dreams can actually come true. To make their dreams come true, people should work hard towards attaining it. It is in fact possible to make the ‘American Dream’ come true and it cannot be called a sham because everyone is not treated the same. We need to understand the fact that life is hard and sometimes we only have to make our own opportunities. Anyone going to school can have a useful dream .An example of someone who had a dream and strove until the end to make it come true is Martin Luther King. Hence, people should take inspiration from people like him and be motivated enough to finally make their dreams come true.

Discussion 2:

This discussion deals with the position of US imperialism and the reasons for this as well. It is a very cynical account of US economic ambition, which, according to it, happened because of economic reasons such as the economic depression in the twentieth century and unavailability of land to conquer in the West. It blames the American politicians of wanting to expand the US territory overseas for ‘personal’ gains. The discussion also mentions the fact that whites in America considered themselves a superior race and wanted to ‘save’ other races they considered inferior to them. In the same regard, the discussion draws parallels between American expansion and British colonial expansion and concludes that both are in fact the very same. The racial underpinnings in the propagation of imperialism also cannot be ignored.

Discussion 3:

This discussion argues that when weighing the pros and cons of the US waging a war in foreign lands, the cons are more than the pros. While fighting against terror, communism and putting an end to attacks on American abroad should be considered pros, the cons put all these to shame. The obvious cons are that lives are lost, whole economies are destroyed, cultures get affected, etc. It argues that US should be involved not in waging the war per se, but in post-war situations where they can contribute significantly to nation building. Yes, democracy cannot be installed in a country without US intervention, but it shouldn’t be by war, it should instead look at carrying out post-war peace talks and reconstruction of the country.

Discussion 4:

This discussion revolves around the contemporary debate between modernists and fundamentalists. Modernists are said to be a very adaptable and flexible method of looking at and interpreting Christian scriptures and traditional attributes. Modernism is said to be necessary for the application of new scientific knowledge and also to understand the gospel truths in the light of contemporary life. However, Fundamentalism is naturally opposite to Modernism. Fundamentalism is the usage or method of interpretation of tradition and culture based on the original set of rules that are not flexible and cannot be changed over time. The growth of fundamentalism poses a threat to liberalism and secularism.

Discussion 5 :

This discussion talks about President Obama’s possible decision to levy higher taxes on the wealthy. The writer pushes for this because he/ she argues that the common man has not fully recovered from the losses of the previous recession and this would grant them a ‘net’. It also talks about Obama’s Obamacare program and how it has benefited some, though it received a lot of flak from others. It then discusses how schools and colleges get ‘grants’ for functioning properly from the government, but this rarely happens properly because the money is ‘pocketed’ by certain selfish government officials.

Discussion 6:

This discussion mentions the fact that wars are to be condemned because they target the civilians and industrial sector of a country. It says that war in itself shouldn’t happen because it is appalling that whatever the political conditions, the civilians suffer for many years after the war as well. War can and should be averted, according to it. But the discussion condemns the international community for being ‘passive’ in taking any measures against this. It also blames the US for not persecuting the US for war crimes. It also mentions the International Court of Justice which issued an advisory opinion on nuclear weapons and indirectly said that strategic bombing is not desirable during war.

Discussion 7:

This discussion deals with the containment policy or NSC-68 of the United States on nuclear weapons. The author says that the US was unjustified in arguing that the Soviet Union should not possess nuclear weapons. This is because the US itself had procured nuclear weapons and taxed people, wherein these taxes could have been put to better use in education or healthcare. The author also argues that if the US had not come up with nuclear weapons, then even Soviet Union wouldn’t have (considering development of nuclear weapons by the Soviet Union was a response to the US developing it).

Discussion 8:

This discussion focuses on the twin and contrasting aspects of Disneyland. While it showcased the American culture as free, vibrant, open , etc there was still racial segregation happening and it was not ‘free’ in that sense at all. Disneyland romanticized America and the American Dream. This led to a series of migrations during that period (1950s). However, the author says that Disneyland imparted a ‘feeling of the unreal’ which was in fact wonderful because it was the only time that he/ she felt devoid of any problems or issues, when he/ she was totally immersed in its fanatasy.

Discussion 9:

This discussion is essentially about the different phases of the civil rights movement in America. The author says that before the 1960s, African Americans experienced a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs due to many Acts that the whites opposed such as - the 13^th Amendment that ended slavery, the 14^th Amendment that provided African Americans nationality, etc. So, the author says that many anti-segregation movements and boycotts were held by the blacks in opposition to this. For example- in Mississippi, local black leaders protested against not including the African Americans in the electoral process. The author opines that the civil rights movement showed blacks what they exactly wanted and that it is still underway.

Discussion 10:

The discussion talks about how different wars waged by the US have been destructive in nature and should not happen in the future. The author says that while the reasons for starting the wars may be justified, the tragic ends can never be and hence should never repeat itself. The discussion also focuses on the fact that money spent on military expenditure can be used in other useful areas. Old examples of the imperial Philippine-American wars, through the Vietnam conflicts and the contemporary Ukraine conflict have been discussed in detail.

Discussion 11:

In this discussion, the author talks about his/ her ideological beliefs. On one hand, he/she is liberal on some issues while being conservative in some others. He/ She talks about their belief in human rights, homosexuality, pro immigration as being ‘liberal’. He/ she does not believe that somebody should be branded “illegal”. He/she is conservative when coming to the issue of criminality because the harshest punishment should be given by the judiciary to somebody who commits the harshest crimes.

Discussion 12 :

This is a discussion on how the future of America can over shadow its past mistakes. The hope for America is that it becomes a country that supports equality and democracy. The author wants America to have a glorious future such that everybody has equal opportunities to grow in it. The author says that communication has changed over time in America and become more trivial and that we shouldn’t lose our values and essence of being truly American in that process. Being a black, America’s past haunts the author but he/she is confident about its better future.