Entry #3 - Social Distance Survey Results and Reflection

            In the last honors class we did a survey. The survey had two sides with almost the exact questions. One side asked your opinion on several questions, while the other side asked your family’s opinion on the same questions. An example is: “Would you date a Muslim?”/ “Would your family allow you to date a Muslim?” For this activity we stood in different areas of the room based on our response. One area signified that you said, “yes”, while another signified that you answered “no” to the question. This activity visually showed us the differences in opinions we have.

            One thing that I find interesting is that twenty-one people said that they would not date a Muslim, and twenty-one people said their families would not approve of them dating a Muslim. What is interesting about this is that the people in the “yes” and “no” areas switched around, so that not everyone who answered “no” for their families also answered “no” for themselves.

            Another interesting thing I noticed from the collected data and the in-class activity is that the students tended to be more “liberal” or accepting, whereas the answers concerning the parents tended to be more “conservative” or close-minded. This was interesting because it shows a large generation gap between our parents and us. In modern times, we are taught to accept everyone and that prejudice is wrong. However, the generation before us was raised on a different set of morals. The previous generation was not as accepting of cultural or racial differences.

            In my case, my answers and the answers for my parents were almost exactly the same. This didn’t seem to be the same for many of my classmates. However, I was raised to believe that God has created us all and that we should love others unconditionally.

            In summation, the in class distance survey accurately showed the data being collected in a very easy to understand way. It was interesting to see what other people believe, in addition to seeing a glimpse of what kind of home they were raised in. As far as the results go, they show that our culture has progressed to become more understanding of others. In my opinion, this is a very good thing, and I hope that we only continue to be a more loving and accepting society as time goes on.