This is a very interesting question. While I think that there is a fine line between what racism is and what is thinking that your race is superior to another, I think it can be very hard to find that line. This guy brings up a good point in asking. What he was saying about how he thinks he has the potential to make more of a difference and leave a bigger imprint on the world, is questionable. I assume he means that in terms of the fact that he comes from a very wealthy Western nation where he has the means to do things such as travel and receive a higher education. While I do think that when given the opportunity such as an education, it gives you the power and potential to make smart decisions such as opening a business or becoming a politician and make a difference in that way. However, I don’t think that being wealthy necessarily correlates with being able to make an impact on the world. Small compassionate deeds such as being there for another person in a time of need as a shoulder to cry on like the inmate was talking about is a small thing that makes a huge difference in the world and there is no money involved.
While I think that most people in western nations are inclined to be ethnocentric towards third world nations and think that our society is better than theirs. The way that we have grown up in our society with the United States always playing the international cop as well as the country who helps other countries around the world, regardless of what our motivations have been, it makes people think that our nation is better than others. However, I think you can also look at that and say that our nation has helped others because we had the means and resources to be able to do so.
To me being a racist means that you have hatred towards people of another particular race, but I think that there is a difference between hating another race and just looking at another country and acknowledging that they are less fortunate than ours. I don’t see why there is anything wrong with acknowledging that if you aren’t look down on this people in a negative way. Acknowledging that people need your help is the first step towards being able to help these people.
To me racism is a more personal hatred, while being ethnocentric is having a feeling of superiority that your culture is better than another. For example, two people can both be ethnocentric thinking that the U.S. is better than any other country, but one can be black and the other can be white and they might be racist against one another.

I have to be honest, until Sam and Laurie brought up talking to the “lifers” at Rockview, I had never really given thought to people in prison. I am really glad that I had the opportunity to read this letter from a prisoner because it was very eye opening to hear what life is like on the “inside.” I think I would immediately expect many people who are “lifers” to be monsters, horrible people who are locked up for the horrible crimes they have committed. It was really nice to hear the more human side of a prisoner, and while they were capable of committing these crimes, there is a compassionate side to them as well.

Unfortunately, I think that the tragedy in Haiti is a similar situation to September 11th, Hurricane Katrina or even the tsunami a few years back in Thailand. International attention is immediately focused on the devastated area, and the whole world seems to come together to mourn. People try to see what they can send or donate to help at first, but unless they are directly affected, everyone goes back to life as normal. While I understand that the people of Haiti need the help and support of the rest of the world to get back on their feet, but I also think it’s understandable how people who are “unaffected” go on with their lives as usual shortly after a tragedy occurs.

When asked what we would do after reading this article and watching this video, we all want to believe that we are moral, human individuals. It would be easy to say that we would never seek violent revenge on another human life, or better yet, multiple lives. However, I don’t think that this is that simple of a question. As one of the above bloggers noted, we do not deal with war or terrorism on a daily basis. While as Americans, I a New Yorker with both of my parents working in the city on 9/11, we have fall victim to terrorist attacks, this is not something we deal with every single day. We don’t worry about being attacked every time we ride public transportation or every time we walk to the store. So for us it is easy to say the age-old “two wrongs don’t make a right” or look to the terrorists and call them the crazy ones. We have never had to think of how this is perceived in their minds. And while the terrorists who attacked our country on 9/11 did it out of pure hatred for Western society, that is not the motive of every act of terrorism that occurs worldwide.
When it comes to the 80-year old man who lost his family to terroristic acts in his community, he took matters into his own hands. We have grown up learning how “two wrongs don’t make a right” and “violence doesn’t solve your problems,” but walk in this man’s shoes for a moment. If previously asked, he would probably have said he would never be a violent person, or would never kill in his lifetime. But this average family patriarch, when he lost everything that mattered to him and that he lived for, acted out of shear anger and hatred to stand up for the ones he loved. While hurting someone else doesn’t solve his problems, the same way a payment of $2000 doesn’t bring his loved ones back; you can almost feel for this man and understand why he became a “crazy old man who took revenge.” Wouldn’t any of us become equally crazed if we lost our loved ones? Wouldn’t we feel as if something bigger had taken over us and forced us to seek revenge? We can’t say. This isn’t the reality that we live with every day, but for many in the Middle East it is. When you have nothing left that seems to matter, all that consumes your thoughts are those you’ve lost. So while we in America throw around the cute sayings that we grew up with to justify behavior and actions, we can sit with this one “Don’t judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes.”

When asked what we would do after reading this article and watching this video, we all want to believe that we are moral, human individuals. It would be easy to say that we would never seek violent revenge on another human life, or better yet, multiple lives. However, I don’t think that this is that simple of a question. As one of the above bloggers noted, we do not deal with war or terrorism on a daily basis. While as Americans, I a New Yorker with both of my parents working in the city on 9/11, we have fall victim to terrorist attacks, this is not something we deal with every single day. We don’t worry about being attacked every time we ride public transportation or every time we walk to the store. So for us it is easy to say the age-old “two wrongs don’t make a right” or look to the terrorists and call them the crazy ones. We have never had to think of how this is perceived in their minds. And while the terrorists who attacked our country on 9/11 did it out of pure hatred for Western society, that is not the motive of every act of terrorism that occurs worldwide.
When it comes to the 80-year old man who lost his family to terroristic acts in his community, he took matters into his own hands. We have grown up learning how “two wrongs don’t make a right” and “violence doesn’t solve your problems,” but walk in this man’s shoes for a moment. If previously asked, he would probably have said he would never be a violent person, or would never kill in his lifetime. But this average family patriarch, when he lost everything that mattered to him and that he lived for, acted out of shear anger and hatred to stand up for the ones he loved. While hurting someone else doesn’t solve his problems, the same way a payment of $2000 doesn’t bring his loved ones back; you can almost feel for this man and understand why he became a “crazy old man who took revenge.” Wouldn’t any of us become equally crazed if we lost our loved ones? Wouldn’t we feel as if something bigger had taken over us and forced us to seek revenge? We can’t say. This isn’t the reality that we live with every day, but for many in the Middle East it is. When you have nothing left that seems to matter, all that consumes your thoughts are those you’ve lost. So while we in America throw around the cute sayings that we grew up with to justify behavior and actions, we can sit with this one “Don’t judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes.”

I think the idea that we can all co-exist is always there and always desired, yet not necessarily attainable. I think with so many different cultures living together within the same continents, countries, or even states, one culture will always innately need to prove that they are better, stronger or more powerful and try to take control of other cultures to become an authority figure. Look at the U.S. for example. While we try to play mediator to the entire world because we seem to think we “know better,” how much does our assistance always pay off. Look at Iraq for example? We threw our weight around because we are an international superpower, but how much have we really bettered their country?

I won’t try and say that I have never done so or am above this in any way, but Americans really do tend to generalize Muslims based on Osama bin Laden’s actions. Osama bin Laden did something horrible, and has ran away from it for the past 9 years leaving the rest of the world to pick up the pieces. However, generalizing Muslims has only led to further hatred between Americans and Muslims because we assume that everyone is the same. But that is ridiculous. Osama bin Laden is one very radical example of a man who hates our country. Yet there are millions of Muslims living in America who are anti-bin Laden and peace-loving citizens of our country.

When asked what we would do after reading this article and watching this video, we all want to believe that we are moral, human individuals. It would be easy to say that we would never seek violent revenge on another human life, or better yet, multiple lives. However, I don’t think that this is that simple of a question. As one of the above bloggers noted, we do not deal with war or terrorism on a daily basis. While as Americans, I a New Yorker with both of my parents working in the city on 9/11, we have fall victim to terrorist attacks, this is not something we deal with every single day. We don’t worry about being attacked every time we ride public transportation or every time we walk to the store. So for us it is easy to say the age-old “two wrongs don’t make a right” or look to the terrorists and call them the crazy ones. We have never had to think of how this is perceived in their minds. And while the terrorists who attacked our country on 9/11 did it out of pure hatred for Western society, that is not the motive of every act of terrorism that occurs worldwide.
When it comes to the 80-year old man who lost his family to terroristic acts in his community, he took matters into his own hands. We have grown up learning how “two wrongs don’t make a right” and “violence doesn’t solve your problems,” but walk in this man’s shoes for a moment. If previously asked, he would probably have said he would never be a violent person, or would never kill in his lifetime. But this average family patriarch, when he lost everything that mattered to him and that he lived for, acted out of shear anger and hatred to stand up for the ones he loved. While hurting someone else doesn’t solve his problems, the same way a payment of $2000 doesn’t bring his loved ones back; you can almost feel for this man and understand why he became a “crazy old man who took revenge.” Wouldn’t any of us become equally crazed if we lost our loved ones? Wouldn’t we feel as if something bigger had taken over us and forced us to seek revenge? We can’t say. This isn’t the reality that we live with every day, but for many in the Middle East it is. When you have nothing left that seems to matter, all that consumes your thoughts are those you’ve lost. So while we in America throw around the cute sayings that we grew up with to justify behavior and actions, we can sit with this one “Don’t judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes.”

When asked what we would do after reading this article and watching this video, we all want to believe that we are moral, human individuals. It would be easy to say that we would never seek violent revenge on another human life, or better yet, multiple lives. However, I don’t think that this is that simple of a question. As one of the above bloggers noted, we do not deal with war or terrorism on a daily basis. While as Americans, I a New Yorker with both of my parents working in the city on 9/11, we have fall victim to terrorist attacks, this is not something we deal with every single day. We don’t worry about being attacked every time we ride public transportation or every time we walk to the store. So for us it is easy to say the age-old “two wrongs don’t make a right” or look to the terrorists and call them the crazy ones. We have never had to think of how this is perceived in their minds. And while the terrorists who attacked our country on 9/11 did it out of pure hatred for Western society, that is not the motive of every act of terrorism that occurs worldwide.
When it comes to the 80-year old man who lost his family to terroristic acts in his community, he took matters into his own hands. We have grown up learning how “two wrongs don’t make a right” and “violence doesn’t solve your problems,” but walk in this man’s shoes for a moment. If previously asked, he would probably have said he would never be a violent person, or would never kill in his lifetime. But this average family patriarch, when he lost everything that mattered to him and that he lived for, acted out of shear anger and hatred to stand up for the ones he loved. While hurting someone else doesn’t solve his problems, the same way a payment of $2000 doesn’t bring his loved ones back; you can almost feel for this man and understand why he became a “crazy old man who took revenge.” Wouldn’t any of us become equally crazed if we lost our loved ones? Wouldn’t we feel as if something bigger had taken over us and forced us to seek revenge? We can’t say. This isn’t the reality that we live with every day, but for many in the Middle East it is. When you have nothing left that seems to matter, all that consumes your thoughts are those you’ve lost. So while we in America throw around the cute sayings that we grew up with to justify behavior and actions, we can sit with this one “Don’t judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes.”

The media is definitely the key to bringing awareness to any major issue. Before change can take place, the international community must all become aware of the issue and learn the truth about what is going on. The issue of slavery needs to be discussed on the news, but also I think that documentaries have a lot of power to make an impact on people; like “The Hurt Locker” for example. If the international community saw a documentary about slavery right now, it would bring attention to the issue and then the media could take over by making a point to draw attention to the issue.