gdp's Comments

Transworld Skateboarding : Footy Tape Fridays: Angel Cardenas

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:57:15 +0000

dude rips

Transworld Skateboarding : Oliver Barton's Top 5 YouTubes Of The Week (5.7.10)

Fri, 7 May 2010 17:32:09 +0000

Dude, you can't be serious. There are loads of people who fall under your generalization but there are just as many if not more who don't! For the people who just want to get "lit" isn't that the same as having a beer or glass of wine at the end of the night? What about medicinal? Take a look at thishttp://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.... This is safer and more effective then fucking Advil or Tylenol! Do us all a favor and educate yourself by getting "lit" and doing a little research.

Race Relations Project : What about people who can only "afford hard work"?

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:06:48 +0000

To me people need both a good work ethic and money to achieve things. However you don’t necessarily need to have the two balanced because either one can work in place of the other and you can see examples of this all through out society. We all know someone here at Penn State who was only accepted because his or her parents have money. It isn’t a hard concept to understand. The vice versa of this is also true. We all know someone who has gotten where they are solely on their ability and determination. I can not remember exactly who said it but I recall in one of the short stories from the book Crossing the Boulevard someone said life is like a set of stairs. We can all get to the top but some of us start much higher up than others. This sums up my basic views with money and hard work. Immigrants start at some of the lowest stairs not only because of money, but also because of the language barrier between them. This can either sink someone or act as a catalyst for the intellectual hard worker on the inside. It would be ideal if everyone migrated here legally but that is simply unrealistic. Through out Crossing the Boulevard the story was the same. The immigrant was in a war torn country and had to choose between leaving everything they knew behind or risk death. The people in the stories all were lucky enough to get visas but people who don’t get visas are also faced with that same choice. I for one would not choose death so I would therefore have to become an illegal immigrant. Once they are in the United States they would hopefully be able to obtain a green card and stay here, perhaps even attaining citizenship. I realize that a lot of illegal immigrants are putting strain on the system but I feel the majority of them had very little choice in their decision. My one hope is that more immigrants would take what they have learned in the United States and take it back to their countries and try to make a positive effect on their homelands. I am not saying the United States is perfect, because it is far from it. However the United States is one of the few countries where hard work will result in success. If we were to adopt more European policies and become a more laid back, conservative, government we could truly get close to an efficient and fair system. If we were to develop that system then hard work WOULD be enough the vast majority of the time. With that example for other nations to follow the world could become a much better place.

Race Relations Project : Stories for Uplift

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:38:15 +0000

It is very enjoyable to watch these out of the ordinary, change of pace, feel-good videos. The video about the cashier and her favorite customer is one that proves that there are still people on this planet who care more about others than they do about themselves. It truly is amazing that he is that selfless. I wonder what would happen if we had someone like this in the white house? Perhaps the United States would regain our good name and be seen as a country that cares more about global issues and human rights than oil and profit margins.

Race Relations Project : Stories for Uplift

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:29:38 +0000

This video reminds me of how carefree being a child was. When you are a kid you know nothing and believe everything. The Addidas slogan “anything is possible” is a reality. We were brand new pieces of clay free of imperfections and ready for molding. It is nearly impossible to watch this video without imitating the boy’s ear to ear smile when he talks about his elementary school crush. Then when his girlfriend enters the picture and you see that she is just as passionate as he is you almost want to clap. These two children remind us that we are all part of one tribe, humanity.

Race Relations Project : What about health care?

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:24:55 +0000

This is an excellent question and one that really doesn’t have a right answer because it is all based on opinion. In my opinion they should share the majority of our rights such as freedom of speech, press, and religion. However when it comes to health care I tend to stray away from equality however ignorant and pigheaded that is. Our current system is flawed through and through but it is taking care of the majority of Americans. If someone from another country would like to become a citizen I will welcome him or her with open arms and share what I have with them. But if you are telling me my son cannot have an operation because an illegal alien is having the same operation that’s where I draw the line.

Race Relations Project : South Park...off the hook?

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:16:26 +0000

Every Wednesday at ten pm I know where I will be and that is in front of my tv. Every week I look forward to South Park because it truly is original. It does an excellent job of illustrating how seriously people take things and reminding them to laugh at themselves. This holds true with their two most recent episodes. Matt Stone and Trey Parker have made fun of every religion under the sun and in my opinion they were showing radical Muslims they are not an exception. The two men have some serious balls to do this and I applaud their efforts. What good is life if you can’t laugh at yourself?

Race Relations Project : Letter from an Inmate

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:38:13 +0000

This man has a very methodical and soft way of speaking. If you didn’t know he was a criminal and he made no references to where he was physically experiencing sorrow you would think he is a well-educated man wise beyond his years, not a model for orange jump suits. His words weaved together to make a lovely basket of truth in which the simple act of compassion sits comfortably. We all have had sorrow enter our lives and enter into the lives of the people whom we love. It seems to happen to some people all the time and others rarely at all yet everyone can still share that sentiment of sorrow. When dealing with sorrow even the most simplistic touch means the world. In my understanding of prison people have very few if any physical possessions. The world is a simpler place, which fosters a new thought process for most people. A lot of my fellow humans become consumed with the newest iPhone or golf clubs rather than what happened to their brother or sister at school that day. When people are given time to reflect on themselves they often shutter at the person they have become. Since they are not particularly pleased with themselves they find ways to consume all of their time. In prison you are faced with you every second of every day. With that in mind you can understand how relationships become that much stronger with family and friends on the outside. To lose a grandparent or parent is one thing, but to lose a child is something no one should ever have to go through. In a place of hard knocks this inmate broke down with the morose news of his daughters’ death and had other veterans of tragedy share his pain. In my opinion a lot of inmates are like smores. They have a tough crunchy exterior to keep up appearances but on the inside is a soft and warm marshmallow. It isn’t just convicts though but every homo sapien that is still breathing on planet earth. Sorrow is something that everyone shares but very few people want to. I was particularly moved by this quote, “not simple sympathy…but a deep soulful understanding.” It is so easy for us to simply throw in our two cents but how often do people actually sit there and cry with someone wishing to take some of the pain on themselves? I have met very few people in my life who I am certain would do this for someone they truly care about. I have met even fewer people who would do this for a stranger. Perhaps I have not met them because they are behind prison bars. I will never know.

Race Relations Project : Want to Learn Chinese (Mandarin)?

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:49:25 +0000

Coming from a large high school I had a choice of four languages, and five by my senior year, it is hard for me to imagine foreign languages leaving the school scene. We were offered a choice between German, Spanish, French, Latin, and Arabic but not Mandarin. Mandarin is going to be the new universal language between super powers in the very near future. In the 1950s all other countries were learning English so that they could trade and do business with the largest superpower of the time, the United States. Now in the 21st century the Chinese are starting to look more and more like the most dominant and powerful nation in the world and with that comes a language shift. International business will soon shy away from the traditional English and begin to swing to the Chinese. If the United States wishes to keep its seat at the super powers club then it needs to teach its youth how to perform on the global level and that means being able to speak mandarin. I think it is hard for a lot of people to stomach the fact the United States is no longer number one because we have been for all of our lives, at least those of us who are 50 or younger. It is hard for me to fathom a world where everyone is speaking mandarin but it is without a doubt a very real possibility. Personally I do not plan on learning it but that is because I do not plan on competing on the international level. But I think anyone who wishes to compete in business should definitely be learning and practicing mandarin. Mandarin however is just another phase in the global economy. With nations so dependent upon each other every once in a while one country will gain slightly more power than some of the others and they will be the international language. First it was English with the United States, next is mandarin with China, who knows what will be next? Perhaps it will be the Germans or the Spanish; or perhaps it will be some nation that is yet to be formed. Superpowers have been changing since the dawn of civilization and I don’t see that pattern changing anytime soon, if ever. Learning another language also has other advantages including that kids who are bilingual often score much higher than kids who speak only one language. If children are exposed to multiple languages at a young age they can pick them up infinitely quicker than if they try to learn another language later in life. Perhaps one day I will be speaking mandarin to my children or they will be speaking mandarin to me but that language will also fall by the way side for another language to step into the spot light.

Race Relations Project : Isn't a person's qualifications an issue?

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:05:51 +0000

I definitely think that you hit the nail on the head. Certain professions and careers are rather mindless, not to say that they are not challenging, and very repetitive. Everyone in that field is an equal in both education level and actual IQ level. However if we were to compromise this for doctors the effects could be horrific. If I need surgery on my brain I don’t care what skin color, sex, or religion the best doctor is. Affirmative action would dilute the quality of doctor’s available. It is a simple fact of life that some people are smarter than others regardless of skin color, sex, or religion.

Race Relations Project : I really want to know also...

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 00:44:46 +0000

To me you have to come in to this class willing to shed certain aspects of your opinions. You don’t necessarily have to change them but you have to be willing to challenge them. There are days that do seem to drag on and be completely fruitless. However other days provide new angles on previously exhausted opinions. My favorite thing about the class is that I never know what new perspectives I will gain. I have learned a lot about my own views and opinions that without this class I probably would not have. In my opinion you have the ability to change all of your opinions, Sam just helps you look at things in a new light.

Race Relations Project : Those Dolls Say Alot About Who We Are

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:02:57 +0000

Being white it is easy for me to think I would have chosen the white doll, obviously. However when I put myself in Black shoes I can definitely see why those kids chose the way they did. Living in a predominately white country and state the majority of people you are exposed to are white. Everywhere the ads you see include, almost exclusively, white people sometimes peppered with someone of color. These children have been tricked into conceiving that beauty is a skin color and not an emotion or sense of fondness. There is a tidal wave of whiteness that consumes children of color and until black people are accurately represented it will continue to flood black Americans.

Race Relations Project : Flip the Script for a Moment

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:56:58 +0000

Normally I would compare a menstrual cycle and race relations but I agree one hundred percent with Sam on this one. Are inquisitive nature is partially what has propelled us to the top of the food chain on planet earth. Questions seem endless when you are a child but as you grow older you are encouraged to not ask questions. Some people develop a fear of asking a “stupid question.” I too had that phobia, that is until I started smoking weed. I joke that the past two years have gone up in smoke but they have actually opened up my mind far beyond my wildest possibilities. For people who have never smoked being high is hard to describe. To me being high is seeing things, in the most part, for what they are. You return to your questioning ways like that of a child. You question everything that you come in contact with. You grapple with questions ranging from the afterlife to what really is smelling or seeing something. You question what you previously thought you “knew.” That ability has made every day much more fascinating and increasingly mystical. I close this with a quote from K’naan, “any man who knows a thing knows he knows not a damn damn thing at all.”

Race Relations Project : What are all of you thinking about Asians?

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:41:22 +0000

This post was actually very refreshing to me because I feel that we have focused too much on black, brown, and white, and even though Asians do fall under the brown category, I feel that we haven’t spent enough time on them. To me, I am white, I can usually tell between an Asian American and say someone from Laos or China. Growing up I had a couple Asian American friends and I feel that they act differently from people from the Asian continent. There is a clear difference in demeanor between the two although there are still some shared traits. For example, one of my good friends Andy, that is his American name, is very different from your stereotypical Asian American. We became friends through the common love of skateboarding which already puts both of us outside of the norm. He is a short dude with an amazing ability to jump thanks to his playing of volleyball. He isn’t all that good at ping pong. He drives just like any other American. Another one of my good Asian American friends name is Mike, again that is his American name. He is one of the fastest people I have seen in my entire life not to mention extremely athletic. He is one of the goofiest human beings on the face of this planet with an unfathomable and unconditionally love for his cat George. Andy and Mike, Shi and Babazu, have always been the face of Asian American to me. However I feel that that would be a lot of subtle differences if they came to the United States simply for school and were born and raised in another country. Perhaps it is just my perspective and I am completely in the wrong, but in my experiences people who come from an Asian culture are often times very shy and somewhat timid. They seem reserved and extremely observant. There are always exceptions to the rule. One of my friends Frank, again his American name, is the single most outgoing and unreserved person I have met in my entire life. He will be returning to Korea to serve his mandatory time in the military after he graduates. Maybe there isn’t so much a difference in people but an extremely large difference in culture. From an early age Americans are taught to speak their mind which often times makes the obnoxious and arrogant. Contrasting to that a lot of “old school” cultures do the exact opposite. Asian Americans and Asian born people share a multitude of similarities and differences that we need to celebrate.

Race Relations Project : Is this just a few bad apples?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:42:58 +0000

This article was no more troubling to me than a lot of things that I hear about happening at Capitol Hill. The one thing I was surprised with was the fact that these people were not afraid of anything at all. A lot of modern day racism is done with the anonymity and safety of a computer screen in front of the perpetrator. However, this was clearly not the case in this story. I am fine with people protesting their displeasure with the current government, because in my opinion it does suck to a very large degree, but to take it as far as threatening violence. And then to escalate that even further and spit on people who supposedly speak for the American people? That is downright wrong. People are very passionate about which political affiliation they have and that is a good thing. We need people on both ends of the spectrum to achieve political balance. But when civil talks between the two sides break down the ensuing events are often disastrous. The new “tea party” movement violates the political balance by being on the extreme right side of the political spectrum. The fact that this group is so ignorant is maddening to me. I can not help but writhe with anger when someone is spit on heading to their job. I hope that one day I will be able to achieve the calmness that James Clyburn demonstrated when he was spat on but I can’t even begin to imagine how he can keep his cool. Throughout his lifetime he was a strong advocate and proponent of the civil rights movement. To think that 50 years later nothing has changed and all of his work was for not is absolutely exasperating. I think the most deplorable act in this entire story was the picture of the two children who had signs attached to their carriages. I understand that their parents want to raise them in their likeness but this to me is crossing a line. It is one thing what you believe but those two children cannot even vocalize a single thought yet. To slap those signs on them is despicable. I understand that they are irate over the new health care overhaul, but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about taking care of that. This was the wrong way to go about it and really sheds a distasteful light on the tea party movement.

Race Relations Project : Is anyone else getting this stuff?

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:56:36 +0000

Lauries book didn’t really introduce that many “new” ideas into my head but it definitely reinforced a lot of my beliefs. I pride myself on the ability to look at one situation from multiple perspectives. In the movie Dead Poets Society a professor encourages his students to learn that ability. “The minute you think you know something, look at it from a different angle.” Laurie does a very concise job in illustrating this throughout her book. Some people are so open minded that their brains fall out, others are too pigheaded to have anything enter it. Somewhere in between these two extremes lies the answer.

Race Relations Project : I Reckon She Can Hit

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:47:41 +0000

No matter what way you look at this, it is important that she is a woman. Whether you like it or not this is monumental. I agree that she was most likely the most qualified and that’s why she got the job, but she is the first woman to hold the title of Head Coach. I am not saying she is Jackie Robinson but she is breaking down another barrier in the world of sports. Clearly she knows the game and I am intrigued to see how she does for Calvin Coolidge High School. She could either really help or hinder the case for women in football.

Race Relations Project : Does this rudeness thing cut both ways?

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:57:02 +0000

Texting in class has always been frowned upon by teachers. That is until we were given the chance to anonymously text in our thoughts and take advantage of our 21st century technology. Within minutes of our professors newfound fondness of texting we quickly restored textings bad name. Of course there was going to be kids who saw this as their opportunity to start their comedic careers and some were even genuinely funny. As the humor began to degrade so did the ethics of some students. This didnt come as a surprise to me but never the less I was disappointed. The first inappropriate comments were greeted by the colored community in a collective gasp. Some appeared to be infuriated others distraught. It just so happened that day that I was sitting in between two of my colored friends. I couldnt help but wonder what they thought. I knew that they wouldnt suspect me but what if some of their neighbors did? I was ashamed to know that someone else on my white team had put me in such an uncomfortable situation. However the next day I had a chance to experience a very similar situation from the other perspective when black people had the opportunity to voice their opinion on white people. The most common word used was ignorant which didnt come as that big of a shock to me yet I was still taken back. I think it was because of the number of times that it was used. It wasnt an anomaly that one single person of color thought

Race Relations Project : Native Americans: Question Three

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 16:14:49 +0000

I like your style combackid. My first memories of learning about slavery were in fifth grade but I am sure I had at least some education in it before that. I can recall my first lesson on Native Americans. In third grade we made beef jerky. Somewhat appalling now that I look back on it. I was painted a picture of people who roamed the earth enjoying beef jerky and then vanishing. I learned that we got along together for thanksgiving and loved each other. We all learned at a young age that the holocaust was a tragedy of epic proportions. But it was the Germans who committed it. America could never do something like that. How wrong I was. How wrong we were. It wasn’t until I took an interest in their culture that I truly learned what happened. We need to slam it in our children’s faces just the same as slavery. With knowledge comes power.

Race Relations Project : Native Americans: Question Three

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 16:06:59 +0000

I can see how you don’t feel blame for this but you should at least feel a shred of responsibility. I am fine with you not feeling responsible for taking their land but you are playing a part today. When you stated you would apologize just to appease the situation a chill ran down my spine. Just saying sorry to say sorry means absolutely nothing. In fact, it is the opposite of saying sorry. “Appeasing” the situation achieves nothing. What these people need is an apology of grandiose proportions, one the likes of which can only be compared to the Australian government apologizing to the Aborigines. The responsibility of yours is to apologize and to feel that apology in every bone in your body.

gdp's Comments

Transworld Skateboarding : Footy Tape Fridays: Angel Cardenas

Transworld Skateboarding : Oliver Barton's Top 5 YouTubes Of The Week (5.7.10)

Race Relations Project : What about people who can only &quot;afford hard work&quot;?

Race Relations Project : Stories for Uplift

Race Relations Project : Stories for Uplift

Race Relations Project : What about health care?

Race Relations Project : South Park...off the hook?

Race Relations Project : Letter from an Inmate

Race Relations Project : Want to Learn Chinese (Mandarin)?

Race Relations Project : Isn't a person's qualifications an issue?

Race Relations Project : I really want to know also...

Race Relations Project : Those Dolls Say Alot About Who We Are

Race Relations Project : Flip the Script for a Moment

Race Relations Project : What are all of you thinking about Asians?

Race Relations Project : Is this just a few bad apples?

Race Relations Project : Is anyone else getting this stuff?

Race Relations Project : I Reckon She Can Hit

Race Relations Project : Does this rudeness thing cut both ways?

Race Relations Project : Native Americans: Question Three

Race Relations Project : Native Americans: Question Three

Race Relations Project : What about people who can only "afford hard work"?