en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/757594 Comments by CashisOC https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69508928 First off I would like to say that video was put together very professionally. It gave me chills and seemed even more powerful than the lecture itself (no hate to Sam it was a great lecture). I am surprised at how much hate Sam's getting on this topic. I mean it is okay to disagree with him, but I do not think he is trying to get us to share his opinion and point of view on these matters. He simply wants us to think about the situation. You always need to put yourself in someone else's position before you comment or make a stance on the issue. Back to the lecture. Sam did get me to look at this war in a totally different perspective. I do not watch a great deal of news or read the newspaper. The only time I really get information pertaining to the war is when I watch "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" or "The Colbert Report." And although both of those programs are on Comedy Central, I feel that they deliver the truth in the news more often than the news stations do. Getting back on topic though; when I was listening to this lecture and putting myself int he shoes of a native Muslim, I did understand why they would fight back. Like Sam said, he is not saying it is right for them to attack United States soldiers, but he understands why they are doing it. I feel like this lecture was really an important one to have, especially with this issue affecting all of us. If a foreign country as powerful and as wealthy as the United States was coming into my country, my town, my home, and taking MY resources I would be big pissed. And maybe at first I would not do anything to fight back. But eventually if this kept up I would definitely join the resurgence and fight back. So my whole outlook on the war was different before this lecture, and I can admit I did not really know as much as I should have about it. But if it is true that we are only over there for the resources... the oil, then maybe my opinion has just changed. No matter what the case, whether we are talking about war or any other issue (like racism). The lesson learned here is to look at the situation through the other persons eyes. Do not be so quick to judge when all you are seeing are these YouTube videos depicting the enemy as ruthless killers who deserve what they are getting. They are seeing videos that are depicting us just as ruthless and destructive. Do get angry at this lecture, take what he gives you and try not to fall into the ethnocentrism trap when confronted with a situation. Great Lecture! Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:58:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69508928 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69501965 Yea I do not think that if you feel like you can help other countries out more than their own people can that it is any type of racism. I mean many people probably think that of all colors from the United States. The fact is that we are a very powerful and wealthy country compared to others, so that we most likely can help them out more than there own people can. The United States is always sending aid and money to other countries, not because we are better than them, but just because we can help them more than they can help themselves, and need our help (sometimes). I think it is totally unrelated to racism and just about the power and wealth of the country you come from. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:35:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69501965 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69500339 Although 300,000 people dying in Haiti is a horrible tragedy, we cannot, as Americans, let that take over our lives. Of course we should feel some way about that, donate money to help, and keep the thoughts about what happened in out minds. But we have to move on, and get on with our lives. That is the case even when a family member dies. You never forget about their passing, you never stop feeling the pain of their passing, but you have to move on. When it is a family member of course it is going to hit you harder and you may take some time off to gather yourself, but in the end you get back to your life. When the tragedy is all the way in another country, you are going to be able to move on even quicker. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:29:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69500339 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68026522 Well let me just say this. I have already taken five years of Spanish and still could not carry on a conversation if my life depended on it. Even after that many years I still dread going to the class each and every day. It is too late for people our age to easily learn a new language. If this language is valuable to learn, then start teaching kids when their young. That is supposed to be the easiest time for them to learn it. So if you are going to invest time in trying to have this catch on. Start in elementary school, do not wait until high school. It will be easier for the kids to learn and give them big head start. For the rest of us, if we have not learned a new language thus far, it probably will not happen, at least not easily. I will stick to English. Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:07:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68026522 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68025441 I can agree with you. Men definitely conform to society to some extent. I do believe it is much less than women. Guys seem to just not give a crap most of the time. But personally the at the end of the day it's about how I view myself when I look in the mirror. Although it's great if everyone else has a positive view towards you the first step is being comfortable with yourself. Things that I do to improve my appearance or to "look good" are mainly done so I feel satisfied with myself. Once I achieve that, then I probably won't really care about changing for anyone else. Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:03:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68025441 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66690338 Japan seems to always to be the first one to do these type of things. Hentai is a big thing over there. I definitely think this game should not have made it to the public. I do not think this will work as an "alternative" to actual rapists. It will probably just be an addition to their outrageous acts. And although I do believe Sam is right when he thinks there are some guys in our glass that would play this game while downing a few brewski's but I would not be one of them. I stick to my violent Call of Duty and worry about the negative affects that is having on me. My potential for murder is probably way higher now. Joking of course, I do not believe video games sculpt the player. But she was right to say that "no one should play a game when the only way to win is to rape. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 00:56:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66690338 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66688379 Pretty good question, although I do not believe most of the answers will be surprising. I'm sure the answers are mixed, but the majority of people should admit that this class has changed their views and opinions about SOMETHING. We have covered so many topics and Sam has made a great deal of good points. He may not be right about everything, but I think he's spot on most of the time. I mean even if your views have not changed, you still cannot possibly say this class was not valuable. I have learned a lot of things in this class that I had no idea about before. And whether or not Sam influenced my opinion, he reached his goal by getting me to think about the topics, and thus at least coming up with my own opinion on them. The two Sociology classes I have taking at Penn State (Soc 005 with Clemente, which was probably my favorite class ever & this course) have taught me way more important and value things about life than all my other classes combined. These classes should be required here at Penn State and I feel that the majority of students would agree. I do not really think Sam's goal is to change people's opinions. He stated in class he just wants everyone to think about the topics. Of course he would probably prefer if some students opinions were changed to ones that he shares also, but who does not want that. He succeeded in getting people to think about and become aware of all these topics and that is just as important of a accomplishment. This class has a great importance to me. I have learned a great deal just through the readings from the books. Although painfully long, the book on today's slavery opened up my eyes. Although I may not be actively doing anything to help stop the slavery that takes place today. At least I am aware of it, and know that it should not be a problem today. Learning about all the different topics covered since day 1 of class will help me successfully live my life. I feel that just being able to listen to what Sam has to say is an honor. I know I will think back to this class someday and be glad that I took it. I feel that awareness is the first step to all these problems. So maybe not everyone's opinions changed on topics discussed in class. But I bet that everyone gained a new awareness of the issues. And that I think is what is most important. I am way more aware of how this world works and all the injustices that occur here. As Sam said, the life we live right now is purgatory. See there's one thing right there he changed my mind about! Fri, 9 Apr 2010 00:44:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66688379 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65123157 Yea this is kind of ridiculous. Everyone knows where they "should" categorize themselves on the census. Some people just want the specific term they use to be on there. They can not make everyone happy. There just trying to count the people of the United States. People need to quit making it harder on them, when it is already a pretty tough task. I do not care of the reasons for not selecting the correct choice, just choose a damn box and forget about it. It's not a big deal, this should not be an issue. Everyone just needs to fill it out with the idea that they are trying to make it as easy as possible on the people who are going to be interpreting the census form. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 04:05:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65123157 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65122695 This video was definitely a shocker to me. I was very surprised at the results from this experiment. Even if the effects were unintentional, these children were basically programmed to believe that white is better in every way. Now we all know that is not true, and although these kids may not have been taught that white is better, just by interacting in everyday life, they ended up having that opinion, probably subconsciously. I feel as though the media is the main thing to blame in this situation. There is no reason why these children should have this idea in their head. I am not sure what can be done to help fix this problem, the video really opened my eyes to it. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 04:00:46 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65122695 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment65122157 This is a great post by Sam; he brings up an important topic that we may have touched on in a certain way in my SOC 119 class. Asking questions is undoubtedly an unimaginably important aspect of life. Without questions you have no answers. Brilliant minds who have asked questions shaped the world into what it is today. And it was mostly for the better. There were many issues in the past that people refused to ask questions. Slavery in the United States back in the day is a perfect example of this. Blacks were forced to be slaves of the whites. “It’s just the way it was.” Ethnocentrism was abundant in those times. There were major problems here in the United States, but they kept on being overlooked and simply not discussed. Of course there were always people who asked questions, but until it was done by a person with power, nothing was really done about the problems that existed. Today the problem of ethnocentrism still exists, and will continue to exist. There is no possible way to eliminate it, but we can try to reduce it. It is important to question anything that you think is morally wrong. You must “step outside your own shoes” and look at the world in someone else’s. The world does not revolve around one individual and no one is right about a topic 100 percent of the time. It is important to ask questions and discuss every possible topic. We have to work together to move forward and better ourselves. We as individuals are weak, but as a group we can do big things. Those people who only care about themselves and will not look at things from a different point of view are slowing down our progress. Fixing this problem will not be easy. Every time you turn on the television, specifically a news station, there are people arguing about a certain topic. One person tells you to think one way about something, and another wants you to support a different view. With so many people on news stations arguing about topics, it is hard for us as viewers to not do just the same. Nothing should ever be looked at as being “just the way it is.” Things are a certain way for a reason, and it is everybody’s job to find out if that particular reason is right or wrong. If the reason is justified, you move on to the next topic. If you feel the reason is not justified, then question it and try to solve the problem to make things better. In a world were so many people hate each other and can not get along, it is important for everyone to try and move forward. Start to discuss topics and come to an agreement to better ourselves and our country. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 03:56:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment65122157 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63778845 I never really noticed the difference in reactions in class. I was kind of surprised at first when the rudeness would not stop. I expected it the first day of testing out the new text responses, but I figured it would die down. Some of the comments were harmless and pretty funny, although way off topic. Others I think surpassed being rude and were offensive and derogatory. But just because Sam said for "only whites" or "only people of color" to answer the question, it does not mean that people from the different team did not post both times, or even only when they were not supposed to. I believe there was an overall disagreement with the overly rude comments, regardless of who posted them. Maybe there was a different reaction from each group, but I did not notice it. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:01:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63778845 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/native-hawaiians-ever-think-of-them__trashed/#IDComment63777671 Ever since I was little I have dreamed about visiting Hawaii. I always envisioned it as the perfect getaway. Before the recent change, it was the location of the NFL Pro Bowl, and many of the players looked forward to the opportunity to travel there and spend time with their family. Beautiful islands, beaches, active volcanoes, and everything else you could wish for on an island resort. I have had many friends travel there and they all say it was an experience of a lifetime. Although I do have a certain fear of going into the water, due to shark attacks, I would still love to lay on the beach in Hawaii and bronze up a bit. I would especially like to go now that I am 21 and able to enjoy some alcoholic beverages that may be offered there. After reading some of the startling facts about Hawaiians, I realized that although they may be literally part of the United States, it does not really seem that way. Hearing that they earn less money and live shorter lives was shocking and disturbing. This is the United States, the most powerful nation on the planet (arguably I guess). The native Hawaiians should not have to deal with these issues. Hawaii is separated from the United States and is basically its own country, out on islands surrounded by nothing but water. To hear that they are more likely to end up homeless then other ethnicity was upsetting. People get too used to seeing Hawaii as the United States, when they are truly two completely different places. I feel that many people living in the United States, like myself, have forgotten how these people were brutally kicked off their land. Or maybe we just need to teach about it more in our schooling. I do not remember ever learning about this event in class, and if it was covered, it was only briefly. This is a very similar situation to what happened to the Native Americans. Today it seems that people would rather forget that the unfortunate events ever happened then to spend time thinking about them. This is a great opportunity for Hawaii and all the natives that live there. This is a chance of the lifetime and if it does not happen now, it may never happen. Our president of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii and is supporting this movement the best he can. This is a big push for them and his support should have a heavy impact. I hope that with his help these bills will be passed and help provide some reconciliation to Hawaiians. There are a great deal of people living in Hawaii, over 100,000 in fact, and the cost to help them is staggering. But I believe that they will receive the government they want and truly deserve. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:54:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/native-hawaiians-ever-think-of-them__trashed/#IDComment63777671 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63771288 There is always going to be protesters like the ones mentioned regardless of who is elected president. Everyone has their rights and they can protest if they wish. But protesting crosses the line when they start to act "barbaric." These people should be punished. Their ways of protesting have crossed the line. The use of derogatory language is offensive and should not be tolerated. There is no need to protest in such a way. These people should be fined or thrown in jail. Threatening someone's life is an even more serious offense, and it definitely should not be tolerated. The people who made signs like those should be thrown in jail. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:23:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63771288 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment62476336 Sometime it seems that awareness of events like this can be the best defense against racist company's. Like many people mentioned, the lawsuit is a step in the right direction. It is one thing when they will not hire someone because they wear a scarf, but if they at first agreed that she would be allowed to wear it then fired her for it. That is just messed up. It is like they changed their mind on the matter or one someone else in the company heard about it they decided it was not acceptable. I guess maybe the company could "not" be racist but fear that her appearance would led to racist customers to shop elsewhere? I am not sure what the company was actually thinking. I do hope she gets a nice payday from all of this at the least. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:28:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment62476336 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62475475 This is a great and very heartwarming story. As far as I know it is a groundbreaking event, and should help people all across the United States be aware that yes, it is okay for women to coach football. This woman seems to be very humble and proud of what she accomplished. But she seemed to take it as just being another job, nothing special about it, which I liked. It seems pretty obvious that she has always had a passion for the game of football and that led to her pursue a playing career in the sport as well. There is no doubt in my mind that she is very knowledgeable about football. No one should question her abilities as a coach. The only issue I can foresee is if her players do not respect her for being a woman coach. If they support her, then there will be no issues. I hope that she is very successful as a coach early on and wins a championship or two. That would silence the critics who disagreed with the hire. If she struggles as coach, although it was still a great story, it would diminish its effects a bit. Of course some people see football as a man's game. Well that is how the sport started, as solely a man's game. Today, football is still dominated by men, along with many other sports. But that does not mean that women cannot play, or be on the same field as the men. There are just a significantly less amount of women who have interest in pursuing a playing career in football. But to those women who do play, or pursue a coaching career, I praise them. Football is an awesome and exciting sport, and everyone who enjoys it should be able to play or coach. This seems like one of the first women to become a high school head coach of the football team. It is a big accomplishment and hopefully will promote more and more capable women to be hired as high school football coaches. As long as an individual has the knowledge and ability to coach efficiently and successfully, then anyone should be able to hold that position. This kind of reminded me of the Barack Obama election; breaking the walls down and reaching a mountain top we as a country have not been to yet. This story could be the start of a really great thing. If men can coach woman's sports, then why couldn't it work the other way around. I hope her story motivates other women to pursue their dreams, even if it seems to be something that is not accepted by society. Best wishes to her and her team. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:22:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62475475 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62472524 There was no need to cancel the prom due to this one "issue." I think they would have realized that nothing negative would have even resulted from just letting the girl and her girlfriend attend the prom. Maybe some parents would have gotten offended or something, but they would have gotten over it. The school is going to get way more heat from canceling the entire prom than they would have for letting these two girls attend. They need to wake up, it is the 21st century and choosing to ban the couple from prom was the wrong decision. They will realize this mistake eventually, if they have not already. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:59:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62472524 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59675647 HA!, this guy is a joke. Listen here Moose. It is blatantly obvious that this guy is extremely racist. After reading the statement about NBA players carrying guns and fighting in the stands it was pretty damn clear. Everyone will be able to see through his smokescreen. Although he may be trying to hide that fact by saying it is for the white players to be able to make a living, there is no hiding his true intentions. His underlying statement was that the well behaved white players who are role models should have their on league. And he thinks the people of color in the NBA are all drug selling, lazy, gun toting gangsters. In a league dominated by players of color, with the majority of the players being colored, the chances of someone getting in trouble being colored is also going to be high. Simple math. Someone check him into the nearest mental hospital. I mean basketball is dominated by people of color, that is a fact. That goes for other sports as well. Sometimes maybe you feel bad for the less athletic white boys since they cannot always compete, but this is the way it is, and I am not complaining. But there is no need for another league of all white players. Face it, that would be extremely boring. No one would even watch that league when they can watch exciting players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the NBA. The players of color are the only reasons to watch the games, and even then I find the NBA rather boring. If there were no colored players in the NFL, I probably would not have turned out to be the hardcore Tennessee Titans fan that I am (*cough*Chris Johnson*cough*) Go ahead, let the man dream, the fact is that it will never happen, and even if it did happen, no one would watch it. This was a disgrace to hear what he had to say, and I hope nobody every takes anything he ever says again seriously. Let us go start the "less athletic" league" and expect it to become popular. What the heck is he smoking. Colored players dominate most sports, take them to new levels, and make them worth watching. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it is probably the best thing that has ever happened in the sports world. Maybe he can redirect his effort into keeping people of color from taking over hockey. Because we all know, if more people of color played hockey when they were younger, they would be dominating that sport as well. I cannot believe this guy was 100% serious. White basketball league? I mean really? Thu, 4 Mar 2010 03:27:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59675647 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59671609 I'm not too sure about the answer to this question. I have not really been to any themed party this year that I recall. The only one I can think of was a Jersey Shore party a little while back. I do not think only white groups hold these themed parties, but I could be wrong. I also do not believe they are meant in any racist sort of way by any means. I have heard of parties where there was a certain attire, or as someone mentioned a beach party, but never a "gangster" party or anything like that. If there are parties that are "racist" occurring on campus, I have never been to nor heard of one. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 02:54:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59671609 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment59670677 At first I feel like jumping to the conclusion that people of color would mostly pick other people of color as employees. But I am not a person of color and that is just an assumption. Although that could be true to an extent, I think maybe it would be closer to 50-50. As someone mentioned, this issue is deeply rooted. I do believe people of color would choose many white employees as well, with maybe a slightly higher than average amount of colored employees. It most definitely would be the expected opposite though. White's hire mainly whites but the reverse may not be true. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 02:46:12 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment59670677 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58717096 I feel that this is a very good question. I am not sure when would be the best age to start education on Native Americans. If you start too early, the children may not be able to grasp the idea or fully understand it. Research can tell you when the best time would be. My opinion would be as soon as possible. There is no reason why children should still be viewing Native Americans as bow and arrow holding, face painted, warriors with feathers on their heads. It is important that children do not view them as objects and start to respect them for who they are, not who they were before the genocide occurred. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:42:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58717096