en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/757168 Comments by Garfunkel https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment69869359 I love this guy. I love how he says stuff that a lot of people would disagree with but he says it is such a way as to make it sound well thought out and articulate. I have been thinking a lot about the idea that he is throwing out about how schools, especially middle school and high school, teaches kids to conform and not dispute the facts. They teach you what they want you to believe and through this they develop obedient and submissive students and then adults. This past summer I was listening to Rage Against the Machine a lot and one of their songs entitled “Take the Power Back” talks explicitly about this issue. They talk about how the teachers try to brainwash the students into submission because what the children hear at a young age, they are going to believe. They talk about how the curriculum is “Eurocentric” because in school the only culture you learn about is the European culture. Students in today’s schools are becoming less of European ancestry then it ever has been, yet this is the only culture that is on the curriculum. My favorite line from the song is The teacher stands in front of the class But the lesson plan he can't recall The student's eyes don't perceive the lies Bouning off every fucking wall His composure is well kept I guess he fears playing the fool The complacent students sit and listen to some of that Bullshit that he learned in school I love these lines because it talks about how the teachers are simply passing down the brainwashing teachings that they too were taught. I agree that a lot of the classes in high school and college that are designed to stimulate creativity do no such thing. The school tells you how to be creative. A lot of the stuff taught in schools may be correct and accurate, but it doesn’t stimulate the students to think for themselves. It doesn’t propose two sides of the story and let the student decide, it tells you only the side of the story that the administration or state or federal government decides is correct. One thing I love about Sam that I know other people hate is how he will say anything to get people to talk. I hear a lot of people in the class or in my discussion group bash what Sam says and say that something that he said offended them. What that says to me is that those people have been brainwashed to not question what people in authority have told them whether that is their parents or teacher. I truly believe that everyone has to make what they believe their own and question why they believe something. For example, I come from a strong Christian home, background, and high school. In my senior year of high school until now, I have been questioning my faith because I believe that if I don’t make it my own, the faith is worthless. Even though I believe that what I was taught was correct, I still feel like I was brainwashed into believing it as a child and I’m glad I stepped up and make it my own. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:10:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment69869359 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68237399 I do feel that guys also feel the pressure to conform to what society is saying is cool but we don’t feel as much pressure as girls do and it is a lot easier to reach that standard for men then it is for women. I think one of the major differences is that women assume that men are only going to be attracted to if they have exterior beauty and that their personality doesn’t matter as much. This is true for some guys but I know I won’t date a girl if she is deadly beautiful but I want to kill myself when she talks. Because girls feel this way, they put a whole lot more emphasis on how they look. While guys want to look good, many of us believe that if we are good enough guys, we will get the girl in the end. This also isn’t always true. I feel like it is easier for a guy to reach his standard of beauty then it is for a girl. A guy’s standard of beauty is to have muscles and a nice haircut. This is accomplished by simply going to the gym and getting a haircut. A girl’s standard of beauty is to have nice boobs and a pretty face, along with nice hair. If a girl doesn’t feel like she was given the nice face and boobs, her only option is to get surgery if she wants to change those things. Another thing is that guys don’t critique other guys on how they look. I personally don’t care how I look compared to my buddy and often times I want to look different than him so that I can stand out. Guys simply don’t care about outward appearance of other guys as much as girls compare outward appearance with other girls. There are some other ways that guys do feel pressure and ways that society has changed our image of ourselves. The one that I have been thinking about lately is how from the beginning of time until about 15 years ago, men where only men if they had a hairy chests. 95 percent of all men grow some hair on their chest and yet now girls get grossed out if a man has a hairy chest. Take James Bond as an example. Bond always was this manly man with a full chest of hair and the girls loved him. When they replaced Peirce with Daniel Craig in the early 2000’s, the style had changed and suddenly we have this James Bond with the smoothest of chests. I figure if a girl wants to have sex with a person with a smooth chest, they should just start fucking other girls. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:35:26 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68237399 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65082726 Wow, I didn’t realize that they are predicting that in 40 years the white race will be the minority. I’m curious if they mean that there will be a single race such as Asian, black, or Hispanic will be the majority or if they mean that there will be more nonwhite people than white people. It will be crazy to think that the white people may not be in the majority throughout the world in 40 years but I’m not sure how much of a difference it will make. Sam often shows us the chart of average family income that has white people making more money than most of the minorities and he has said that if you’re born into wealth, you are most likely to end up wealthy. Because of this it may be many decades after whites become a minority before you see the average family income change drastically. Also, you see in other countries that the people in power are often not the majority. They are just wealthy and their families have been in power and they make rules that keep them in power. I say all this simply to say that I don’t think that white people are going to get the raw end of the stick in the near future. If minorities do become the majority and replace white influence in our society, it will be up to them as to how they decide to treat white people. They can decide that they want us to suffer the way their people suffered and discriminate against us or they could show the maturity that sadly some white people lack and call us all equal. I think in today’s society, races are being blended more and more together and race is not as big of an issue. I’m not saying that racial issues don’t still exist or that racism in law enforcement is dead, I’m just saying it is not as bad as it was 20 years ago and in 20 years it probably won’t be as bad as it is now. As a white person I don’t really feel any fear in the idea that we won’t be the majority in 40 years. I think that more and more interracial children are being born and more people are getting more educated and someday racism will be close to a distant memory. Unfortunately, I am not naïve enough to think that racism will be completely abolished and I hope the minorities don’t take their revenge out on the current majority. I do hope that someday my children won’t have to be born into a world in which they face the same potential discrimination that a current day minority may have to face. I guess that puts current day discrimination in a new light. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:23:05 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65082726 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63745052 A few bad apples can ruin the whole bunch. I think this is what these hateful protesters are doing for the rest of the people who are out protested for something they believe in. Two of the great freedoms we are given under the American Constitution are the freedom to free speech and the freedom to gather. These people are taking advantage of both of these liberties but they are doing it in a way that hurts the cause that they feel passionate about. When I hear someone calling another person a faggot or a nigger, I immediately think of that person as ignorant. When I hear stories like this and how ignorant the few people are, I assume the whole cause is ignorant. It makes me not want to support or listen to what they are saying. Also I’m not a big fan of the Republican Senators egging the crowd on when they were verbally attacking the President and Black and Gay Congress men. This just seems unprofessional. I tend to lean toward the humanitarian perspective of helping those that are down as opposed to letting them earn it by themselves. I feel like one of the major differences between modern Democrats and modern Republicans is that Dems want to help the lowly by taxing the rich, while the GOP wants to let the people end up where their lives take them. The GOP feels like all it takes is hard work to get ahead and the Dems think that situations out of our control dictate where we will end up. I tend to side with the Democrats. They say the best way to make a person Republican is to give them money. I bring this up because what the protesters were protesting was the Healthcare Bill. I think the three most essential needs of all humans are food, shelter and healthcare. We have programs in place for the first two but not for healthcare. I don’t think it is right to make a person who got the raw end of the stick to have to take out a second mortgage when his wife gets cancer. We need to help those who need the help. A country is only as strong as its weakest person. One other thing that has bothered me lately is that the Republicans keep bringing up how costly this bill is going to be and how Obama is spending recklessly but must I remind them that their man President Bush entered us in a war that is sucking billions of dollars every month. And that Iraq was entered under the disguise of WMD being produced and has caused thousands of casualties for both countries. I think one of the main problems they have with the bill is that a Democrat is heading it. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:11:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63745052 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62810550 This is an issue that I have been thinking about for a long time but have not had the guts to bring it up in discussion or in the presence of black classmates. I feel like we are in the day and age where anybody can make fun of white people and we tend to take it and laugh it off but if a white person makes fun of a person of color, especially the black community, there is an uproar and Jesse Jackson is called. I feel that white people are taught to not take offence to jokes about being white and that we feel like we almost deserve to be made fun of. I think this steam’s from the feeling that most white people feel down in their stomachs that we are somehow directly responsible for the slavery that happened 8 generations ago and thus responsible for the condition of the black community. I think a good reference for this difference in acceptable joking is in the comic community. Dave Chappelle is my favorite comedian of all time and I watch his stand-up over and over again and never stop laughing. He makes fun of every race of people and I think that every race should be made fun of because no race is perfect and life is too short to not laugh at the funny stuff. About a fourth of his material makes fun of white people and that is ok. If a white comedian has a fourth of their act that is making fun of the black community, they would be called racist and put in the same category as Michael Richards. I think there are an equal number of black racists and white racists but usually only the white people get labeled as such. One thing that really bothers me is when somebody wants to be rightfully treated as an equal but won’t accept all the responsibility. When you’re a teenager you want your parents to treat you like an adult by not issuing you a curfew but you still what them to give you money to go to the movies. Shit don’t add up. Women want to be treated as equals to men but then complain that chivalry is dead. I think we would all agree that women are in fact equal to men and that despite color of skin, we are all equal. Yet we still hold each culture to a different standard. Black people can make fun of white people and we have to take it but when the shoe is on the other foot we have to issue an apology. I am certain that I don’t understand the entirety of the issue and what all is behind it but I just think we all need to relax and stop getting so offended over stuff that isn’t really that important. We are all people with funny flaws so if you can make fun of me, you should be able to take me making fun of you. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:01:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62810550 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59663512 First of all, I think we all need to take a moment and laugh. Don “Moose” Lewis is a funny guy if he is trying to actually create a basketball league for only white people and claim that it is not racist. There is no way to spin it and have it not be considered racist to some group. Either you’re criticizing black people for their style of basketball or your making fun of white people by saying that they are simply not as good at basketball as black people are. This league can be many things but one thing it cannot be is nonracist. He says that he wants the league to be a slower style of basketball which I’m guessing means eliminating fast breaks and dunking. These are two things that are a more flashy type of basketball and I understand creating a league that prohibits these high paced styles of basketball but not all black players play a fast style of basketball. The fact that a black man who wants to play a slow style of basketball isn’t allowed in the league because of his skin makes Mr. Lewis’s idea racist. One thing that is important to remember about Mr. Lewis is that he is a boxing and wrestling promoter and his job professionally is to bring attention to himself and the people he represents. He even admits that he is glad that it is controversial because it will bring more attention to the league. If he simply created a slower paced basketball league that included everybody, it would get no attention and nobody except the families of the players would come to the games. But by simply saying that the league is only available to white men, creates national attention and gets national press. Even if he eventually expands the league to include people of all colors, the initial attention he got by making it all white might be worth it because it will make people want to pay attention to the league. I’m curious if an all white league is even allowed to legally exist. With all the anti-discrimination laws that have been put in place I wonder if he can legally create an institution that is whites only. The KKK is allowed to exist and I’m pretty sure that the KKK has laws forbidding certain races and cultures from entering their club. One difference between the KKK and this basketball league is that members of the KKK don’t make money, while Mr. Lewis is suggesting that these white men be paid enough to make a living off of the sport. While the idea of a racist institution seems awful and it feels like it should be illegal, we must remember that we live in America and people have the right to hate any other group of people for no good reason. The KKK is allowed to exist and should be allowed to exist because they are free to believe whatever they want as long as it doesn’t interfere with the well being or safety of another person. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 01:42:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59663512 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58722333 Since I am in debt up to my eyes because of college I often dream of having oil found on my land or winning the lottery because there would be so much less stress in my life. This is essentially what is happening to these Native Americans who live on this reservation that has had oil discovered beneath its land. Part of me is very happy for these people because they put up with a lot of shit over the past 300 years and they deserve a break more the any other group of people in the United States. There land was taken and they were given what was assumed to be unwanted land. Then in 1950s more than a tenth of their land was taken from them so that the government could build a lake. They had an unemployment rate between 40 and 50 percent and now they have money, jobs, and some pride. But I think we need to look at some of the possible negative repercussions of having a windfall of money land in your lap. I have often read stories of people who had been living in poverty, winning the lottery and then a couple years later they were once again in poverty. When you are used to not having any money and then all of a sudden you get an ass load of money, it is hard to know how to use the money responsibly. It is like not eating anything but plain bread for 5 years and then walking into an all-you-can-eat buffet. You are going to go nuts and eat until you through up. That is why when I first started getting allowance from my parents, they taught me how to divide up my money and use it responsibly. The article states that a particular casino’s profits increased almost 3 million dollars after the oil was discovered. Also it is a known fact that Native Americans have the highest concentration of alcoholics of any other racial group. This makes me worry about how they might try to spend their money. I’m sure there are many very smart recipients of the money who are using it wisely and it is their money to use as they like, but I think that perhaps there should be help available to help them spend it wisely. You can also see other repercussions that are going along with the newly discovered oil. People reported that the oil rigs light up the sky at night because of the burning off of excess gas. This is not a desirable trait to have in a town. Also they are looking into placing an oil refinery on the reservation and they have to consider the population affects that it might have on the community. Native Americans are known to have a high love for the earth and hopefully the dollar bill signs won’t encourage them to allow this refinery to take root. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:33:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58722333 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58734978 Since I am in debt up to my eyes because of college I often dream of having oil found on my land or winning the lottery because there would be so much less stress in my life. This is essentially what is happening to these Native Americans who live on this reservation that has had oil discovered beneath its land. Part of me is very happy for these people because they put up with a lot of shit over the past 300 years and they deserve a break more the any other group of people in the United States. There land was taken and they were given what was assumed to be unwanted land. Then in 1950s more than a tenth of their land was taken from them so that the government could build a lake. They had an unemployment rate between 40 and 50 percent and now they have money, jobs, and some pride. But I think we need to look at some of the possible negative repercussions of having a windfall of money land in your lap. I have often read stories of people who had been living in poverty, winning the lottery and then a couple years later they were once again in poverty. When you are used to not having any money and then all of a sudden you get an ass load of money, it is hard to know how to use the money responsibly. It is like not eating anything but plain bread for 5 years and then walking into an all-you-can-eat buffet. You are going to go nuts and eat until you through up. That is why when I first started getting allowance from my parents, they taught me how to divide up my money and use it responsibly. The article states that a particular casino’s profits increased almost 3 million dollars after the oil was discovered. Also it is a known fact that Native Americans have the highest concentration of alcoholics of any other racial group. This makes me worry about how they might try to spend their money. I’m sure there are many very smart recipients of the money who are using it wisely and it is their money to use as they like, but I think that perhaps there should be help available to help them spend it wisely. You can also see other repercussions that are going along with the newly discovered oil. People reported that the oil rigs light up the sky at night because of the burning off of excess gas. This is not a desirable trait to have in a town. Also they are looking into placing an oil refinery on the reservation and they have to consider the population affects that it might have on the community. Native Americans are known to have a high love for the earth and hopefully the dollar bill signs won’t encourage them to allow this refinery to take root. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:33:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58734978 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58723101 Since I am in debt up to my eyes because of college I often dream of having oil found on my land or winning the lottery because there would be so much less stress in my life. This is essentially what is happening to these Native Americans who live on this reservation that has had oil discovered beneath its land. Part of me is very happy for these people because they put up with a lot of shit over the past 300 years and they deserve a break more the any other group of people in the United States. There land was taken and they were given what was assumed to be unwanted land. Then in 1950s more than a tenth of their land was taken from them so that the government could build a lake. They had an unemployment rate between 40 and 50 percent and now they have money, jobs, and some pride. But I think we need to look at some of the possible negative repercussions of having a windfall of money land in your lap. I have often read stories of people who had been living in poverty, winning the lottery and then a couple years later they were once again in poverty. When you are used to not having any money and then all of a sudden you get an ass load of money, it is hard to know how to use the money responsibly. It is like not eating anything but plain bread for 5 years and then walking into an all-you-can-eat buffet. You are going to go nuts and eat until you through up. That is why when I first started getting allowance from my parents, they taught me how to divide up my money and use it responsibly. The article states that a particular casino’s profits increased almost 3 million dollars after the oil was discovered. Also it is a known fact that Native Americans have the highest concentration of alcoholics of any other racial group. This makes me worry about how they might try to spend their money. I’m sure there are many very smart recipients of the money who are using it wisely and it is their money to use as they like, but I think that perhaps there should be help available to help them spend it wisely. You can also see other repercussions that are going along with the newly discovered oil. People reported that the oil rigs light up the sky at night because of the burning off of excess gas. This is not a desirable trait to have in a town. Also they are looking into placing an oil refinery on the reservation and they have to consider the population affects that it might have on the community. Native Americans are known to have a high love for the earth and hopefully the dollar bill signs won’t encourage them to allow this refinery to take root. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:39:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58723101 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58722552 Since I am in debt up to my eyes because of college I often dream of having oil found on my land or winning the lottery because there would be so much less stress in my life. This is essentially what is happening to these Native Americans who live on this reservation that has had oil discovered beneath its land. Part of me is very happy for these people because they put up with a lot of shit over the past 300 years and they deserve a break more the any other group of people in the United States. There land was taken and they were given what was assumed to be unwanted land. Then in 1950s more than a tenth of their land was taken from them so that the government could build a lake. They had an unemployment rate between 40 and 50 percent and now they have money, jobs, and some pride. But I think we need to look at some of the possible negative repercussions of having a windfall of money land in your lap. I have often read stories of people who had been living in poverty, winning the lottery and then a couple years later they were once again in poverty. When you are used to not having any money and then all of a sudden you get an ass load of money, it is hard to know how to use the money responsibly. It is like not eating anything but plain bread for 5 years and then walking into an all-you-can-eat buffet. You are going to go nuts and eat until you through up. That is why when I first started getting allowance from my parents, they taught me how to divide up my money and use it responsibly. The article states that a particular casino’s profits increased almost 3 million dollars after the oil was discovered. Also it is a known fact that Native Americans have the highest concentration of alcoholics of any other racial group. This makes me worry about how they might try to spend their money. I’m sure there are many very smart recipients of the money who are using it wisely and it is their money to use as they like, but I think that perhaps there should be help available to help them spend it wisely. You can also see other repercussions that are going along with the newly discovered oil. People reported that the oil rigs light up the sky at night because of the burning off of excess gas. This is not a desirable trait to have in a town. Also they are looking into placing an oil refinery on the reservation and they have to consider the population affects that it might have on the community. Native Americans are known to have a high love for the earth and hopefully the dollar bill signs won’t encourage them to allow this refinery to take root. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:33:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58722552 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-four__trashed/#IDComment57488611 I was raised in a very Christian home. My dad is the pastor of a local church and I have been a pk (preacher’s kid) as long as I can remember. I went to all the church events and was at church every Sunday morning until I left home to come up here for college. Homosexuality is not an issue that I struggle with personally but I struggle with how I was raised to believe it was wrong. I think that everyone has the right to believe whatever they want to believe, I just don’t want to believe something because it is what my parents have taught me but I want to believe something because I have come to that conclusion on my own. My parents and I often get into discussions over gay marriage and homosexuality in general and often it gets reflected back to God and the Bible. First of all, I think you can’t take any of the Old Testament’s laws and use them as an example for why something is wrong because then we would still be stoning prostitutes and I doubt anybody would think that is the way to go. The only verse in the New Testament that talks about homosexuality is 1 Corinthians 6 verse 9 and that was written by Paul. It talks about homosexual offenders which is not very clear. Does that mean only homosexual offenders that sexually abuse someone or does it mean all homosexuals? Who knows? What I’m trying to say is that the Bible isn’t very clear on the issue of homosexuality. The other argument my parents use is that marriage is a sacred holy tradition and allowing homosexuals to marry would damage the sanctity of marriage. My argument for that is the fact that close to 50% of all marriages end in divorce and the statistic is no different for those who call themselves Christians. It seems to me that the institution of marriage is already a joke and why not let two people that honestly love each other, take the vows and live their lives together. Who knows, allowing homosexuals to marry may bring down the divorce rate. Also what is marriage? To me the actual act of marriage is a sacred bond between two people. It isn’t a piece of paper that you receive from a court house, although that is required to legally be married. Homosexuals are already living together and can raise children so all we are fighting over is if they can sign a piece of paper and have the rights that come along with that piece of paper. Allowing gays to have the benefits that come along with marriage does not hurt anybody: including the people that are fighting against it. I’m tired of hearing about all the fighting and protests over gay marriage. They are people just like the rest of us and if they find a consenting adult that they want to spend the rest of their lives with, We should let them. This is “the land of the free” and that applies to all citizens. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:02:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-four__trashed/#IDComment57488611 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/swinging-past-the-other-end-of-the-ideological-spectrum-on-the-way-to-the-intellectual-gray__trashed/#IDComment56281170 I’m from Lancaster County and all of my extended family lives in Lancaster County. While the sounding counties often end up voting Democrat, Lancaster County always votes Republican. My family is no different and I was in fact the first person in my expended family, which consists of over 40 people, to say that I was a Democrat. It felt like I was gay and was coming out of the closet to my homophobic family. Two of my uncles are very hardcore anti-Democrat and anti-Obama and we often get in spirited arguments about how our country is being lead and why America is in the position that that we are. During this past Christmas family get together, my uncles and I started talking about the proposed healthcare bill. They believe that people who don’t have healthcare made the choice to not have healthcare either by not having a job or by choices they made and my uncles don’t want to pay for their healthcare. I think that in almost every circumstance, there is a situation beyond the person’s control that helps cause someone to not be able to afford healthcare and I think that it is our duty as the fortunate ones to help these fellow American out. As Sam has already said, I think that these two opposing viewpoints are one of the differences between Republican and Democrats. I believe that both a person’s individual choices and situations beyond their control help to shape where they end up in life and what they believe. I realize that I am lucky to grow up in a working class family whose parents are still together and everybody in the family still has their health. I can’t imagine growing up with some of the major obstacles that I see some of my friends faced with. I do believe that some people who grow up in rough situations have very little choice about what they want to do with their lives, especially career wise. I believe that family comes before a career and so when I hear about people giving up their jobs or education to take care of a ill loved one I understand that and believe that they have the right and responsibility to do that. With that said, they do have choices about how they handle that situation. Perhaps they could work and take care of the loved one by giving up something else such as any free time. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I believe that life sometimes deals you a shitty hand and you just have to play with the card you were dealt. I think that in most situations it is impossible or nearly impossible to overcome those odds. But you do have choices throughout life that can improve or hurt your situation and sometimes when you are in a tough situation, the only one you can blame is yourself. Even when you are faced with rough circumstances, it is possible to come out on top and exceed all expectations by making the correct choices. Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:03:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/swinging-past-the-other-end-of-the-ideological-spectrum-on-the-way-to-the-intellectual-gray__trashed/#IDComment56281170 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55287071 In the last 500 years it has been primarily white people, including Spanish, who have been responsible for taking over land by killing the residents who had occupied that area for hundreds of years prior. The Spanish did it in Guatemala when they came and destroyed the Mayans in search of gold. The British did it when they took over India and numerous other countries. The United States killed thousands of Native Americans in our quest to colonize and expand west. The white race has a history of getting what they want through genocide without caring who or what cultures they destroyed along the way and people of all nations usually see the white man as the greedy aggressor. As a white man, I grew up hearing about all the unjust wars that white men have started throughout Europe and the Americas and it stays in the back of my mind. I picture these savage white men with guns murdering the innocent, overwhelmed, and overmatched natives and I don’t like this image. That is why when a movie comes out that shows my race bonding with the natives and rising up to lead the innocent against the evil that he grew up in, I pay to go see the movie. I do believe that Hollywood has adopted a theme of “The White Messiah” and I understand why this has become popular although I am getting tired of this trend. Avitar followed the “White Messiah” trend and reminded me and everyone I talked to about the movie “Dances with Wolves” only with kick ass graphics. The movie took a hardened white ex-marine who wanted to do harm to the native people and turned him into a loving, caring and surprisingly back stabbing native by the end of the movie. I even though that a lot of the native people had the facial features of a black person and in fact a lot of them were based off of black people. I think that this trend makes white people feel good that even though they are often viewed as “the oppressive man”, they can change and do good for the less fortunate. It think a lot of white people are feeling bad for what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan and a movie like this makes us think that we are still good people. Also since a lot of movies are directed and written by white people, it is their themes that come out of the movie. With that said I am tired of this theme and am ready to move past it and start watching some movies that make me think about other important issues. Also I think Avitar was an excuse for crazy special affects and James Cameron did not disappoint. If most of the movie going population is like me, I doubt many people have thought about this “White Messiah” theme. I know I hadn’t until I read this posting. Thu, 4 Feb 2010 05:25:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55287071 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/i-guess-it-pays-to-learn-a-bit-about-other-people__trashed/#IDComment54161487 I know that it is not right but this article made me laugh. It is funny how easily people today are scared. With that said, do understand why people frighten so easily on airplanes. When most people get onto an airplane, they all have some degree of jitters even when they know that 99.999% they are going to be safe and have a routine flight. With the 911 terrorist attacks and the more recent failed colon bomb, one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about flying is getting hijacked. So when a especially naive or nervous person sees someone of Middle Eastern dissent doing something out of the ordinary, it is not unreasonable to want to be sure that everything is safe. This particular flight attendant thought see saw this young man wrap his arms with wires and the pilot followed protocol and landed the plane. It seems to me that the situation was handled correctly by a person not familiar with Jewish culture. While I don’t think either the flight attendant or young Jewish man did anything wrong, we should look to see how this could have been averted. The only real way to get rid of these false alarms is to abolish stereotypes and ignorance. The thing about these stereotypes is that when it comes to hijacking or blowing up planes, it seems like it is only various Middle Eastern men who attempt these things. Unfortunately when most people are in an airport and see an obviously Arab man, the thought crosses their mind that they hope he isn’t a terrorist. I know that all but .000000001% of Arabs don’t wish any harm on America or its people but that stereotype still persists. I do not know how to go about getting rid of this stereotype when, for the most case, all plane hijackers are in fact Middle Eastern. Hopefully some day, terrorism with cease to exist and this stereotype can be put to bed. The other problem is ignorance. I come from an area where there is a very small Jewish population and I never knew a Jewish person until I came to Penn State and my roommate was Jewish. If I was on the plane, while I doubt I would have reacted with panic, I would not have known what that man was doing either. It is hard to know about cultures that originated on the other side of the world when you live in a town where few of that minority exists. So unless you are a sociology major, getting rid of the ignorance to other cultures is nearly impossible to do. I would like to say that I love the way the young man and his sister handles the situation. They realized what was going on and why it was happening and cooperated with the authorities and helped to clear up the misunderstanding. I have seen and heard of a lot of people that when questioned of doing wrong, they get angry, loud, and defensive which only prolongs the situation. You can really see what kind of character and maturity they two young Jewish people have. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:48:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/i-guess-it-pays-to-learn-a-bit-about-other-people__trashed/#IDComment54161487 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-h__trashed/#IDComment53882550 yo Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:24:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-h__trashed/#IDComment53882550 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52884354 After reading this post, my greatest hope is that most people can read through Pat Robertson’s remarks and not think that this is the thought of a true follower of Jesus. While I’m currently struggling with my faith, I do call myself a Christian and it breaks my heart to hear a man who claims to follow the same God that I am following, be so insensitive and ignorant. In regards to Rush’s comments, I have tuned that man out years ago. If the cure for AIDS was discovered, Rush would claim that this is just a tactic by Obama to gain popularity. If Obama got rid of crime in the United States, Rush would be upset because it would be harder for him to get his illegal prescription drugs. I do not think that Rush’s comments are worth talking about because the man is not worth talking about. When thinking about Pat’s comments, I am convinced that this “true tale” is nothing more than a story told by strict parents in order to frighten their children from worshiping what they thought was the devil. I do not believe that God flattens cities because of their supposed “immorality” like he did in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. I am not sure how the spiritual world works in context to the visible world, but I do believe there is a spiritual world. I think it is unjust and unethical to take a countries deep suffering and essentially tell them that they deserved this horrific tragedy because someone over 8 plus generations ago made a “Deal with the Devil”. Come on Pat. WAKE UP! I was raised in a very Christian home. My Dad is a pastor at the church that I attended my entire life and from kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I attended a private Christian school. With that said, it is not hard to see that I was around like minded people my whole life. Sam touched on the issue of the danger of only having “like minded” people around you and that touches very close to how I have been feeling during my last years of high school. I felt like I have been being brainwashed my whole life to believe whatever my parents believed. My parents weren’t doing this on purpose, but by being placed around only “like minded” people, they were doing it unintentionally. When I was old enough to think things through by myself, I discovered that I had many issues with what I was taught to believe, especially in the church. I thought the issues of God, correctness of homosexuality, and the validity of the Bible were three issues that I needed to discover what I believed on my own. In order to stretch the box that I was living in I decided that, while Christian College was a possibility, I would fare best if I went to a public university and Penn State matched the criteria so here I am. Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:51:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52884354