Really, I think the creators of south park handled themselves very well regarding that episode. The whole point of it was to show just how ridiculous things have become regarding the treatment of islam. It’s almost gotten to a point where the extremists have made it such that you can’t criticize the culture at all. And that sort of double standard is where inequality comes from. And it’s not like South Park plays favorites. Look what they’ve done with Christianity, from the pedophiliac priests to god being an…orangutan looking thing. So it’s ridiculous to bar them from being able to do the same to other faiths.

I think you summed up the problem yourself in the question, it happened somewhere else and it doesn’t directly affect us. I know that sounds callous, but that’s the honest to god truth. As we were shown in class, all the horrible images we might see on TV and on the news don’t compare to the reality of the situation, so it’s very hard for us here to truly appreciate what’s occurring. It really makes sense when you think about it. I mean, any given day of the year if you were to watch any news station long enough you are guaranteed to hear about a murder that happened somewhere in the US. The disaster in Haiti seems to be a similar situation on a much grander scale. Though a simplification certainly I think this metaphor works. In both cases we of course sympathize with the party being affected, and at times we wish to ourselves that there would be something we could do to help, but in the end we still go on with our daily routine. It’s because deep down we’re aware of the fact that we can’t allow ourselves to put our lives on hold every time a tragedy occurs somewhere in the world. That sounds bad, but I believe it’s just being realistic. The world we live in is constantly facing a new disaster or or slaughter each and every day. Throughout Africa for instance there have been a number of organized programs focused on the extermination of various ethnic groups. This has been going on since, what, we were in high school? I can’t imagine trying to refocus my life on helping groups out every time I heard of a new tragedy. Certainly some can and do, and I really respect that, but I have to be honest that I just can’t, nor do I think that most can. Sometimes we have to simply take reality in strides and accept that we live in an imperfect world and try to not let such tragedies ruin our lives.
With all that in mind, I can accept that this attitude can lead to a problem of apathy. And maybe that’s what was meant in the video to begin with. I don’t believe that there’s anything wrong with going with trying to go about your life amid foreign disasters, but I do see a problem with complete apathy. Basically after having seen so much wrong in the world it’s easy to start believing that nothing can be done, so it’s not even worth the effort of trying. This I believe is a major problem, as it’s that kind of attitude more than anything that keeps things from happening.

Honestly after having listened to this, I personally think that maybe you’re worrying just a tad too much about what you thought. Firstly I’m going to say that I honestly agree with your first impulse. But I truly don’t think there’s anything racist about it, it’s really a pretty honest reading on the reality of the situation. When push comes to shove you, most likely, you’ve had a better education than most from any 3rd world nation; you likely have some money to spare, not to mention simple having the ability to easily move between countries. So to say that you think you have a better shot at making a difference isn’t a stretch at all. What’s important to recognize is that a lot of those benefits are a product of the country you live in and not an immutable characteristic.

I can only sympathize with what this woman’s husband must feel, to have your religion associated with men of such violence. It’s not fair in any sense of the word. I mean, it’s nothing new for perfectly peaceful religions to be poorly represented. Look at Pat Robertson, if I were on the outside looking in and thought Pat Robertson was typical of Christians I’d think they were all crazy too. It’s especially sad to see the support some of these men have. Certainly the more mundane crazies like Robertson are a more successful at amassing a following, but radical muslims aren’t without support themselves. Honestly I can’t levy the responsibility on the followers to do anything, any muslim in their right mind probably already distances themselves. Really I think the problem lies in the media who seems fit to throw these extremists in our faces 24/7.

It’s interesting now that I think about how vigilantism is romanticized in the United States, but I think it’s done in the same way that say, Piracy is. Its something cool to think about but we all as a society understand why it’s illegal. As far as these suicide bombers are concerned, I think we’ll all agree that there’s always a lot of context needed to fully understand why someone does something like that. Whether the bombing is done avenging a loved one or for a religious crusade can make a big difference. Also, when we think about suicide bombers, the first that comes to my mind at least are those crazies that find themselves a busy street corner and detonate there. Trying to strike back at an occupying force is one thing, maximizing civilian casualties is another.

Well, I’ll start by saying that I disagree with a lot of what you said. To begin with, as far as the way the class is taught you can hardly fault Sam for any of that. Seriously, what more can the man do to try and keep people attention? He tries to keep it lighthearted, he does his best to create a dialogue between students even in such a big class, and uses videos and movies to reinforce points. The papers, ipods, etc aren’t his failing, it’s just a symptom of being such a large class and honestly, a certain lack of respect for what’s going on (though I will be the first to admit that I too indulge in the use of my touch, so it’s not a judgment call on others).
Now, as far as Sam ragging on America again, I disagree. Honestly I’ve never really felt that he took a very anti-american slant in any of his lectures so far. I understand how it can seem that way at times, but you have to keep in mind that this is a class taught in America primarily to American students. Therefore it’s only natural that the class be framed in such a way that it’s relevant to Americans. What do you gain from learning about race relations in China? Or how Britain spent years exploiting the indigenous people? It may make you feel better about your history but it won’t help you to learn more about your present. Even so, Sam hasn’t really taken a hard line stance against America. The closest he’s come is in his discussion about the Native Americans and how it would kill the American Spirit (or something like that). But that’s just reality, he at no point flubbed the data or tried to pin it on us in any way, he just wanted us to be aware of the fact that, like it or not, our country is built on the lives of the natives.
This particular lecture I thought was actually tamer in comparison. You seem to be under the impression that he was trying to make you take a particular stance on the war which I don’t believe was the point at all. In fact, we spent very little time at all discussing the causes for our entry into the war. This lecture was about understanding those we recognize as our enemy. Hell, it wasn’t even about learning to like them, or trying to get you to agree with them, it was about just understanding why, just maybe, some people in Iraq might not be happy about us being there and that it was hardly unreasonable for some to turn to violence. I really don’t see where you’re getting that he doesn’t support the troops. Yes he highlighted bad examples today, but that was to make a point about what people over in Iraq see. Look at the reverse. How often do you see pictures of Iraq like the ones Sam’s student took? With people smiling and with a modernized city, even pre war photo’s were bleak. It’s the same way us, they don’t see soldiers helping people, they see the worst which reinforces their preconceived notions about us.
As for things not being able to change, no offense, but it’s that kind of attitude that keeps things from ever changing. History is full of people standing up for a cause and making a real difference. Look at the history of civil rights in our own history if you want an apt example of individuals making a real difference. You may not believe it, but us citizens still hold the power in this country, that we choose not to exercise it is a shame but make no mistake, if this country truly wanted something to happen we can do it, we are America after all.

I don’t think things are nearly as dramatic as we sometimes think it is as far as affirmative action is concerned. Now I should start by saying that I’m honestly ignorant of a lot of the issues regarding affirmative action, namely who benefits and how. But as far as getting into schools or hospitals, those that are clearly the superior candidates will get in regardless of Affirmative Action. No hospital in their right mind is going to turn down ANYONE coming from Johns Hopkins for instance. The kind of people that we often hear about getting rejected when it comes to Affirmative Action are those that were only barley qualified or average. Likewise even with Affirmative Action someone that isn’t qualified isn’t going to get in, it’s not like hospitals and colleges are scooping up the first black or brown person they see.

What’s really shocking about all this I find, is that this sort of thing is news to people. This whole aspect of Japanese culture has been a running joke between me and my friends for some time now. Believe me, this isn’t really anything new. Course just being established certainly does not make this sort of thing any less difficult to stomach. Really I have no idea how this sort of thing flies over there. The problem I have is that I feel bad saying that. Long before I took soc 119 I knew better than to hop on my high horse and talk about how much better American society is than everywhere else in the world, and Japan does have a notoriously low crime rate. Yet, stuff like this is just fine with everyone. It’s just hard for me to get over.

I haven’t really thought about suddenly becoming a minority. It’s hard to imagine a situation that is such a stark contrast from what I’ve grown up in my entire life, from what’s been the norm since long before I was born. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t at least a little apprehensive at the idea. It’s not scary of course. After all, by the time we become a minority, race relations will have (presumably) advanced beyond what they are even now. So it’s not as though the “white minority” will have to face any of the hardships that other groups have had to go through.

When we’re talking about the “teams” in class, it’s obviously meant as a pretty sweeping generalization. After all, Sam himself has stated on a number of occasions that he couldn’t even being to classify all the different racial combinations there are in the world. As for this particular situation, I suppose we could look at it in how you’ve been treated by others, if you think you’ve benefited from the white privilege that we’ve discussed in class, you could certainly then consider yourself to be a member of the “white team.” Of course the truth of your genealogy kind of just goes to show how ridiculous it is to vest so much in ones race.