en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/767094 Comments by JayBella https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70039075 It ‘s interesting that things like this happen because South Park, along with many other shows like Family Guy and Everybody Hates Chris, poke fun at stereotypes. Most of it is done for humorous purposes, entertainment based. Does that give them a right to offend people? Not really. But it has kind of become the norm to accept these programs and not think too much into them. I am not saying that it’s ok to flaunt these stereotypes and convert our ways of thinking to them, but it is not something that I would waste my time getting upset about. Racist and sexist slurs are constantly being used to produce a few laughs, most times they are laughs of the very peoples they are referring too (for example, the comedians that make fun of their own race or others very closely related). There is a thin line between funny and offensive, and often times that thin line can be blurry as well. Are South Park or any of the other parallel shows going to stop doing what they are doing because someone is offended? No, probably not. I am not sure what exact episode the student is referring to, but unless it is for personal safety issues I doubt the show will be taken off the air (especially on channels like Adult Swim or anything of that nature). What most people would say to that is probably “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to watch it.” Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:55:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70039075 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment70035451 I think that most people naturally feel that those types of things do not affect them because they are unable to see the connections clearly. That makes everything less personal and with humans being selfish instinctively, it is not always someone’s best interest to help out a cause as far away as Haiti. Of course if it is our own family members or people that we are close to we will act upon it differently. If people felt like they would actually make a difference or be significant in some way, then more people would take action. Due to feelings of unimportance, it is crucial for people like Ian from class to come and talk to us about how you can actually make a difference. Otherwise, people—especially students and others who are very involved in their surroundings (i.e. very engaged in their careers) do not see the need or find the time to help with larger issues. People pretty much take on an “Oh, they will handle that; they don’t need me too” mentality. Until people feel needed, they won’t really respond. It might make us feel like we are “bad people” or extremely selfish when we realize that we turn our backs on these issues on a daily basis, but only momentarily. Then, we go right back to what we were doing as if nothing happened. The guilt doesn’t last long until we talk about it. And when we stop talking about it, it vanishes again. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:41:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment70035451 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment70031060 Fortunately, prior to watching this video, I read the introduction to it and consciously had to open my mind so that I could at least accept his argument. That seemed to work because I could understand that being in a different mindset may have made changed the way I interpreted what he was saying in response to the posed question. Being open enabled me to take his points into consideration and quite frankly, it was a very logical argument. Education is often one of the prime examples of removing creativity from people, more specifically young people. When you are young, you have an abundance of questions about life in general including how and why things work the way that they do. It is natural to be curious. However, most people get to a point where they realize that most of their peers that ask too many questions are punished for doing it. In addition, questioning authority becomes absurd and looked down upon. Therefore, the less risky are the ones who jump through the hoops and become “obedient” and the ones who are bold enough to continue to question are considered rebels and / or disobedient. I think he was right when he said that most of us have at least one experience where teachers or some other authority challenged us to question them or to present conflict in a fashionable manner. I know that I have. Before this class, one class where creativity and thinking through different perspectives were encouraged was in high school. The class was called Theory of Knowledge (or TOK). TOK is the study of how we know what we know. It was a very interesting course where we as students questioned everything that we say we “know” and how credible the source that we “learn” it from really is. I took the class for two semesters and it truly changed the value of the way and the depth at which I thought about issues and knowledge. We had to write several papers based on simple topics that we had to dig very deep into in order to come to a conclusion. Most of the class, though, consisted of discussions between students. Occasionally we would debate with the instructor, but most times he took a neutral stance in order to get us to realize all dimensions of the issue (much like Sam does in his lectures). The irony of the United States is that as much as we need creative and innovative thinkers, we want them to be obedient. And those who are obedient are usually the ones that lack creativity skills. So what is it that we really want? Is power or productivity more important? Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:25:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment70031060 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/the-tyranny-of-radical-muslims__trashed/#IDComment68424546 It is not hard to understand what this student is saying. Within every race, religious group, economic status, you name it, there are those outliers and extremists that draw all of the attention and yet have the least support within the respected groups. I think that this lesson can be applied to so many things in life simply because what you see is not always what you get. The “normal” and common, non-extreme people are not going to be the ones that make the news or the front page of the paper. It will more than likely always be those who have gone over the top in some way or another, that most people in that group feel is not a good representation of what they stand for. It just sucks to know that so many people don’t “get this.” They don’t take it and remember it and keep it as a tool under their belt, preparing themselves for other encounters throughout life. Some of us let it go in one ear and out the other. But the key is, the sooner we open our ears and listen, the easier it will be to appreciate others. It’s probably much harder to put the guards down than to keep them up forever. But that’s what this is all about, taking the hard way out to make the future easier. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:40:05 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/the-tyranny-of-radical-muslims__trashed/#IDComment68424546 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68423265 As a lot of people have already mentioned, the end goal is going to differ upon the individual. However, I found myself asking the question “So, where do we want to end up?” a few times while reading Laurie’s book. One thing that she wrote that stuck with me was that several white people are confused because people of color are not exactly sure what they want or how to express what they want specifically. There are mixed messages that are constantly being sent back and forth between races, which makes it more difficult to understand how to resolve what problems we face. She brought up the idea that people of color want to be treated equally in many ways, but still want to be recognized as being a part of something special—a specific culture. I would imagine that it is that way for everyone. Do white people mind being clumped together as one, simply being “white people”? Or would they rather be looked at as something deeper? Maybe Irish or Italian or European? I often wonder if that preference differs when the setting is altered: a mixed crowd versus an all white crowd versus a black crowd. I feel like the goal is not to forget about race entirely; that would defeat the purpose of the “relations.” But the general goal is to look at race differently. Don’t use it so much as an identifier, but more like a modifier. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:28:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68423265 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68421327 First off, I would like to say that this trailer is awesome. Props to whoever put it all together. All the key points that were made in class are depicted perfectly. Sam really helped get people, at least some of them, to go through a thought process that many would never dream of. When you look at issues like the ones discussed in class during the Christian Invaders lecture, putting yourself in another person’s shoes is the only way to get something out of it. Talking about the controversy as an American cannot truly help understand what Muslims and Arabs are going through in their countries (especially Iraq) even if you don’t want to. One of the things that I have come to question time and time again are the ethics of what is going on. When considered from either side, it seems that both teams are “right” in some way or another. By “right” I mean that it is understandable, logical, makes sense to the common citizen. There were a lot of images and video clips that showed a side of the U.S. military that most of us (Americans) do not see in the news or in any other types of media resources. Most people are aware that what is shown on television or on the news channels are often biased summaries of what reporters and companies want us to know and see (and it is usually the “good” stuff that we do, helping people, etc.) But something that really shocked me in class was the disturbing fact that the United States allows 29 innocent people to be killed per every 1 enemy that is brought down. As an Arab Muslim, my trust in what seem to be like phony soldiers, a phony people, a phony country has been ultimately shattered. My first instinct would probably be to say that I would want nothing to do with them. But as we become aware of what is really going on behind closed doors (and out in the open), when the good and the bad are all left to honesty, I can start to make better judgments about other people and cultures and religions. Until then, the filtered images of the media will continue to impact groups of people in negative ways, all while encouraging strong senses of ethnocentrism. It is hard to imagine why people would be willing to serve as suicide bombers and participate in other extreme acts of violence, but when you consider the scenarios, causes, effects, and underlying issues it isn’t that difficult to grasp. There are a lot of videos (like the one showed in class about Jihad) that tend to be very powerful and have an effect on people, usually striking fear and anger in them. To go along with that there is an awful lot of ignorance being spread like wildfire, on all sides of the issue. If we could take the time out to apply this exercise of putting ourselves in other people’s shoes, we would understand a lot more about each other in all types of situations. I think that’s what this class is all about. Hopefully others are getting that too. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:11:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68421327 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment66894968 I am glad that this student put his question on the flip camera because I wondered about others that are in his place. He is obviously caught between two identities and he feels obligated to choose between the two because of the pressures in society. I do not believe that it is fair, yet it happens every day to countless people. Why should people have to choose? Why should they have to be internally divided? We discussed earlier in the semester that most mixed or multicultural people identify with one side over the other. This happens because of where they grew up or who they grew up with. What is interesting is that this student says that he grew up with his mother’s side of the family but he thinks that others see him as white because he has “white skin.” When I look at him, I do not think of him as white. I definitely see some other ethnicity at first glance. In addition, it seems like most people that are mixed with white and some other culture choose whichever side is “non-white.” Why is that? Is being white, and all the ethnicities that make up that extremely vague genre, just not satisfying enough? I have always wondered why that is. But back to the original question: what team should he be on? Only he can decide that, and that is if he wants to be on either of the teams presented in class. If you do not allow yourself to be categorized by everyone else, then I feel as though you won’t be for the most part. There of course will be those people who place others in an initial category when they do not know them. But we all do that. It is natural to us as humans. There really is nothing you can do about judging at first glance. We have to learn to look past that. What we have to focus on are the more important things like how well the people we care about understand us. Everyone’s definition of how they are identified is different because everyone has their own feelings about the situation, or they may even be indifferent about all of this. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 23:22:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment66894968 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64943343 See now, this is different than what was going on in class. This is Laurie, A WOMAN, talking about her life and her experiences as…well, A WOMAN. What was going on in class seems like a whole separate issue. It was about a man discussing private bodily functions of someone that belongs to the opposite sex. It is kind of one of those things that only women can talk about, it is ours. It might as well be our sacred secret. Men are not “allowed” to talk about it if he is not a doctor or he is not talking about it in a very private manner. I feel like this is one of the subjects where it is not a man’s place to talk about it. Not with other women anyway. It is weird, awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes it can be perceived as disrespectful. On the other hand, it seems like Laurie is venting to other women in this performance (I am not sure if that is actually the case). Who is really her audience? Honestly, I would say she has the authority to talk about this bleeding thing however she wants to. Why? Because she is a woman and she is experiencing the things that she is talking about. She can relate to similar stories from other women, whereas Sam is unable to do this. Any guy who feels like it’s no big deal, I suggest you trade places with Laurie for 28 days and then you can feel free to talk about it however you would like. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:25:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64943343 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64941339 No matter how hard the people that make the census try, there is going to be someone who is offended or upset or confused by the categories on the paper. It is clearly impossible to undo any of these feelings without some complex system of identification. The only way to get people to really understand would be info sessions to explain what everything means, how many boxes you can check and so on. But who would attend? Can you even make something like that mandatory? Or if you have just a simple paragraph saying that at the top of the census or on the back….who will read it? I think that if we had not discussed this in class then I probably would be one of those people asking why Negro is back on there. In addition, I was waiting for someone white to ask why they were all grouped together on the census, and the woman in the documentary did just that. It seems like today people are so concerned with satisfying the minorities that they forget about what matters to white people. They deserve to identify with something deeper than white, don’t they? I would say so. As complicated as things are looking already, it couldn’t hurt. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:06:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64941339 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64939104 This article and topic rightfully poses a lot of questions. I can see why many students that commented on this feel like it is not a big deal, which is one way to look at it. So these types of things happen and we pretty much agree that this transformation is normal. However, there is another way to look at this and that is to see it as a big deal. With a reversal of minority roles, the overall culture of America is likely to change. That is not to say that the change will necessarily be in the near future, but nonetheless, it is coming. A change in culture could be defined in many ways; something as big or as small as becoming more accepting of one another to begin with. Once again, that issue is as big a deal as you make it; the optimist versus the pessimist. Another student mentioned that they still expect whites to keep the structure of “the way things are” now, not anticipating too many big changes right away and I agree. Just because this “half-way” mark is approaching, I do not expect white people to lie down and die in fear. While there might be a very different environment for the next few generations, the current ones do not seem that they will change much. Similar to the King of the Mountain game, once the powerful are on top they find ways to keep others below them. In other words, the white majority is not just going to resign and give up their position at the top simply because they are no longer the majority. Someone or some group is going to have to overthrow them to obtain that power or even a better sense of equality. When I say “overthrow” I do not mean a violent revolution or anything, just an attaining of the “white man’s position.” Something else that I think is worth thinking about is how this progression is actually playing out in America. Just because there are more Asian, Hispanic, and Black births, does that mean everything and everywhere will become more integrated? Or does this mean that certain Hispanic concentrated areas will just become larger? The fact that there will be more non-whites does not lead us to any direct assumptions to non-white success or superiority in the future. There are quite a few places around the world that have a minority group in power. That could very well be the case here in America due to the current structure of society. The soon-to-be-majority minorities are going to have to prove something before white people see this as a “problem” or “threat” to anything. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:45:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64939104 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64282672 I thought that this topic in class was intriguing because it seems to stand true. Even though I feel like I see everyone as individuals, no matter the color, I know that there are many people who group Asians as a whole. I personally cannot tell the difference between Asian Americans and Asians at first glance. If I do not hold a conversation with them, chances are I don’t know. I am naturally curious about people’s ethnicities so I would be one to ask about where they are from and when their family moved here. However, other people do a lot of assuming. I am not saying that I know much more than others do, but I am not afraid or embarrassed to ask questions. When it comes to Asians, I really am not even able to identify Chinese from Vietnamese from Japanese and so on. Being that we are ignorant to the many differences, we are more likely to group them as one rather than see them for their individuality without getting to know them first. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:59:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64282672 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64281409 The dolls, oh the dolls… I’ve heard about this experiment many times before I watched the video in class and still, I was in awe. It was kind of sad to see the way some of the young children felt about what their decisions were. Their faces said it all. It seemed like they were almost confused because they realized what they were saying after they had said it. I think that a lot of times when children (especially minorities) feel that way when they are represented by one of the dolls, it gives them a subconscious standard that they feel obligated to. For some people that bar can be raised by the influence of parents, guardians, teachers, church members, or siblings. But most times those people are naïve to the child’s thoughts or they haven’t quite learned how to deal with that issue themselves. It is devastating to me that the young girls see the black doll as “bad” and several other negative traits, and then they look at themselves in the mirror and feel like “that is me; I’m supposed to be bad” or “I’m not supposed to be as good as ‘them’” or anything of that nature. An interesting question was brought up in class about the black girl choosing the white doll. A lot of that has to do with the media, which we discussed briefly on Thursday. Also, there are black children who live in communities where they see other black people as living up to the negative stereotypes that are thrown in their faces. To them, other white children might be seen as innocent and intelligent, maybe even intimidating, but all for good reasons. That could easily lead to a child’s beliefs and affect how they see these toys presented to them. I really thought it was funny when the TA Googled “beauty” and we saw all of the images come up…. All the white images at that. I’m almost sure that is what I expected to come up on the screen. When you see advertisements every day and television shows and whatever else might define beauty for a young girl, the subject becomes worn out. We talk about it so much and what the “typical beautiful woman” might be on tv versus in real life. This is something that people struggle with every day and it continues to be a problem. There are definitely programs today that try to emphasize on different types of beauty and give girls of all ages self confidence, but if this issue isn’t approached in the beginning then it will be more and more difficult to solve the problem in the end. The video is a wake-up call if not a reminder. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:44:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64281409 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64279165 I feel like what Sam was saying about “bleeding” is somewhat true but there might be a little more to it. The point that was brought up several times was that it is just another bodily function, so why do we have trouble talking about it? I think part of that answer is that it is a woman’s privacy to know when her menstrual cycle is. Discussing the fact that it happens to every woman is not the same as discussing your own personal functions with a total stranger. These general versus specific ideas play a large part in why some women are uncomfortable talking about the topic. This is especially the case when males are present in the conversation. The smaller the group is and the better they know each other will often affect how or if females will be willing to talk about their periods or periods in general. Otherwise, the discussion seems to be almost inappropriate to a lot of women. Although I think that the topic should not be so taboo, I do feel that the privacy of this natural “thing” that happens makes sense. Maybe that is because I am a female. I believe the real question that Sam is trying to get to is why this is perceived to be such a touchy subject for so many people. However, there are obviously boundaries. Everyone doesn’t tell everyone else everything, and that could be for a number of reasons. But I am pretty sure the conversations between my male friends and I have been limited when it comes to lots of natural things like giving birth, yeast infections, menstrual cycles, and masturbation. I’m not really sure how this can be fixed other than education on the subjects. But until then…. I won’t tell you when I’m bleeding and I’d prefer that you don’t ask. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:19:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64279165 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-anyone-else-getting-this-stuff__trashed/#IDComment63120479 I agree with the young lady that made this comment about Laurie’s book in the fact that I like to hear other points of view other than my own. I consider myself to be very open-minded and I think that while reading her book I feel like I really am taking in what she is expressing. I understand her point of view and her reasoning and her arguments. It might seem unusual but I am glad that she wrote the book in the manner that she did, completely aware of the reactions that would explode in other people’s heads when reading a certain story or comment or quote. I appreciate her scolding of “my people” for the things that are sometimes overlooked in our own cultures. I often feel like when I am listening to my people of color speak on these race relations issues I try to forget about our skin and only listen to their words. Then I decide if they make sense to me, if I agree, if they are genuine and ethical. I have no problems disagreeing with my own people or with white people. There are plenty of times where I feel like some of my people “embarrass” me by doing things that support negative stereotypes shaped by ALL people. Kind of like how in class Sam showed us the videos that were making fun of other white people who were ignorant to what was really going on in society. Should I feel this embarrassment? Who knows? Should it matter? In one way I feel that I should because I identify with those very people. But on the other hand, if I’m striving to be looked at as an individual and not for my skin color, then why am I so concerned with separating myself from the “typical” view of a black person? There are so many questions that are raised through my thought process. One of the most relevant is “what is the ‘typical black person’ to white people? And what about to other black people? And what about in between?” If Sam is trying to get us to think, it’s working over here. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:41:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-anyone-else-getting-this-stuff__trashed/#IDComment63120479 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63119066 I love it!! Congrats to Natalie. This is such an astonishing accomplishment due to what has been stated in the video—a male dominated sport. I kind of feel like football is one of those sports where it doesn’t bother too many of us that it is “a man’s sport.” There are not many protests going around about women trying to play football and they aren’t able to. Some girls play for community teams and even for their schools. In fact there are national women’s leagues (like the one Natalie played for) and several of them are actually really good (Pittsburgh Passion is one of them)! Nonetheless, this is extremely exciting for a female like me that is engulfed in sports almost twenty four hours, seven days a week. It is something that I personally take interest in. I’m hoping to go into sports marketing, and milestone events like this would be a great idea to keep in mind. There will definitely be some skeptical thoughts in the community, but when is there not? That’s bound to happen when something extraordinary is developing. She seems like a very self motivated, driven individual that will succeed when she works hard (whatever her definition of success ends up being). If you ask me, she’s already succeeding. But it is clear that she has no intentions on stopping here. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:26:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63119066 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081339 Part 4: Overall, I would just say that they are taking this too far. They're worried about way too much. Canceling a prom is not going to "protect" other students from anything. Homosexuality is not something to be protected from. It won't make you blind. It's not contagious. It's a date preference. Let the girls live some life. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:26:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081339 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081310 Part 3: One part of the article that was disturbing was the very end where they told the girl to "remember where you are." If she is required to be aware of her surroundings for an issue like this, then the board needs to remember what year it is. I'm pretty sure if the school took a poll to see how many people would feel absolutely uncomfortable if they let this couple attend the prom, not many would say that they were. In this new day and age people are a lot more open to themselves, each other, and unfamiliar ideas. It seems that the adults took it upon themselves to ruin one of the most profound memories of high school for this group of teens. Poor use of power on their part. They've created more problems than they've solved (which wasn't a problem to begin with). Not only are other students going to misunderstand the girl's actions in correlation with the cancellation of prom, but they also will create anger towards the school board for this poor decision. I'm sure there are parents out there willing to back that up, support their children. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:26:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081310 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081250 Part 2: I went to four proms in my high school years and I've seen a number of things: I've seen people go without a date, guy or girl; I've seen two girls attend, both wearing dresses; I've seen girls wear tuxedos. Ultimately, that's all up to them. Not only does it feel like it's not my business to intervene with each person's comfort with themselves, but it definitely is my responsibility to accept these individuals for who they are and how they feel most comfortable. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:25:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081250 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081167 Part 1: This really sucks. First off, the girl feels terrible about something that she shouldn't have to feel guilty about--her feelings. While it was brave of her to ask for permission, I would have just rather shocked everyone the day of prom. Then what? Would they have a whole conference to decide that her and her girlfriend were going to get kicked out? It would have been controversy but obviously that's what this entire scenario is about. One thing that bothers me is that prom is a time to mingle, dance, and have the time of your life with your friends and classmates. By this time in high school, you pretty much know who you want to be around. And if that so happens to be your spouse, so be it. And if your spouse happens to be of the same sex....SO BE IT STILL! Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:25:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63081167 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment60005218 The hanging the noose thing has happened on a few campuses and it upsets me every time. One reason is because a lot of people don't even fully understand the cultural essence of the situation, what it really means coming from a certain person or group of people. It very well could have been that a black person put the noose up in the library either as a joke (that obviously was not funny at all) or to make tension between cultures on campus (clearly the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish). On one hand I could almost say that it doesn't matter what color the person was that hung the noose, but the reality of it is that if a white person did it then blacks would just continue to stereotype and inflame the hate that some people may feel. However, since it is possible that a person of color contributed to this action it's probably worse. It's disrespectful to one's own people. And if it wasn't the case and there was some deeper meaning to this prank, their point was obviously not clear enough. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 07:16:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment60005218