en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1126129 Comments by JessOver https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85419707 I also like Obama's stance on Affirmative Action. Social class should absolutely play a role in who AA is benefitting. If someone has been raised within the upper class and have been given an upper hand already, there are many others who would benefit much more from affirmative action and who are more deserving. I think if we strive for equality then we need to be willing to help those people who need it the most. Going back to the school situation I think that we need to attempt to give more equal funding especially for education to give our students a fair chance to reach their potential and equal potential in itself is so important in an attempt to reach racial and gender equality. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 01:32:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85419707 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85419109 I think in order to allow all those who want to get ahead to actually be able to get ahead, we must first be willing to consider all people equal. Like Sam was saying, regardless of what system is in place, there will always be those who aren’t willing to work hard to get ahead and who either may expect others to do the work for them or to be content with sitting back and recognizing that they will never be ahead in the social status game. I guess I hadn’t previously realized that white women are the main beneficiaries of affirmative action. I suppose I had always thought that affirmative action benefitted minority groups. It’s interesting that a program that many think support underclass citizens in fact just supports the issues we currently have today of supporting those middle class citizens who have fewer roadblocks in their life. The concept of thinking you are better than another person for no oteh reason than because we are egotistical is absolutely a major problem, but it’s not just a problem in the United States. However, in order to truly believe in equality and strive for racial and gender equality, it must become acceptable to perceive yourself genuinely as you are instead of disregarding others who may truly have an upper hand. It’s easy to blame others before the thought to blame oneself even crosses someones mind. Who wants to demean themselves? The slides regarding peoples opinions of both themselves and others was extremely interesting. It is so easy to judge other people without having any idea of who they are, but we must be able to judge ourselves. Today’s world truly revolves around knowing people. It’s sad that we no longer focus on who is truly the best candidate for the job based on skill level and qualifications but is instead very much about the people we have made contact with. Again I go back to my point that before we can eradicate racial and gender issues, we, as a society as a whole, must move towards giving all people an equal chance/opportunity in all aspects of life. Knowledge and ability must begin to play a role in all that we do. Yes, gaining contacts and meeting people in fields of interest is important and should help people move forward in careers, but knowing someone should not be the end all. It may help in getting that initial job interview, but when the company goes forward in the process of hiring it should be based solely on the most qualified individual. On Sam’s discussion about giving Native Americans scholarship opportunities or those with disabilities special training, I see no problem with that. I think there are people who need that step up in order to have equal opportunities. Why not help those people, such as people with any type of disability, have an opportunity to be given the same opportunity as any other person. I really like Obama’s opinion on Affirmative Action. I do think that we should consider a wide range of reasons as to why people deserve a step up, and social class should indeed play a role in it. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 01:27:12 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85419109 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84760160 I think there is a difference from allowing illegal aliens into the country for working when there is a need for an increase in workforce than illegal immigrants entering the country with the intent of living here essentially free of the responsibilities of being an American yet demanding the rights of being an American. I agree with the need for additional workforce when necessary but if that is our goal with using illegal immigrants then should there not be something set up for those immigrants to come into the country just for work purposes and when that need is satiated they are readily mandated to move back to their homeland? Would that not resolve many of the problems that are central to the illegal immigration issue? Sun, 4 Jul 2010 19:05:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84760160 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84759098 I hate always focusing on the past. The past is the past and can’t be changed. When the pilgrims first migrated to this new land there was no concept of assimilation. Today, however, times have changed. I think greater restriction or regulations should be set regarding illegal immigration. It makes sense that business is regulation the immigration in this country and that politics currently have no control over it. It makes sense that having illegal aliens allows for cheaper wages, cheap labor, a betterment of the market, but when is it no longer okay to take away jobs from legal citizens. So then what is the point of having laws and regulations in this country? So are we having to lower the numbers of legal immigrants allowed into this country because the amount of illegal immigrants is becoming so high? If we allowed more into this country who wanted to come to work, yet were willing to become legal immigrants, obtain work visas, green cards, etc., wouldn’t that be better than allows our borders to be overrun with illegal immigrants who then as taxpayers we must support. Instead the illegal immigrants are taking away the jobs that could be available to legal citizens If we stopped illegal immigration it would make people here actually work for our money, to have the capability to get jobs, to decrease our homeless level. If we decrease our illegal immigrant level, will that not allow those who are currently unable to get jobs, who are homeless and jobless, have the capability to then work those low level jobs and make more money than they currently are? We have such a growing homeless population of legal citizens here in this country that we should be focusing on offering those citizens jobs that we are currently literally giving away to illegal aliens who we then are supporting with taxpayer dollars. I may be considered naive on this topic, but could business still not control the economy while using the workforce already in this country? It’s not necessary about not wanting poor people. We have poor people in this country already. But why are we not focusing on giving our poor jobs instead of being so willing to give those jobs to the illegals rushing our borders? Immigration is absolutely what makes our country and allows us to be a place where people desire to live, but what is wrong with making the efforts to legally immigrate On the topic of the dog, Congo, who attacked the Honduras man, any animal who attacks a human being should absolutely be put down regardless of the animal and regardless of who was attacked. It shouldn’t be a racial dilemma, it should be about safety. Regardless of who that dog attacked, were it to not be put down, there is a great chance that the dog could have attacked yet another person and that should be the issue focused on, not the origin of the person attacked initially. Sun, 4 Jul 2010 19:01:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84759098 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83622775 I agree completely regarding the hypocrisy that occurs when people of color who feel they are not treated equally and who call for bigotry to end themselves are against homosexually and equal rights being afforded to members of the LGBT community. No one can, on one hand, demand that they be treated as equals to others (mainly whites) in this country (and in the world) while on the other hand simultaneously treat LGBT individuals unequally and with the same bigotry they are protesting against. I think that before any semblance of equality is reaches in this country we must all put away our defensive and biased swords and actually believe that we are all equal regardless of our race, religion, sexual orientation, and overall beliefs. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 02:14:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83622775 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83621307 I think the statistics on those who would like to live in a more diverse community are interesting. Regardless of the differences in percentages, I think it’s important to recognize that overall those percentages are decently high. Yes, the more conservative Republicans were in the low 30%, but generally there was a higher percentage for the remaining groups. Now obviously to rid the country of racial issues it would be important, and necessary, to increase those percentages to something nearing 100%, but I think this shows progress from where we have been to a country with more acceptance of equality. I think it’s inevitable for our country to become a more diverse country as the immigration into the US continues at relatively the same pace as it is currently. I think the video on rap across the world was incredibly interesting. Sam is absolutely correct that it is a genre that has become globalized and that each of the rappers used the same hand motions dressed in similar attire and were most likely rapping about similar ideas. I find it interesting though that American music has infiltrated the world. Artists from here tour Europe, Asia, etc and when I have gone to other countries it was always interesting to see that in music stores the music that was popular here was just as popular in those countries as well. My point is that although genres of music may in themselves be popular in multiple countries, but regardless of the popularity of music made within a certain country, music from America is often just as popular. I just think it’s interesting to see the influence of America, even in something like music, is still quite high throughout the world. Based on the kid’s comment about the double standard that he felt had been discussed regarding American’s not wanting to assimilate into the culture of another country and having that been looked down upon whereas those immigrants who move into the US aren’t expected to learn English. Now granted English isn’t technically our official language we are overall an English speaking country and if you move here you should be expected to assimilate into the American culture and learn to speak English. I think that should occur in any country. If you are interesting in moving to a foreign area you should also be interesting or willing to learn the culture integral to that country and that in itself includes how to speak their language. I found that the statistic of only 1.1% of individuals wanted to live in an all colored neighborhood was actually rather surprising. I think it’s interesting that even people of color say they don’t want to live in a neighborhood of all color. Also, those percentage wanting to live in an all white neighborhood was also relatively low which I think it’s a good sign that move people want to move towards a society that is much more racially diverse Thu, 1 Jul 2010 02:08:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83621307 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81809504 We absolutely still have a long way to go before I think a solid dent is made in racism. Going back to learning about racism though, and the thought that such young children are already facing the backlash of racism, I think it's important for parents of all races to make sure their children don't perpetuate the problem. Kids are so easily influenced when they are young and the fact that the ones in the video have already been faced with racism and have the notion that whites are superior to blacks is just sad. When dealing with kids we absolutely need to be careful that we don’t influence them in a way that just perpetuates the problem of racism. Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:02:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81809504 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81805572 I’ve never really thought about what it would be like to have darker skin, to be black or brown. When you gave your example of the preschooler whose friend said she was dirty it reminded me of a discussion I had in one of my classes about the beginning or introduction of racism into one’s life. I think this is a great example of how racism isn’t likely to be inherent, one isn’t born racist. The little girl’s friend had no idea of what racism is, or that what she was saying would be considered inappropriate. Her words would not seem inappropriate until she was told that what she was saying was inappropriate. Racism is taught, not necessarily by parents but by peers, teachers, and daily interactions. Is the popularity in school that you discussed based solely within racial groups? By that I mean are they considering the popularity of blacks who are smarter within their own racial group? So if we are saying that the higher the grades a black or Hispanic individual gets, the less popular they become within their own racial group, isn’t that in itself racism? To be considered “more white” than your peers shouldn’t be the ultimatum of popularity within a group. If any white group were to be known to do that we would automatically be considered racist, right? Your example of a black individual driving through an area known to be populated with proponents of the KKK and being aware of the danger of the area can just as easily be turned around and used for whites driving through areas of some inner cities. There are areas within the U.S such as Detroit, St. Louis, parts of Philadelphia that as a white female I have most certainly been warned to lock my doors, to not stop and drive right through. So the argument goes both ways. Yes, there are some areas such as in the south where the KKK or proponents of white supremacy are prominent, but there are the same types of areas in the rest of the U.S. where being a white person driving through is just as dangerous. Racism is prevalent across the U.S., across the world as a whole against all races. With the example of Hampton University’s 1st non-black Homecoming Queen is a prime example of how racism goes both way. There always seem to be the focus on white racism against other races, especially those who are black. I can understand how the black girls may have been upset that a white chick has possibly “taken” what they consider to be theirs, but at the same point it’s important to recognize the racial hypocrisy that is occurring. We always focus on the history, and I’m not saying history isn’t important because it has shaped what our country is today and who all of us are, but there comes a point when the history can’t be the main focus on what is happening today. We instead need to focus on today itself and how to progress from where we currently on with our racial issues. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:28:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81805572 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment81133637 I was appalled by the video of the twin girls. It's terrible that parents have the ability to completely isolate their children from diversity and open thinking. I very much believe that children are born open to the idea of anything because they don’t know any better, nor do they do that there are differences between individuals. Parents have the power to transform their child’s opinions and form their ideas about the world. Furthermore, the idea that there are supported white supremist groups is horrible and I think these individuals are completely perpetuating the idea that the white race continues to be racist towards all those not included directly within the white race. It is these extremist groups that are the cause for racism throughout the world to essentially be stalled and incapable to proceed forward. Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:46:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment81133637 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment81132708 First of all, I think the video of the two twins was appalling. Not only was what they were discussing and truly believing to be true completely inappropriate, but what their parents were perpetuating and supporting is outrageous. It seriously bothers me when people think they are inherently better than other people and because of that spread the word of ultimate egotistical thinking. I think it’s often difficult for white people to know when It’s acceptable to refer to someone as ‘black’ because we’re so often criticized by people who are black or other races for stereotyping people for the color of their skin that it’s difficult to know when it’s appropriate to break the barrier and use that term or when it’s ok to use the term and not be looked at with that expression of ‘did you really just call me black’. It may be important to learn the language of race, but I think it’s equally important to people to not be so easily offended by shit. I think that we’re just perpetuating our tendency to call someone ‘racist’ by assuming that when they say something based off color they mean it to be offensive. You had the example of calling a black guy ‘bro’ but there’s no reason to get offended by that if you don’t know the context of what he’s saying. Essentially there nothing offensive about the term ‘bro’ and I think this a where a lot of racists issues stem from—from people (of all races) getting immediately offended without understanding that person or the context within which they are speaking. The color of someone’s skin often comes up in conversation because that is where our country and world is at right now. I don’t think it should necessarily be considered racist if during a story the color of one’s skin comes up. Granted there really is no reason in making it a point to state the race of the person you are discussing, but there should also not be a reason to automatically jump to the conclusion that racism is a part of the discussion Is there such thing as absolute political correctness? Will there ever be a time when there isn’t a person somewhere in the world, or even in a group, that isn’t offended by the way someone says something? I think that inequality is almost impossible to eradicate from our society until people of all races stop becoming immediately offended by the words that others say. I think my frustration begins when people are unwilling to compromise about their way of thinking or who refuse to consider that there may be another, possibly better, way to think about race, to think about other cultural spheres. I think that having open discussions between members of the same race and members of different races will aid in the process of understanding various cultures and races and understanding what is appropriate to say without immediately offending someone. Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:36:05 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment81132708 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80523221 I think there will always be issues with race relations as long as each race is unwilling to get past our own individual ideas about who is racist and who isn't. I really think that it's important to fully understand another culture before judging it. It's easy to compare cultures and respective practices but what is really important and absolutely necessary to accomplish is the act of immersion within another culture and through doing so come to terms with what it means to live within that culture. There will always be differences between races and even within races, but there is nothing inherent within individual races that makes one better than another and I think that's important to remember. Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:41:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80523221 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80522848 It’s never acceptable for white people to talk about what it is like to be white, at least that’s what it feels like as a white female. It’s fairly apparent that the common conception is that whites are frequently judged by what they have to say regarding their opinions not only on races but on being white in general and others are quick to throw out the racism card. On the idea of actually thinking in depth about what it’s like to be white, it’s completely true that prior to this lecture I would never have thought about what it’s like to be white on a daily basis. I mean when I have travelled to other countries it becomes blatantly obvious of what it means to be white and the general life differences that occur from being a white individual. However, once back inside the borders of the U.S. and by living in areas that allow for lacking interacting with other races, it wouldn’t be a common thought to think about what it means to be white. I have never had a conversation with other white friends about what our lives are like because we are white or how our day to day lives are. I think this stems from the fact that it’s so much easier to think about what it is like to be other people instead of actually thinking about what it means to be yourself. It’s easy to judge others and their culture or practices and to attribute them as being abnormal as compared to yourself. But ultimately it’s really interesting to think about going into a situation that is unknown or unfamiliar to someone and to leave questioning oneself instead of judging their culture. I think many of us are in the stage of avoiding racial risks stage. There’s always that awareness of not saying anything that may offend people that are of another race. Especially in the world today where we are very centered/focused on remaining politically correct it has become difficult to say things regarding race other than our own that doesn’t affect or offend someone. I think the whole idea of absolute political correctness is absurd because honestly it’s complete bullshit if white people can’t say certain things regarding other races but it is entirely appropriate for members of those races to call each other the same names or speak in the same manner that they are criticizing white people for. It makes it very difficult to try and understand what is and isn’t considered acceptable if it’s deemed racist for some to say something that is completely kosher amongst the other race. It would be much easier if political correctness across the board was eased up to allow a more candid level of speaking in which every person had the same understanding that the goal was to further communication and to eradicate racism—if that’s even possible. Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:37:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80522848 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79405058 I enjoyed reading your post and I agreed with a lot of what you said. I also lean more towards determinism, because in my opinion I think it's somewhat of a cop-out to say that you can't move up in social structure or live a better life based solely on "strings" you were born with. If you want something badly enough, the strings are truly invisible. Yes, some will remain with you and will be things you lack the capability to change, but on the overall scheme of things, many of those strings become an excuse as to why someone can't do something. Sometimes, the bumps in the road leading to what you want out of life can be difficult to pass, but it is not impossible and people need to realize that. Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:42:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79405058 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79404189 I think the concept of freedom is interesting. When Sam was discussing the ability, or freedom, to scratch a dude’s balls it was interesting to see the differences in reactions between the two guys. In my opinion I feel as though it boils down to what is considered appropriate in individual’s eyes or minds. For the majority of guys I would think that they wouldn’t stick their hands down their pants and scratch when standing in front of a large class because the act of doing so wouldn’t be appropriate for such a setting. I think what Avery did puts him in an extreme group who have a broader idea of what they feel is appropriate. Regardless, all such acts are essentially included in the idea of having freedom and it is something that many American’s take for granted. We as Americans are allotted so much more freedom than much of the world and because it is something we are born with, I think that most of us take such freedom for granted. Not many would actually take the time to consider that in some areas of the world such an act as publically scratching one’s balls would be horrifying to others or even considered a crime. Now that may be an extreme example, but regardless I think it’s important to really think about what freedoms we are born with and how we can go through much of our lives without worrying about what we say or do. At the same time though, I think we are entering an era when people no longer think about how their personal actions may affect others. Yes, it is important to maintain our right to freedom regarding both speech and actions, but at the same time it is still important to think before we act. The rights of freedom that we are granted here in the U.S. shouldn’t also mean that it should be acceptable to consciously and intentionally degrade other people for the sole reason of having the right to speech as you wish. It’s interesting to look at the difference between the ideas of freedom and determinism. I think that the control of power is a combination of the two. Yes, there have been many examples of individuals who have gained power through pure luck and the chance of “being in the right spot at the right time” or “knowing the right people.” At the same time though, much of what it takes to remain in power successfully is skill and knowledge. Because of this I think there is a mix of both freedom and determinism that affects the changing tides and flow of the power structure. Because of the constant change in power (although I suppose at times it doesn’t or may not feel as though to change in power is constantly changing) different individuals or groups of people will fluctuate being at the top of the social structure and being at a mediocre status level. I guess I just find this an interesting aspect of the world and how the power structure is generally impossible to remain at a constant. Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:33:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79404189 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78861263 I completely agree with you on the sports aspect. Hockey is, and will most likely continue, to be a predominately white sport whereas basketball is becoming more and more a sport dominated by blacks. I somewhat disagreed with Sam a little though on his reasoning that blacks aren't necessarily better at basketball than white players though. I think that for some reason blacks are inherently better, for the most part, at basketball and I'm not entirely sure why. Regardless, it is interesting to look at each sport and see what race is found to be "better" at that particular sport. I also see where you are coming from for many children or youth who see what "color" the players are in each sport and who they look the most like. I think when kids are young, many of them follow the trend that their friends are involved in, or participate in activities where they seem to fit it. It's sad, but for now at least I don't see that changing for many kids. Mon, 7 Jun 2010 03:49:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78861263 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78860822 When I first started listening to the lecture I immediately thought that it would be interesting to look at the education level of individuals in relation to their poverty level, especially regarding blacks/Hispanics in comparison to whites/Asians. It would also be interesting to look at geographic areas where those races are the greatest and the corresponding relative population levels and the relative income levels in regards to the standards and costs of living within those areas. If blacks and Hispanics have greater dropout rates and lower levels of education it would make sense that they not only live in greater levels of poverty but don’t make as much money either in comparison to whites and Asians who have shown to have a higher level of education. So as the lecture continued, my initial thought about the dropout rate proved to be true when you put up the slide about completed high school education. So for anyone in the nation today if you don’t complete high school there’s a very small chance that you’ll be successful in life compared to someone who does and completes college. And I think this should make sense. There is absolutely a select few who make it work off little to no education, who have something fall into their lap or start their own business and see it become successful. But the majority of people are going to be required to have substantial education in order to meet the competition level necessary to beat out other individuals in their line of work. It’d be interesting to see a breakdown of the income for immigrants compared to American born citizens for each of the ethnic groups listed on the charts, whites included. I would be curious to see if it’s actually the immigrants who are increasing the average income levels or if it’s really just based upon the groups themselves. It’s not entirely surprising that American Indians are at the bottom of the totem pole for income. I say this based solely on the fact that they have fewer employment options than many other American citizens while living on pre-determined reservations. On the same token, though, these individuals are essentially given housing, to some small extent, so they ironically have a lower “homeless” rating. Moving on to the next topic of the lecture, I think that the status of many, not all but many, begins with the lifestyle they are born into and what their family has to support them. But I think that where most people end up is, to a great extent, due to personal choices, not biology. You can claim that biological differences influence things like laziness or drive but at the end of the day it’s someone choice if they want to do something to better their life. Mon, 7 Jun 2010 03:43:25 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78860822 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78155085 I was appalled by the video of the children in the extremist Christian camp, but I am also appalled seeing Iraqi children holding weapons and being trained to fight in the militia. As much as I disagree with the violence that is running rampant in some of these countries, I think it's important for people in all religions to remember that there are extremists in every religion and that no religion is inherently better than another. I can't stand it when a member of one religion degrades the religion of another. I think this type of behavior just perpetuates violent activity and people continue to wonder why members of the opposite religion become offended when their own religion is declared as wrong or they are attempted to be converted by persistent missionaries. If people wish to spread the word about their religion that is their choice, but without being fully informed about others religions prior to demanding them to convert to say, Christianity, for example, is ridiculous. No person's religions is better than another. At the end of the day most people want the same thing: the believe in their religion freely and to have the right to worship their god the way their religion intends for them to. Wed, 2 Jun 2010 03:57:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78155085 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78152495 I think that it’s easy to think your own culture is “better” than other cultures because that is what is comfortable and what makes sense about the way of life. However, I do think it’s important to understand the complexity and importance of other cultures. Language plays an important role in culture and the specific way that people describe or discuss things within their culture are unique to those within that culture. I think that Sam’s example of the bullfight is a great way to explore the various differences between multiple cultures. Many people who are against animal cruelty or hunting possibly would be likely to hate the concept of bullfighting, but for those who grew up with bullfighting as common place would find nothing out of the ordinary in the fight. It is these unique practices within cultures that make them so interesting and although customs such as these may not make sense to everything I think it is important to fully explore and make an honest attempt to understand or gain perspective on why it is these other cultures practice the customs that they do. I think it’s very interesting to actually consider the fact that Anglo-Saxons tend to forgo naming their children after God or Jesus, when it is such a common practice in other regions of the world. I was speaking with a friend about this prior to moving onto the next lecture and I asked her opinion on the topic. She stated that she feels it is due to Anglo-Saxons being predominately Christian and many could feel as though people would feel that it would be presumptuous to name a child Jesus. We have no other clearly defined reference to Jesus in any other fashion so to name a child that would be inappropriate. We talked further on the issue and although she is not entirely sold on her idea, and nor am I, it would be interesting to discuss it further with someone of another culture, say a family from Mexico, and determine their reasoning. We both feel it may have something to do with honor, but are honestly unsure. The culture of Arabs and Muslims is honestly one that I am least knowledgeable about. Yes, I know the basics to their culture, the ones that are common knowledge, but overall I have never gone in depth with becoming knowledgeable about their customs, which is something that I hope to do in the future. For much of our society today, it would be hard to envision Iraq as anything aside from what we see in the media today. The pictures Sam showed did show a better side of Iraq that few people have the privilege to see, but without showing those to every single person who has a negative impression of Iraq, it won’t sink in that not all Iraqis are violent, that they can and are in fact very similar to Americans, albeit with different traditions and customs. Now I certainly can’t say that I don’t often think more critically of Iraq than positively and I feel as though the perpetual negative images that are constantly presented don’t help. However, it’s not that I don’t believe there are a countless number of individuals in Iraq that are inherently good and are quite similar to Americans such as myself; it’s just a little disheartening to see and hear of the constant violence present both within the country and by individuals from Iraq as well as other Middle Eastern countries. The sight of the Muslim children with guns, fighting in the militia, is terrifying. Now, there are absolutely other countries in the world that exhibit the same violence and who use children as fighters within their militia, but currently those countries are not the greater threat to our country, and that in itself is what makes the images shown during that video quite terrifying. Wed, 2 Jun 2010 03:30:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78152495 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment77259667 I was also interested in seeing the lack of students who had actively responded to Richard's remark on cell phones being made by slaves, especially when the topic was first brought up, the were gasps and verbal responses from many students. At the same time, though, I was appalled by the concept, yet did nothing to actively pursue a change. It is very easy to formulate personal opinions on a topic and to become vary passionate regarding that opinion. Few people though actually pursue a path that will effect or initiate change. I think that's also why I have an issue with race being so inaccurately defined. How can it be so widely accepted that race can be depicted and defined into simple definitions of white, black, asian,etc? I think we have come to a point in the transformation of the world that when defining something as broad as race that there should be a way to incorporate mixed races and individuals who identify outside of the generic white, black, asian, etc. Wed, 26 May 2010 23:33:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment77259667 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment77258392 I think its important to remember that it is within a person’s innate being to fight with others. Regardless of whether individuals look different from one another or not, there will always be disagreements both within and between individual cultures. Even if people get along and claim to like one another, fighting will occur, and I think that it is important that race tends to be irrelevant with situation such as these. It’s natural to differentiate people by the color of their skin because that in itself makes us different, at first glance at least. Whether or not you look different from someone does not matter if your culture is different. Everyone as a whole needs to become more accepting of varying cultures and their individual beliefs. It is, however, interesting to look at some of the early differentiations between people and the way individuals were characterized early on based on common misconceptions regarding individual “race’s” cultures. I feel as though slavery will continue to exist as long as the world has an elitist group. When people feel like they are above others, those “below” them will be used for the sole benefit of those who characterize themselves as elite. I think the world will be hard pressed to completely end slavery because elitist groups are formed when there is an unequal distribution of wealth and I don’t feel as though the distribution will ever be equal. Continuing discussing slavery and the fact that people will continue to use others if they have the means to, it’s easy to ascertain a personal opinion that slavery is bad and should be stopped (if that’s your opinion) but it’s easy to have opinions on certain concepts. It’s much harder, though, to actually act upon one’s opinions. You bring up Haiti as an area that the wealth distribution between them and the United States becomes extremely evident. I agree that we should all feel grateful for the lives we live here in America, but that feeling of sorrow must infiltrate past common emotions and become incorporated into the actions of our every day lives before any advancement in ending slavery and or even discrimination can occur. Onto a new concept, I completely disagree with the idea that many people have that everyone within a specific culture looks the same. I personally don’t look at a group of Orientals and think they all look the same. Nor do I look at a group of black people and think they all look the same. Each person has individual differences and it’s just something that I have never understood. I once spoke to a lady from China who claimed that all white people look the same and I was unsure of how she thought that. Especially white people from all over the world. We have different color hair, different eyes, different heights, weights, etc. Is it really that difficult to see even the slightest difference? Perhaps it’s because I tend to be rather observant of minute details on individuals and I truly feel that more people should look at the many differences people have before claiming that people of a certain colors are the same. Yes, there are people who can have very similar features and you may have to take a second glance to distinguish the differences but they are there and people should stop to think about that before quickly grouping individuals together. I do, however, see what you are saying about the subtle differences between relatively located countries like Czech and Poland that may take a significant amount of time to determine the differences, much the same as it would take time to determine the variation in facial features of individuals living in multiple Oriental countries or African countries. I find it very interesting to note the differences, subtle or not, between different regions of the world and within each continent. Furthermore, the picture of the four young individuals sitting together was very intriguing because it showed just how difficult it is to specifically distinguish between races. Many people are in fact a mixture of many races from a multitude of areas in the world and I think we all must be aware of coming to rash conclusions about someone’s origin based on their immediate physical features. It was really interesting to see what everyone in the class thought and the variation in answers from person to person. It was also fascinating to watch the eclectic group of students who were pulled from the class. I found it incredible to see how even people who appear to have similar features such as skin color could have backgrounds from across the world. The question was then asked ‘why do white people tan?’ Being a white female I feel that for many women it is because it is often thought to be unattractive to be exceptionally pale. Often having white skin is felt to be unattractive when the skin becomes pasty white. Overall though I think it’s very interesting to talk about individuals with black skin who use whitening cream and white individuals who use tanning beds to darken their skin. Few people are completely content in their “own skin”. There is such a push to be different than what you are and to make yourself into what is seen in the media. Whether white or black, many people want what other individuals have and desire the have their personal traits modified to fit the mold of what is deemed acceptable and of greater popularity in society. Wed, 26 May 2010 23:22:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment77258392