en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/764160 Comments by JusticeBurn https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69962893 Damn, that hit hard. He seems like a wise man. I wasent surprised at the fact that he didnt graduate from high school, my dad is the same, very articulate and intellegent. What struck the most was the acts of kindness the man spoke about, just listening to someones day even though yours sucks the same, and then the thing about giving up your phone time to speak to your daughter on her birthday. What things we take for granted as people who can live freely, not having to worry about calling your mom for mothers day, or having alot of family birthdays in one month and not being able to call all of them because your talk time is restricted....wow. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:17:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69962893 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69961898 I think that your right, of course in an ideal world people want to do things the right way and legally, but the hard truth is that thats not always possible. Another truth is that money is the reason for almost every problem in the world one way or the other. Of course people with a lot of money will be more privilaged, they can go to better schools, and obtain citizenship easier, and not have to worry about the nutritional hardships that come with poverty. So sometimes, in order to have a better life for yourself and your family (which everybody wants) people must do things against the rules, sometimes it is just and sometimes it isnt, but that is just the world that we live in. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:09:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69961898 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69961083 I've seen the old episode of this show and I didnt really realize anything about it. I mean I was probably 15 or 16 years old. They completley blocked out the view of Mohammed and i didnt understand why. They tried to make the point at the end of the episode that he was displayed as "just a regular guy" with nothing offensive about it. Now i can take it into context. South Park is a ridiculously offensive show to the people its poking fun at, but funny as hell to us viewers. So if we view in the way Sam suggested, as Muslims looking at American culture, i can completley understand the reason for anger. Their laughing and making jokes about their god. Although South Park does make jokes all the time about Jesus, religious tolerance is different in other parts of the world and we need to realize that. Theres a huge difference between poking fun at Tiger Woods and poking fun at the god of another people. But it goes both ways. Every other race is made fun of in the show. Jews are CONSTANTLY bashed every episode, and Mohammed wasent spoke about a fraction as much. The point of the show is to bring up issues that have become taboo in todays society. They have made fun of OJ, Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, even the president.. Perhaps the tolerance level needs to be raised. When I first viewed this the only thing that i could think of was the picture of the kids holding guns. Same stressed that this is what we see as Americans when really this is just a group of radicals, but since they are radical, they are showed more. So muslim groups get mad when this show is just, metaphorically of course, a group of radical kids. They do not reflect all of what America is, just let them be. I cant tell another group to accept the joke that is being made of their god because thats absurd. Im just 50-50 on the entire issue. I understand why Muslim groups would be upset, however, its not as if they are being disrespected in the way other groups are, or have been on the same show. But they cant see that, thers no way that every muslim has watched every episode of South Park to compare. Mulsims are not being specifically targeted, they are not the only ones who are joked about. The radical groups that are threatening to kill the writers, are very similar to the one kid in the group who cant take a joke. I am not trying to disrespect Muslims in any way, however, it sounds like high school issues making a return to the real world. Thats not funny so im gonna kill you for it is definatley not the way to go. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:01:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69961083 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68328800 I think we all have ways of wanting to fit in. Sam was saying that everyone in the class in someway or another is not completley dressing in a way that they want without influence. I thought i didnt really care what anyone thought of what i wore, and i was right for the most part. But then i took into account the jewelery and the sneakers i was wearing. My dad had earrings so i wanted them when i was little, same thing with my braclet and my watch, ive just wanted to be like my father from a young age and that may have transitioned into my style and where i "fit in" looks wise. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:50:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68328800 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68328055 I would avenge the death of my mother or sibling. Im not sure that i would go so far as to become a suicide bomber, but i would do it none the less. I want the peace of mind and i guess revenge iknowing that the person who did this to my family member was treated with Justice. Once again, this is another country in which they have a different norm. However no matter how different things are suicide bombing cannot be one of them. I never thought of the OTHER purposes of suicide bombing, and now, i definatley have switched lenses on the topic. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:41:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68328055 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68327297 FIRST OFF. That video was amazing. Class was great today. Another productive day in the front row. Sam told us all that we were going to have another good class but i didnt even realize that it would be like this. There have been times in class where I hear Sam speak and then just block him out when I think hes full of it. Dont get me wrong, i was definately doing some of that today, however there was a lot of productive thought this time too. I feel like the class that Sam showed in the clip was a little more powerful then the one We were in, but it hit hard none the less. I cant put myself completley in the shoes of an Iraqi because, well, im not one. Im an American with a westernized view on many things. But, when Sam spoke about the way things look to us as we view Iraqi culture, and then flipping the entire picture, it kinda made sense. Of course there are radicals everywhere in the world. Its like having that stupid friend, you dont want them to speak up if your trying to make an impression and if they do thats a false representation of who you are. So If American soliders are trying to calm fighting and get troops out, but then one tortures an iraqi solider who killed a squadmate, the Iraqis will see this and think that all Americans are like the violence. The same is vice versa. Sam made the point when he said that we only see kids with guns because thats all we are shown. Thats how we have it burned in our minds that all Iraqi culture is just like that. The only times where i completely tune out Sam are when he goes into his "holier than thou" modes. I just dont like his constant assumption of our ignorance. I cant tell you how many times i counted today him saying " but most of you wouldnt know that" followed by "but i do because i have friends who blah blah blah" I just hate that in all classes. Some people do know what your talking about, not everyone here is white and racially brain dead. I saw a lot of Christians who were upset with todays class. I kind of understood, Sams class today, in a way, portrayed Christians as this evil thing. I mean i definatley am opened up to the other side of things, but in my religion i do believe that my god is the almighty, and that he is mightier than all other. Im not a radicalist, and i thought that the peoples words in the video were not completley translated correctly and i think that some things they said may have been taken out of context. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:32:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68327297 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66860733 A lot of the things that Sam said in class dont really hit me that hard. I know alot of the facts from where i grew up. The school he showed in the video that was "poor" looked exactly like the high school i attended in Brooklyn. I spanish and white so i know about both worlds and cultures, and ive been around people of color my whole life. However, when Sam speaks on the studies that have been done, I am deeply moved. The study with the baby dolls is amazing. The chocolate lecture hit hard knowing all of the things that slave labor helps to produce. He definatley made me think, im not sure if my mind is changed so much. But i have 100% benefited and learned from this class. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 19:39:26 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66860733 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment66859917 I think that removing the welfare system would be both good and bad. On the positive note, it would eliminate the problem of people that abuse the system, thinking that having a kid is just one check per month and the more children then the more checks would come in. However there is another perspective. If you take away the welfare system the people that genuinley need it may fall off the map. Without some sort of income people will die. That would definaltey increase the problem we face as Americans, both looking at it from a moral standpoint, and an economic one. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 19:33:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment66859917 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66857747 Although strongly against these video games and their emergence into culture. I too am sadly not surprised. Along with violence fueling the game industry, sex does as well. In almost every successful video game, the heroine or damsel in distress is always wearing next to nothing with greatly exaggerated physical features. This sells games. Thats the reason it happens. Sex and violence sells. Thats why no one wants to buy educational games. It sounds horrible but its a real view. Every game of the year award winner has either been successful because of violence and sex appeal. God Of War is a game based around greek mythology where the main character is an edgy and vicious warrior who goes around killing gods and claiming naked women ( in game). This game has just released its 3rd version, so people must be buying it. I mean there are two ways to look at it. The first is to view it with our culture and denounce it completely, and the second is to actually wonder why this comes about. Japan was voted the most sexually driven culture in this past decade. The sexual norm and acceptances are way different from those in America. So yes, the point of these video games are horrible. However, it is more accepted in Japanese society to see these things. I just find it upsetting that we are not upset at all the other kinds of things that are found in these games. I myself love video games. They're my passion, but I know when a game goes to far. I dont play grand theft auto for those reasons. What satisfaction do you get from blowing up ambulances, picking up a hooker, having sex with her, and then killing her to get your money in the digital world even? People see video games as an escape. I feel the same way, i can relieve stress and have a fun time. Most of the time that involves shooting "bad guys" or playing my favorite song. I dont ever have the urge to go and rape someone, and i dont have the urge to kill a hooker. So why would i need to release that? People have different fantasies and perhaps in Japanese culture rape is one of them. Games that are directly imported from Japan are noticabley different than that of American made games. Games like Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive are full of female characters with abnormally large breasts that feel the need to jump and fight and hop even when theyre standing still.But when you look at an American game you could see considerably more violence. Its a double edged sword, its not fair to try and judge which is sharper. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 19:19:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66857747 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63104127 This is what i did my initial response on. However I think that usually when people are asked what they are, "the minority is the majority" Im half white and half puerto rican like the subject of the video. From what I have seen in the media, from celebrities and political figures, more often then not, you will be categorized into the minority. I wish i could find where this stemmed from so that i could learn if there was a history of hate involved. For example, in the holocaust people were considered Jews even if they were a little Jewish. So maybe these two have a connection? Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:32:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63104127 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63102129 That thought had never even crossed my mind. It was clearly noticeable that when white people said rude things many times it was ignorant or "offensive" when people of color said things they usually were talking about neighborhoods or other jokes that some would not find "offensive" however, the real point is. We CANT know who wrote what. sure the question was intended for one group but whos to say that someone else didnt just answer themselves? How do you know that the comments you were reading actually came from the groups you believe them to be from? The truth is, we really cant. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:23:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63102129 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63099165 I completley understand the reason for guilt. However I don't really know how I feel about the application of it. I myself am mixed. I'm German and Irish from my mother and Puerto Rican from my father. My girlfriend is always trying to assume my roster on the "white team" but I don't agree. I am in no way ashamed or down playing my ethnicity, however, the way I was raised, and the place I was raised account a great deal for how I veiw the world. I play for the "black and brown team" as Sam calls it. I made the point the other day when I was told that I'm white so I should answer the question presented to the class. I looked at the person and said what do you call Obama? Black or white? They responded black and It seemed as if black was the "majority" no matter how small in determining what to label a person as. I said if that's the case than I'm a person of color. I'm half Spanish and Obama is mixed so I should be in the same boat. I don't know which team a mixed person plays for. I've grown up around both types of people. I was born in State College and when I was very young I moved to Brooklyn. I've went back and forth to visit family hundreds of times and am equally as comfotable in both settings. I'm not saying I'm oblivious to the obvious differences of both cultures, I'm saying that what does it all matter. I don't feel "white guilt" I am deeply disturbed and against the way my ancestors have treated the. Native people of this land, and every other group of people unlike then, including the ancestors of my other half. However my generation did not cause that, we did not choose to be born where and from whom, we just were. Our job is to try to end all the struggle and bad blood between each other. How much longer can we see color ? We all need to take seats at the race table and be unafraid of political correctness, or saying something "wrong" we need to all engage and finish the quarrel. People shouldn't have to feel that one group naturally will not like them. It is SO much more complex than all of that. Take into account peoples living situations, their familes, their environment. Why is it that we must include color with everything? Why when people tell stories do we feel the need to involve racial details that are obviously unnecessary. What does it matter to me if some "black dude" told you to shut up or "some dude" told you to shut up? Either way, you got told. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:15:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63099165 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61754509 Wow i didnt even think of that on my first read through. This is nuts that they are trying to control students in this way. I mean, prom is the last thing you do before graduation and college and this is the example that we want to give to kids as we send them out into the real world? really? I hope that orginizations end of giving the kids a prom because im sure they deserve it no matter the sexual orientation of some of the students. I know how much it sucked not to have a prom but i can only imagine how hard it would be to have been denied one because of who I am as a person. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:04:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61754509 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-world-is-full-of-surprises__trashed/#IDComment61754131 I agree. I dont think that it is hard to believe at all that this is what these people are. I think that it gets lost in the article that these people did not just come out and reveal that they were Jewish. People just came upon the tribe and realized. People in society commonly associate being Jewish with being white, when in reality the two arent connected. That is why it is such a shocking thing for people to see "Black jews". I only wish i was as fortunate as you and could meet an African Jew and learn about what they have to say about this article. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:01:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-world-is-full-of-surprises__trashed/#IDComment61754131 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61752907 It is things like these that make us question how free we actually are in this country. I feel that as a country, we can never truly be "at peace" unless we have someone to hate. From the beginning of civilization there was always instances of hate. We hated the Native Americans and ruined their land and lives. We hated the slaves that came over in the slave trade. When they were no longer slaves we hated all blacks or even dark skinned people. After the civil rights movement we hated Japanese and Vietnamese in the war. After September 11th we hated people of Middle Eastern decent. Now we hate gays lesbians and trans-genders because, "they are not like us." Many people believe that racism and discrimination can only happen between races. But believe it that what has happened in Mississippi is blatent discrimination. A school shut down an entire prom because a woman wanted to go with another woman. This story was actually pretty funny to hear because I inquired this the other day. I wanted to crash my cousins prom and chill with everyone i knew from the school but i didnt have someone who went to the school that I could go with. I made a joke and said that I should go with him, but then i wondered. Would the school even allow it. I mean i figured BY LAW that you have to, it seems way too unjust to deny someone the right to go with a same sex partner. And even though my comment was intended as a joke, it really sparked my thinking. Now seeing this I was shocked that not only was she denied the RIGHT to go with her partner, but the whole prom was shut down because of it. Perhaps in fear that the two girls would just go and act as if they had went together. That is genuinley absurd. I didnt have a prom of my own due to a low class size, and an extremely low graduation rate. ( we graduated 42 kids) However, there were a number of openly gay and lesbian students at school that surely would NOT have been denied the right to attend together. My school was extremely supportive on gay rights. We had gay teachers, and many assemblies to make sure everyone realized that this is a human right and even if we didnt agree we had to accept the fact that this is how the students were. But i do see the point the teacher made in saying "look where we are" I would expect a place like that to have very little tolerance for sexual freedom due to its traditional down south method of reasoning and problem solving. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:51:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61752907 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/a-long-long-way-indeed__trashed/#IDComment59989847 I think that they would be upset. I dont agree exactly with the surprised point of view only because slave owners knew that slaves could learn, they just tried to opress them so that they wouldnt and gain knowledge that could lead to escape and realization of all the unfiar treatment. They would know that people of color are strong and capable and talented but they wouldnt want to see that due to their history of discrimination and enslavement. I think that times were so different that slave owners would even be angered with people who are white and try to "act black" i mean, imagine if he saw an Eminem video? (Who is a complete genius) Sat, 6 Mar 2010 04:30:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/a-long-long-way-indeed__trashed/#IDComment59989847 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59988787 I think I'd have to play both sides of this argument. On one hand, hes right, white American players are diminishing from the NBA. There was a documentary on sports center showing just how much that the number of white players has decreased. However, i think its amazingly racist for someone to create an "all white basketball league" It is not a business strategy, it is a mind set that is completley skewed, White people just need to work harder. Race does not make you a better basketball player, the amount of time you spend playing and practicing the game does. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 04:19:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59988787 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59987273 The sad thing is, this isn't the first time I’ve heard about Abercrombie & Fitches policy. I just find it unbelievably ridiculous that there would be a policy that tells you what you can and cannot wear even when your clothing is religiously mandated. This shows how far society has actually come. We haven’t gone that far if we still are telling people that they cannot do something because they look differently. I have read that A & F discriminate and only put the white, blond hair, blue eyed people to walk around the store floor, while making the people of color work the stock rooms in the back. As much as some people hate to see this happening, you can’t deny the fact that it is everywhere. Companies will always try and twist or bend the truth so that they seem justified in their actions. When you promote an image as a company- the seemingly preppy one that A & F seems to try and create- it is unfair to be told that you are unable to work in an establishment due to your attire, and evern worse your religious articles. How could you even hire this woman in the first place if you knew that you would fire her because of her head scarf? Another question that I have is why hasn’t anyone else spoken out? It’s like that experiment that Sam showed in class in which the lady was denied service because she "looked like a terrorist." Then the people were recorded on what they did. That’s most likely what has happened here, our society has made the image of a head scarf synonymous with the idea of terrorism. If more people took a stand for this injustice instead of saying "it's not my space" or "it's not my problem" we would have a completely different society. However, the way that things are going I don’t think we can ever ask for that much. Although we are different in appearance here we are Americans. This is why we should be obligated to help another American against injustice. I think that more needs to be done. How many episodes of injustice will it take before people realize that there is a problem? What if a person of color or a company that portrays an image of color denied a white person working right because of their religion? I'm sure that there would be a substantially larger reaction to the act than that of the denial of colored people. This act of racism and religious intolerance is reminiscent of the civil rights movement. "WHITES ONLY" signs are just as hurting as being fired for your religious attire and this needs to be stopped. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 04:08:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59987273 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58920318 I believe that we should change the education, I remember learning about "indians" in 1st grade. It was what i learned about them that was wrong. I learned that they were happy with pilgrims and settlers and they helped them grow food and live together. Bullshit. We were brainwashed from an early age that Native Americans are a people who were here before us. Then we got here, they "helped us" and taught us a bunch of stuff, and then what? they dissapeared? We should ask children why they dont see many "indians" anymore. Im sure that they would have a hard time answering that one. We need to start the CORRECT education. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:53:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58920318 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/when-do-we-do-or-say-something__trashed/#IDComment58919717 I think its all about your environment. I agree with WIll and i think that it should always be "our place" if their is injustice. This study very obviously did not take place in an urban environment. I think that if it did the numbers would have been extremely different. If the study would have been in a big city like New York or Los Angeles, then many more people would have stood up and said something. Though cities are seen as violent, since everyone is always so close to each other people will stick together. If that woman was in a store and the man was saying those things in a store in the city, there would have been an even more extreme result. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:47:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/when-do-we-do-or-say-something__trashed/#IDComment58919717