en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/769290 Comments by LME132 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68362640 It made me realize that for women, the grass is always greener on the other side. If you have large breasts, you want smaller ones. If you have small breasts, you want larger ones. If your butt is too flat, you want to make it rounder. If your butt is too round, you want to flatten it. If your legs are too long, you want them to be shorter. If your legs are short, you desperately want them to be longer. I literally could go on and on forever. Bottom line: women, myself included, should really start appreciating themselves for who they are, no matter is anyone else likes it or not. We don’t need approval from others to be happy. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:03:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68362640 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68362612 A lot of my friends from home ask me why I don’t have a boyfriend here at Penn State, and I simply reply that I don’t look like all of the other girls. Most Penn State men do choose women who fit the stereotype that I described above. If often wonder…when do the rest of us get noticed? My mom always says, “Oh, honey, you’re the type of girl every man wants to marry.” Well, that’s nice and all, but what if I don’t want to wait until I’m 40 to find someone?! I just find the whole situation unfair, and I’m sure there are other girls out there who feel the same way I have always felt. This leads me into the play we got to see on Tuesday about ethnocentrism. At first, I was totally confused of what was going on, but then it all sunk into me. I didn’t understand what was happening at first because I thought it was odd for a woman to want smaller breasts, because like Dr. Mulvey mentioned, all girls today do their best to have as much cleavage showing as possible. The play opened my eyes to a culture where small, flat-chested women are the ideal instead of busty Pamela Anderson look-a-likes. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:03:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68362612 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68362545 Regarding this video comment posted, it is really refreshing to see a female actually saying this out loud to reaffirm our beliefs. The girl in this video was talking about reminding females that we are all beautiful, inside and out, no matter what we look like. Personally, I feel that this concept is nice to hear, yet I never really believe it myself. With the media the way it is now, how could I? No wonder so many women have eating disorders and are not satisfied with themselves…we have to live up to a certain image that men will find to be attractive. I know that some guys have certain “types”, and some actually are attracted to girls who do not look like the norm, but most guys that I know like the typical bombshell—tall, thin, blonde/brunette, large breasts, large butt, tiny waist, big lips, large eyes, and long legs. This is why most of the time I feel like I do not measure up to the standard that women must meet today. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:03:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68362545 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66665620 The question of global availability comes into play…should there be more regulation?...should there be more wholesome video games created? Personally, I feel that video games displaying sexual torture, rape, stalking, and violence should either be banned or never made in the first place. I find it very amusing that Japan would not make any kind of statement to CNN, only that the government realizes that these games are a problem and they are checking to see if the game industry is self-policing itself. Obviously, this is not working. I feel that more attention should be paid to the regulation of the ideas that video game creators have, so that these crude video games would not even have a chance to be put on the shelves in the first place. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 22:27:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66665620 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66665524 In one of the more famous hentai video games, “Rape Lay”, players can grope and even lift up the skirt of the female character, her mother, or her sister. Also, repeated rape of the characters is commonplace, too. This is just absolutely ridiculous to me, because in the United States these situations are exactly what boys and men are taught NOT to do. Men are taught to respect women and not touch females inappropriately. Yet in Japan, this is what boys and men are being taught to do?! Absurd. Rightly so, these video games have infuriated women’s rights groups due to the extreme amount of sexual violence shown, especially rape. I am very happy about the fact that “Rape Lay”, as well as other vulgar video games, have been taken off the shelves in Tokyo, Japan. But, now it is still available to the entire world…people of all ages can download the game and play it in the privacy of their own home. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 22:26:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66665524 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66665467 In response to this video, all I have to say is..."wow". Like many other people have written, it is absolutely shocking to see how far the production of video games has gone in today's world. I thought the United States was bad enough, but I think Japan has really gone too far. I know they have always been known for their video games and animation, but this recent culture of hentai games is appauling. In these games, violence against women is featured, such as rape, torture, and bondage. I find the object of the games, revenge, to be disturbing, also. It also surprised me how CNN could not even show full clips of the hentai games, because in the United States, they are considered to be "pornographic". The hentai games then go global, since once they are advertised in Tokyo, Japan, they are then digitized and put online for the whole world to see...meaning, even innocent, little children could be exposed to these games and brainwashed. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 22:26:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66665467 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678224 . It will be hard to get used to being in a minority, but it must be done because the situation is inevitable. I am extremely interested to see how people will be treated in their different races once the changes take place. Will whites still be treated well when they are the minority? Will the Asians, African Americans, and Hispanics be treated with more respect as the majority? The future will tell us soon enough and we will be able to see where the transformation is going to take us and how the world will be run and managed. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 01:30:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678224 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678105 A fact that I found to be really interesting is: “The Census Bureau estimates that minorities will constitute a majority of the nation’s overall population in about three decades and a majority of Americans under age 18 in about one decade.” This fact strikes me because it’s shocking to realize how soon everything will be changing in the world. People get so used to the same things and familiarity that large changes take time to adjust to. At the same time, having a mixture of races can be a good thing and a positive change to the United States and can promote more bonding and less segregation among all of the races. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 01:29:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678105 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678077 Take Penn State for example...I'm very used to walking across campus every day and being in a sea of white faces. It becomes almost a comfort level for me to be in such familiar surroundings, since I also come from a very small town with mostly all white people. At times I do wish that the Penn State University Park campus was more diverse, just so that I could feel like I was growing more culturally. It makes me wonder if once white people become the minority, will we be treated as other minorities are treated presently? Everyone, no matter what color, deserves to be respected, and it scares me to think that in 2050, the white population could be treated as though they are lesser than everyone else just because they will be the minority. It comes down to the fact that people are not 100% comfortable in situations, unless they have familiar people and surroundings around. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 01:29:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678077 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678048 Personally, I really enjoyed reading the article, "Births to Minorities are Approaching Majority in U.S.". While I'm not surprised by the facts stated in the article, I think that it's very eye-opening to have the cold, hard truth about the transformation that the United States is currently going through and will be going through over the next several decades. As a white woman, I find it to be honestly terrifying that by 2050, the white population will mostly likely be the minority. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 01:29:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65678048 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64082149 I find it very ironic that Laurie was in a play performing and talking about "bleeding" so soon after Tuesday's interesting class where this controversial topic was first brought up. I'm not sure if Laurie was just performing a piece from someone else in the play or if she was actually talking about her life story, but regardless, this video was extremely interesting. I liked how the piece was real and honest about what it is like to be a woman and the monthly burden we have to suffer. Laurie's performance opened up my eyes to the fact that many women, including myself, tend to ignore our periods, try to hide them, or not talk about them altogether when it's "our time of the month". Therefore, I'm almost happy that Sam brought up the topic of periods, or "bleeding" as he called it. I do feel that this topic came out of nowhere and was probably unnecessary to talk about, but at least men can be reminded that periods do still exist. I know men do not want to hear about women having their periods because it's "gross" and doesn't concern them so to speak; but if they ever want to have children someday with whomever their wives end up to be, they need to at least become aware of the fact that without periods, there would be no children. I feel that the way most of the men reacted to Sam's comment on Tuesday about how he won't let Laurie flush the toilet when she gets her period because he wants to see her "work of art" first was totally understandable. I really think that Sam could have referred to it in a better, more professional way like a menstrual period, instead of "bleeding", and perhaps not have divulged so much detail of how he feels about his wife's menstrual cycle. This I felt was just crossing the line a bit too much, and instead of educating us about the natural occurrence of menstrual cycles, I think that too much graphic detail was given that most of us did not need to know. However, I do really appreciate how Sam was just trying to make a point that having a menstrual period is just like any other bodily function, like going to the bathroom or sweating and it shouldn't be shunned so much. He was trying to get us to think outside of the box, which is great, but I believe that it was just approached in the wrong way. For the future though, it would be nice if the world could become a more open place and men could feel more at ease with the topic of women and their monthly visitors. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:26:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64082149 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080701 PART 4: This is because we are constantly separating ourselves and almost forced to segregate when it comes to answering questions or enforcing our input. This whole text message system could be a wonderful learning experience for all of us, but since most people cannot take it seriously and are being "sophomoric" as Sam would say, it's almost ruined, because it's risky to have open-ended questions proposed to us anymore. Instead, we get stuck with multiple choice questions that do not force us to think as much. When are we going to grow up and act like the mature adults that we're supposed to be? We are missing out on many useful opportunities! Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:20:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080701 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080668 PART 3: . I cannot believe that we are in SOC 119, a Race and Ethnic Relations class, and there are still cases of racism that are evident. Yet, in my opinion, I do not feel like Sam does a good job of promoting equality in class. For this text messaging system, he's mentioned "white people", "brown people", and "black people" multiple times...almost forcing everyone to separate and answer in their own little segregated groups. I'm a little disappointed in what I've been getting out of this class honestly. I thought I'd be learning to become more open-minded towards people of a different color, yet I find myself becoming more close-minded and almost intimidated by people of a different color. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:20:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080668 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080550 PART 2: When the text message about "loud black girls in the computer lab" popped up, the entire population of black people in the class almost gasped in horror. Yet, when the text messages about white people being "sorority sluts" and "benchwarmers", the entire population of white people in the class remained silent (brooding in their heads though). Being a white female, I can speak on behalf of white people and confirm the fact that we are afraid to speak up for ourselves when it comes to race issues, even if we are being called derogatory terms. It is just easier in my opinion to sit back and let it slide, than to incite a fight that will never get resolved. I feel like the race debate will never end at this rate. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:19:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080550 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080505 PART 1: In response to "LyndsieS", I could not agree with her more! I think that the question posed by the student in this video is a thought-provoking one and I'm glad that he brought this uncomfortable topic up because it needs to be addressed. I believe that the rudeness is present in both black and white people. The only difference is that some black people tend to pull the race card, while white people do not have the advantage of pulling any kind of race card so to speak. Both parties (black and white) are in the wrong for using such derogatory terms in the text message system that is supposed to be a learning tool. While it is very insensitive to text about "loud black girls in computer labs", it is equally offensive to mention "sorority sluts" and "benchwarmers" in reference to white people. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:18:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63080505 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58916047 I really find this view on the ever popular race question to be extremely interesting. Too often we tend to focus upon the actions of White people and not enough on the actions of African American people and their viewpoints on things. In my opinion, I also would agree with the post from "EmilyButzner" in the fact that an African American would be more likely to choose another African American in an interview; and a White person would be more likely to choose another White person in an interview. Unless the African American or White person is very concerned with remaining politically correct, I think that all people would rather surround themselves with people that are similar to them (race, ethnicity, likes, dislikes, etc.). There may be a special case of an African American choosing a White person or a White person choosing an African American person, but I believe that the majority of people would choose the applicant based on how similar they are to them. Yet, race should not be the end all and be all deciding factor. I think that the average person realizes that the skills and qualities that one posesses are what should matter most in an interview. Therefore, if an African American is interviewing an unqualified African American and a qualified White candidate, chances are the African American interviewer would still choose the qualified White person over the unqualified African American, even though they are of a different race. Focusing on hiring a qualified person is much more important than focusing on hiring someone of the same race because it can either positively or negatively affect the success of your business. For a business to thrive, you need quick, intelligent, knowledgeable employees (no matter what color they are). A business can fail fast if the workers are lazy, unmotivated, and unqualified (even if the boss feels at ease with having employees all the same color as him or her.) Because, at that point, color doesn't matter. Rather, the overall well-being of the business matters. The whole atmosphere at a business should be as diverse as possible. In this day and age, we should be more focused on integrating instead of segregating. By African Americans picking White employees and by White people picking African American employees, we can further break down the stereotype that everyone is racist. And if someone wants to hire someone else of a different color, they should be respected in their decision and not judged for it. Obviously, the person did what they felt was right in their mind. They didn't do it to please others or to prove a point, they hired someone different to start opening up the minds of others. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:12:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58916047 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56576286 Along with everyone else, I also found this article and video to be very sad, but at the same time, I found them to be very eye-opening. It makes me think about our society and the English language. Unless we're learning a foreign language, we often don't think about how complex the English language really is. With all of the modern technology that now exists, it worries me that one day we will not longer speak, think, or write in full words or complete sentences. For example, I'm very used to texting as one of my main forms of communication. Honestly, texting is doing nothing helpful for our society except making us lose the importance of face-to-face communication and full words. Instead of saying, "Goodbye, I will see you later!...we become used to the popular, shortened version: "Bye, c ya l8er!" These new forms of technology are essentially making the English language disappear, just like the Bo language has now disappeared with the unfortunate death of the tribe's last native speaker. Essentially, texting is Americans' form of causing the English language to disappear. I think we all tend to believe that the English language will inevitably live forever, even after all of us are gone (since Dr. Richards stresses to us that we are all going to die someday, so we better get used to this concept)...but what if it doesn't? Or texting ruins it? And we are forgotten forever? We think this could never happen because we are from the homeland, America, the most dominant and best country in the world...we can't be forgotten...but, what if...? Asking these "what if" questions should be something we do more often. We need to consider the possibility that we aren't invincible...just like the Bo tribe probably thought they were at one point in time...but now they're gone...forever. In order to not be forgotten, we need to still embrace the power of the complete word. I know that when my parents say certain words, I have no idea what they mean...and I even tend to know more vocabulary than my fellow young adults. This means that vocabulary and the English language are dying out. This is mainly because we spend our time texting, going on Facebook, and reading trashy gossip magazines; whereas, our parents at our age were still wasting time, yet probably picked up a book or two much more often than we do. We need to save our language, because it is a custom and a tradition that cannot fizzle out. Language is our main form of communication, and we cannot let technology take over. The only way we are going to be remembered is if we leave something to be remembered by: language (preferably through the written word, unlike the spoken word of the Bo tribe which was never written down to be saved.) Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:12:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56576286 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-e__trashed/#IDComment54113641 Eckel Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:20:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-e__trashed/#IDComment54113641 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53438435 I desperately want to stop complaining...about being busy, having homework, my friend being mad at me, or when my mom pisses me off. I want the simple things in life to bring me joy. i'm sure the people of Haiti would love to have something simple in their lives right about now...like some clean drinking water, some clean clothes, or their house with all of its memories back. Sometimes, I think we all just need a wake-up call like this (the tragedy in Haiti) to begin to fathom how good we truly do have it. We have a roof over our heads and love and support from those around us. But, it's almost sad to me...why can't we always be this thankful for what we are blessed with? We should be more conscious of those suffering in Haiti and those in other countries and try to help out and make a difference in their lives, and help them to put their lives back together. Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:35:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53438435 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53438399 A lot of us, especially those in our generation, do not stop to think about anything else but themselves. We all need to start appreciating what we have...instead of focusing our energy on wanting the newest IPod, the newest designer purse, or even wanting a new family. Sometimes I get frustrated with my parents, family, and friends, and wish I had a different life with different people in it. Yet, when I truly stop and think about it..at least I'm in fairly good health and I am surrounded by people that love and care about me. A lot of the victims in Haiti right now are left alone...separated and lost, with no familiar faces or family members in sight. I can't even imagine that feeling of despair and loneliness. Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:35:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53438399