en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/758571 Comments by MissO https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70755581 The controversy with South Park is nothing new to our society or the media. South Park has been on since i was a kid. I remember my parents would not let me and my siblings watch it, and we would sneak and watch it any way. Obviously the show is very offensive, but one thing about the show is that it does not target a specific thing. The show is completely offensive to everyone. It is not meant for people to be offended its more meant for people to laugh at themselves and at others. This show is just like any other show that does things like make fun of different religions, races, etc. Its similar to Family guy, Simpsons, and other comedy central shows. I don't think that it is any different than a comedian saying offensive (yet funny) jokes about certain things. I think the controversy needs to stop because it is just meant to be a joke, not meant to piss people off. I don't have much knowledge on what is going on right now with all of this controversy, but i think to hear that there is even the slightest bit is a little ridiculous. Me and other people that i know who watch shows like this only watch them because of the humor, not because we think everything in the show is true and we believe it. If that was the case i am sure that a lot more people would be mad about this show than there are. The show makes fun of everyone, and if you do not know that then you obviously don't watch the show and you would never understand that. This show is not meant to target anyone in particular, and that is what people need to understand. The show targets everyone, and is meant to be funny, that's all. The creators of this show even offend themselves, they have to! They literally have made fun of every religious figure, race, person, and anything that you can think of on this show. I have seen episodes you can't even imagine the things that this show comes up with. It is clearly just a big joke. I am more of a family guy kind of girl, but even this show is EXTREMELY "offensive". Bottom line is if you do not have the personality to take humor or to take jokes than you probably shouldn't watch any of these types of cartoons, or even comedy central at all. The people who are offended should really think about being offended because they need to take a freakin joke. It is not that serious, and honestly if we make it that serious then we need to cut off a lot of other shows on the air as well. I do not think children should be watching these shows, but for adults i think that it is just all humor. Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:38:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70755581 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68426523 I think all of us are guilty of wanting to look a certain way. Girls who have curly hair normally want straight hair, and vise versa it can go for jst about anything. We are all guilty of thinking this way, but i think it is completely normal. When i was growing up i was flat chested until about 10th grade. I hated it and got made fun of for it. I always wanted to have boobs and now that i am older i realize that its not really that important. I wear a B cup now and i am completely satisfied because i am happy with the way i look. I mean of course there are things that i want to change about myself, but who doesnt have one thing they would like to change. I think it is only normal for all of us to feel this way. I do however, think that yes we are all women and we are all related in some way. We do need to realize that we are all beautiful in our own ways, but what necessarily is beautiful. Beauty is seen all over the world in many different ways, for example, Jessica Simpson's show illustrates beauty all over the world, and what is considered beautiful here is not in other places. Back on the subject of boobs though, My cousin is a senior in high school, her boobs were gigantic and she is a very small girl. She did not like the fact that she looked bigger because of them, she couldn't wear certain shirts, and she felt like nothing ever fit right. I feel that girls who have this problem, should do what ever they want to feel better. Larger breasts can lead to problems in the future, and i do not think its wrong for these women to go through this procedure. I can see a difference in my cousins whole persona. She is much happier with the way she looks, and she just all around feels better. We are all built the way we are suppose to be, but there are certain things about us that are off balance, and cause health problems in the future. These things i feel are accepted in our society and they are not looked at as changing yourself in a bad way. Women who get implants on the other hand are putting something inside of there body that is not suppose to be there. There are so many risks and i believe that women who do this should reconsider. It is so important to have self confidence inside of ourselves. All of us women need to realize that each person is insecure in some way, and it is not wrong to feel this way, but we need to work on becoming more confident in ourselves. You are all beautiful Girls!! Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:57:46 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68426523 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66431842 I wouldn't Necessarily say that my opinion completely changes on some of the subjects that SAM talks about, but he sure does get me thinking about things that i never really thought about before having this class. I think that Sam brings up some serious points that alot of us never really thought about. In being a white girl i never really had to worry about certain things that other races have to worry about, for example the video with the little girls choosing a black or white doll. Growing up i never had to wonder about which one i wanted or anything like that. It really made me realize that we need to open our eyes when it comes to certain things that other races go through. Another example is with the Native Americans and how it was like we stole their land and now they aren't really around here and it is very rare to see them, or for them to be wealthy. I just think that Sam makes us all think about things that we never really think about, especially if you are white. Another thing that i like that Sam got everyone to think about is the "period" thing. I think he really made a good point when talking about this. It is completely natural and we should not be limited to talking about it, and acting like it never happens because it in fact does. Sam makes great points, and sometimes he might make me think about things that i normally wouldn't think too hard about. There might be some things that he says that change my outlook on things, but i can't particularly think of a specific example of how he changed my mind or opinion completely. I think he just broadens my thoughts and outlooks on things educating me with things that i normally wouldn't think about. I believe that there were many classes where people were shocked at the things they heard, and i believe Sam gets a lot if not everyone to think in class. I don't think its important to look at the minds Sam might be changing, but its important to look at the different things we are learning. When coming to this class our minds are being filled with so much information, that i am positive that everyone in class is learning something new that they never knew before, or some things that they never really thought about. I think this is an important class that every person should take, because the less educated people would learn a whole lot about life, and i think that people would begin to respect each other and it would make the world a better place. I just think this class if filled with very important information about life, and we really need to open our eyes when it comes to the subject of race. Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:02:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66431842 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64085689 I understood the reasoning behind Sam's talking about bleeding. His point was basically to show how we as society socially contruct the idea of bleeding as gross. We all, MEN mostly, agree that this is gross; therefore, talking about it is out of the ordinary, or should i say out of our NORMS. The fact of the matter is every girl for the most part menstruates. So why can we as a society accept it, take it for what it is, and not be afraid to talk about it? I was really annoyed with the girl in class who said something like we don't want to hear about your wife's bleeding. Sam was only trying to get the conversation started and to get people to really understand. I understand some of the things he said were out there, but being a student who has plenty of sociology course i understand what he was saying completely. Of course Sam would not say anything that would offend his wife, HELLO the whole class is recorded and put online! She is going to see it people lol! I don't think he would ever say something to offend his wife, as we all can see the man freakin adores her. Back to bleeding. I don't like the fact that men take it as being something gross. Its natural it happens, there is nothing we can do to prevent it and we should not be subjected to keeping it hidden. When Sam said "If i was a girl I'd be like your going to open the freaking door because i am bleeding!" i completely agree with this statement! Men have no idea what we have to go through every month. Some girls have it alot worse than others but i will tell you one thing it is not fun at all. I don't think men really understand the difficult things that we have to go through, and they DEFIANTLY do not understand the pain of CRAMPS. These things are worse then anyone could imagine, for some girls, and men need to realize and take in to consideration what we are going through. Now, i am not saying that all men do not understand, and all men this and all men that, but i am just saying in general be nice! We have to go through this every month, so get used to it, and stop being immature about it. GIRLS BLEED. "ewwwwwww soo gross", common now, how old are we? Lets get it together. Now pooping on the other hand, yes that's gross, but WE aLL do it. There is no reason for a girl to be embarrassed that she is bleeding, and there is no reason for anyone to be embarrassed to poop. YES FELLAS GIRLS SHIT TOO. This whole conversation just cracks me up. But my whole point is that i understand completely where Sam was going when he brought this up. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:53:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64085689 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63041778 When that comment was posted on the screen about black girls, I was offended, and i am a white girl. Sure there are stereotypes about black girls being loud and white girls being blonde and stupid, but i just felt that the comment was completely unnecessary. I think that it was completely a "sophmoric" comment, and the fact that we were asked not to be that way made it even more sophmoric. Of course there always is that immature person in the class that will say something to get the attention of people, and probably show off to his friends, but really? GROW UP. Honestly it made me really mad that someone would stoop down that low. I did notice, however, that certain comments about white people were said too. For example "white people can't dance", thats BULL SHIT, because i can bust a move n better than a lot of people that i know, and i am WHITE. This is besides the point, but to answer the question does rudeness go both ways, OF COURSE IT DOES. There were equal amounts of sophmoric comments put on the screen and it was completely ridiculous. You would think now that we are in college and older that we would not result to this immature talk, especially all the learning we have done in this class. We all want shit to change, like racism and stereotypes, yet we have people who still keep it around. Its ridiculous, or should i call it HYPOCRITICAL. I was getting really annoyed with all the comments on the screen, especially when it was the white peoples turn! ( and like i already said i am white!). When i think of white people i do not think of ON TOP, superior, rich, or any of the other BULL SHIT that was put on the screen, OF COURSE THE BLACK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GRASP! why wouldn't they! I am not proud of anything that was put on that screen, in fact im MERELY embarrassed. I mean come on people grow the hell up. I'm sorry for all the foul language but honestly i mean it. YES the rudeness goes both ways, BUT WHY ARE WE ALL BEING RUDE IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO CHANGE AND WE ALL WANT TO BE EQUAL?! Those posts go against everything we are learning in this class. They were pure ignorant on both sides, and i think that every person who posted something like that should be ashamed of themselves. I think that people in are generation need to GROW UP. I feel like everyone is so immature and does not take anything seriously. They do not realize the effects they have on people, and it is not right. I know i shuold not say everyone, because that is not correct, and i appoligize to the people who did not text anything rude, or sophmoric. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:39:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63041778 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58577576 In my opinion i believe that all this we are learning is in fact very upsetting. I feel that it isn't hitting home with a lot of people because they don't feel responsible for it happening. I think that a lot of people think about it while we are hearing, but then they just go back to their normal lives and don't really do anything about it. The fact that people took the native American's land is not really, at least in our generation, anyone fault. I do believe however, that we should all think about it and i guarantee in thinking about it we all feel some sort of way. I know that it upsets me in thinking what the Native Americans had to go through, but i don't necessarily feel responsible or guilty for living here. If it was up to me everything would have been fair and the horrible things would not have happened. I believe that a lot of people would agree with me as well. I don't think that saying it doesn't effect anyone in the class is right, because i do think that when we are in class we really do think about it and feel bad, but like i said before i think that most people are hearing it when they are in class, but then they are going about their lives and living "freely" in America. I also wanted to comment on the first question on Native Americans: The fact that children are born into thinking that Indians are little stick people with feathers coming from their head, and weapons is just plain sad. I know that if i was asked to draw an Indian i would probably do the same thing, and i know a lot of other people who would as well. It was what we were born into, and it doesn't help that we have movies that emphasize the socialization of Indians as well. I do believe it is necessary to educate children on what race and ethnicity are when they are children. I believe it will give children a better understanding and it will show that just because we look different doesn't mean we are less human than the other. This would then take away that socialization of Native Americans as being savages. It will broaden the childs thinking and will be better off for society in the long run, if they have the realistic understanding of what a Native American is. I think that it is a very important lesson that children should no, and not only children, but people who aren't fully educated as well. We learn a lot in this class that can be overwhelming and upsetting, we just need to look at the big picture and see what we can do to make the world a better place for EVERYONE to live. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:34:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58577576 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment56548867 I completely agree with everything that you said. I think the fact that we talk about blacks and whites comes up most of the time when we are talking about race has a lot to do with the past, and what we know. We are educated on black history and all that and this is why i think it comes up more than talking about other races. It really bothers me when we talk about this though because we don't seem to think about all of the other troubles that other races besides Blacks went through. There are plenty of other people who suffered in the past that we are not aware of. I think that slavery is such a recognizable thing that it is what we always go back to. I think its time for us to realize that it WAS THE PAST. i do think that we should continue to recognize it, for example, having black history month and admiring and giving these people what they deserve, because they went through such tough times, but really this is not an issue at least in our areas anymore. I hate the fact that because i am a white person i should feel guilty, because whether anyone likes it or not, i don't feel guilty. I personally did not do anything, I have never owned a slave, never would, and i am not racist at all. I wish that we could focus on all the different races and ethnicitys rather than always going back to black and white. For goodness sake we are not the only people on the planet! We need to focus on other things and we need to recognize the other troubles that occurred in the world. The civil rights movement had a great affect on the US and i realize this, but i just feel like its always the talk of conversation. I dont feel like i should have to suffer and feel bad because i did nothing. It was not my fault. I'm not sure why when we talk about race we are always saying black and white because it is politically incorrect. We are not the only people here, and we need to realize there are all different types of people. This brings me to think about class when Sam puts up the pictures of a person who looks white but really is MOSTLY black, Indian, or some other race. We dont even realize this, we just look at the person and automatically assume oh that person is white, or oh that person is black. That's one of the reasons why i enjoy this class so much because it broadins the way we think, and it educates us not to do that, but what about the rest of the world who does not have this class or education? I think more people need to be educated on this factor and maybe all of us will look at race from a completely different perspective, and we will not, when talking about race, always result to going back to BLACK AND WHITE. Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:35:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment56548867 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55265654 This is not the normal type of movie that i am usually going to see, BUT this movie was FANTASTIC. I did not know what i was expecting when i was going to see this movie. A friend dragged me along and asked me to see it so i did, And honestly it is one of the best movies i have ever seen (especially in theaters). I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU SEE IT IN THEATERS. This movie is a great movie and i would not say anything negative about it except for the length. When it comes to your blog you say that this brooks man was talking about a white people save people from disastrous events. This is just completely ridiculous in my eyes. Why does everything get looked at in a racial perspective, for God sakes its a freakin movie, and this man is trying to make it something that it is not. He is looking way too far into it and honestly i think its ridiculous. This is about a man who is brought into a completely different society with the motive of getting these people to move away from their home. The man starts to fall in love with the society and gets them to completely trust him. I am not going to ruin the movie for you because i highly suggest seeing it before it leaves the theaters, and you WILL NOT get the same affect if you watch it in your own home. BUT this movie in my eyes has nothing to do with race. Avatars yes are human and are from a different planet (Pandora), but this has nothing to do with the "WHITE MAN". I just don't understand why people need to make EVERYTHING about race, the white man, and all that. Can't we just leave race out of the picture when it comes to certain things, sorry for this, but it really pisses me off that people think like this. Don't get me wrong Brooks might have some interesting points, and linking the white man & "different people other than white" to this movie is very creative, BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THE MOVIE IS ABOUT. I took the movie as a sign for us to treat our planet better and that we should not destroy certain things because they have meaning. I thought this movie was more about the planet, and how people will destroy anything when it comes down to money. This was how i took this movie, and this is the message i think the director was trying to make. I thought this movie was all around a great movie, and the message was clear and positive. I hate when people try to turn a good thing into a negative one, why does society always have to look on the negative side of everything, and we wonder why its so messed up. I just really hope one day we can leave RACE out of everything. WE ARE ALL PEOPLE FOR GOODNESS SAKE. Thu, 4 Feb 2010 01:41:05 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55265654 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54413758 This is a crazy topic to me. I don't see the problem with these women wearing a abeyya. The fact that France would want to ban this is extremely ridiculous in my eyes. I think it is very offensive, if i was one of these women and someone was telling me what i could and could not wear i would be livid. That would be like the US banning high heals, or makeup ( as SAM said above). If the US did this i know that most women would be mad and would not allow it to happen. These women are not hurting anyone by wearing this, so i just don't understand why France cares so much. To me it seems like they have nothing better to do than to pick stupid things to change about the country. The whole situation makes no sense to me. I could see if these women were hurting other people and hurting themselves then it would be wrong, but they ARE NOT. The government should have no right to get involved with a choice based on religion. I can understand that sometimes your identification is necessary, and i do believe that these women should have to show there faces when it comes to this purpose, but if they agree to this, then what is the problem? I feel that it is wrong to tell someone what they can and cannot wear. I think it is offensive and just plain wrong to ban abeyyas. I am not even one of these women, and i am saying this, so i cannot imagine how they feel. I think this whole idea is completely stupid, and it should never happen ANYWHERE. ALL people should be able to wear what they want! I don't care what it is, I understand we can't walk around nude, but for goodness sake these women should be able to wear whatever they want. Like i said before if they are not hurting anyone then what purpose does banning the abeyyas really have? The French should respect these people for their beliefs and allow them to practice their religion any way they please, AS LONG AS, they are not hurting themselves or anyone else for that matter. I just feel that France should mind its own business when it comes to clothing, religion, and other things. I feel that they are just trying to cause problems, because banning these is completely absurd! I really cannot begin to understand WHY it matters. It honestly really makes me mad. I know that a lot of people agree with me. Reading all these comments about what people are saying makes me very happy, because im glad that other people agree this is completely ridiculous. Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:46:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54413758 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52708981 What bothers me about all of this is that we are not focusing on the real problem. We focus on what people say and the media, but do you ever just think that these are forces beyond our control? Earthquakes happen, volcanoes erupt, lightening strikes, hurricanes flood, and tornadoes destroy. Natural disasters happen, and depending on what you believe about science or religion people are going to have their opinions. I feel like we always focus on blaming and seeking an answer for these things, when really we should be wanted to help the people who are suffering. I never knew who Robertson was until about 3 days ago. I was up late and just got in from work. I turned on the Television and there he was. I'm not going to lie i listened to the words the man had to say, and being a Christian I understand the words that come from his mouth. I did NOT however, know that he said this. I am not really sure what to think about him saying "It was a pact they made with the devil", it seems to be the wrong thing to say in my eyes. I am not going to call the man crazy, or mentally ill, but i do not agree with that statement. This is a very frustrating and controversial thing to say, and the fact that he has so many viewers makes it even worse. People either believe what he is saying, or they disregard those words he said. When you read the bible you get the real truth, when a preacher preaches they are putting it into their own perspective, you have the FREEDOM to decide if you agree or disagree. This reminds me of freedom versus determinism. Determinism says that culture, environment, and socialization make us who we are, but as students we realize when we come to college we have the choice to do what we want to do, and believe what we want to believe. I went to catholic school my entire life, and when I came to college I realized that wasn’t really what I believed. There are some things within the religion that I believe, like the basics, but when it comes to the practices I disagree; therefore, when people ask me what my religion is I basically tell them, I have my own views on things. I don’t exactly know what I am, but I do have a very strong relationship with God. But all in all when it comes to these disasters, we never truly know why these things happen. We know that they occur though, and we know that lives are destroyed by them. People will form their opinions about these disasters and say what they want to say, but the fact of the matter is they are Natural disasters, and the fact that happen is beyond our control. Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:49:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52708981