en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1116265 Comments by Mycouchpullsout https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment84704411 Lesson 14 Blog Response 7/4/10 I thought that the Ten Commandments were also very comical and I am a Catholic. I could not believe these people and how they thought that they can do no harm. It is almost like that mom who has a kid that she does not stop talking about the kid just is an angel in the mom's eyes but when the mom turns her back the kid goes on a rampage and really is not that much of an angel. I mean do these people really think that they are better than everybody? I do not know what goes through some people’s heads in today’s world but it seems like they are pretty self-centered. Sun, 4 Jul 2010 13:17:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment84704411 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment84567904 Lesson 14 Blog 7/13/10 I really do not think inequalities will ever be solved. I mean all the opportunities that you have are as a result of the equality standard that you live. I have used nepotism to get summer jobs during college. My mom works at a hospital and I would work in a department in the hospital for the summer. That is not it, I would also get a pretty good pay. For the first summer I was making $9.50 an hour for filing papers. The second summer I got a raise from $9.50 to $10.50 basically because my mom work in the hospital. I would always want to be the victim of nepotism and when I have kids one day I am going to be sure to use my resources so they have a beneficial life. I mean from these opportunities gates open up and you do not have to work as hard as the other person coming up in the rank. Who would not want their father to be the CEO of a fortune 500 company and you know that as soon as you step out of college you are easily making six figures. If I had that opportunity I would definitely take that offer, you would be crazy not to take it. I think that affirmative action is a weird word to actually define. Most people think of black people trying to get money from the whites when they hear affirmative action. I just do not think that these people really sit down and think what the definition of affirmative action. I think that people just get pissed at the word because of the label that has been given for the word. In addition to nepotism, Penn State is all for this. Penn State believes in the networking theory, which is not a bad theory but it is definitely nepotism. I know that if you network and have ton alumni that you talk to then you will most likely get a job. It does not start just when you get into college because you can benefit from your families nepotism. See if your parents graduated from Penn State then you can build of their network and their friends. This is continuing the nepotism because if one of your parents friends that they graduated with is working for a company that is in your interest all your parent has to do is make a phone call. Then you can submit you under worked resume which they will not even look at and they you can get through to the interview process. Then if your parent’s friend is the interviewer well most likely you have known this person for a portion of your life so you are comfortable talking to this person. Of course you will get the job with a good pay because of nepotism! Sat, 3 Jul 2010 14:47:16 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment84567904 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84562989 Blog Response 7/13/10 It is easy to say your ancestors did it but you know any of the troubles they went through? It also depends where your ancestors came from. Sometimes people do not have the resources or the money to become an American citizen. Sometimes it is better to come into the country illegally because they do not have to deal with all the bull that we as citizens deal with. I mean put yourself in an immigrants shoes that has lived in a horrible society and has no money to enter the country the right way. All they want to do is to better their family and their lives just so they can live another day. Sat, 3 Jul 2010 13:47:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84562989 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84562504 Lesson 13 Blog 7/3/10 Illegal immigration is a touchy subject. I am on the fence about the current situation dealing with illegals. At first I think to keep these people out of the country. They take American jobs and they just cause problems with healthcare cost rising and societal problems. I believe that if these people do want to come over then try to do it the proper way. If you are coming into the country illegally then you are already breaking a law and how can you try to call yourself an American citizen if you cannot even try to enter the country the proper way. We are not trying to keep people out because we do not want them but look at our deficit and healthcare problems; we are just trying to regulate our own problems first before we let other people from other countries come in to live a better life. Saying that, I do understand why people are trying to enter the country illegally. I will just use Mexico for example because this is mostly where this argument revolves. I understand that these people in Mexico are coming to the United States because they want to better their opportunities. Even if this means if they are working for a low wage this is still better than any work in Mexico. In addition, the Mexican society is not the best society to live in currently. I mean throughout the country you have the drug wars which are killing innocent people every day. So I take these points and I do not try to stay narrow minded but I try to put myself in a Mexicans shoes. I am a Mexican living close to the boarder of the United States. I have lived here all my and have seen the hardships of my family growing up. Now I have a family of my own and we are struggling to survive. We live in a drug infested society where there is at least a killing a week if not more. The only way to be successful, money wise, is to join the drug cartel but then you are putting you and your love ones at risk. You need to get out of the country to keep you and your family safe and hopefully try to better your life. You decide to try to bring you and your family to America because even though you may be poor when you get into the United States, it is still a lot better than dodging bullets on your way home from work and having you heart in your throat because you do not know if your family is alive or drug dealers raided your house for the little things you had and your family is living in a pool of blood. Just think about that scenario; I mean like I said before, I am on the fence but I definitely can see both sides of the argument. I guess if you are totally against illegal immigration, just try to put yourself in the shoes of a Mexican and maybe your thoughts will change a little just to understand why they try to come to the United States. Sat, 3 Jul 2010 13:41:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84562504 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83148239 Blog Response Lesson 12 6/29/10 I understand what you are saying about the Chinese flag. I mean people that grow up in their respected countries are going to have a set ideology towards their country and the symbols that represent them. Obviously people are very offended when something disgraceful is done to an American flag not only in our country but all over the world. The idea here is that I am sure if North Koreans saw the U.S. stomping on their flag they would be pissed too. I just like Sam's idea on how he says if we were totally stoned out of our mind that it would not matter because it definitely would not matter. Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:41:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83148239 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83147620 Blog Lesson 12 6/29/10 I definitely think that because people now go to college their minds are opened up more for multiculturalism. In high school you only build your thoughts around the people who surround you such as your friends, family and community. In college you break away from what is the norm to you and you get to experience different ideas that you never have experienced before. This is a perfect example on why people who go to college are more open to a multicultural atmosphere. They are able to break away from the norm and learn about other cultures that they have always thought of as not normal because of the community they lived in when attending high school. I would not mind living with immigrants. Actually that is a lie; I probably would mind a bit just because it is out of the norm for me. I would get a little frustrated if I was walking in my town and all I heard was Spanish or Chinese or Japanese because I have no idea what they are saying and since I have lived in that community for a long time then these languages would be out of the norm for me. I am not racist or anything but I would just want to understand what they are saying. I would want them to speak English because that is the normal identifier for me. If we are becoming more and more diverse then why is there such a race wars still in the country? I mean I know it is not as bad as before because we have grown as a country but there still is a significant amount of racism. It just seems that if we had more and more multiculturalism in the country then we should not have as much as a race war that we do today. Maybe we are just heading towards that path and we just are not there yet. I have no idea but the concept just does not make sense in our country. If I had the time and the will power I would definitely learn Chinese. Can you imagine the business you could do with that language? I know some Spanish and would love to keep learning about the language more just because I think in the near future and this language will compete with our English language. That rap video was crazy. Even though those people were all speaking different languages they all looked like American rappers. I mean basically they were all dressed alike and had the same beats and I am sure if you could translate all those songs and put them next to each other they would be talking about some of the same things. I just think it is amazing how globalization can happen like that. Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:35:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83147620 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81262144 Lesson 10 Blog Response 6/21/10 I am not going to lie; I get very frustrated when I have to talk to someone on the phone with a thick accent, especially when it is something important like a student loan. I try so hard to not get mad because I know they are trying to speak the language but they just simply suck at it. I think if anyone is to blame it is the big corporate structures because these are the places hiring people for low wages just to save some money. But I must admit that I too get inpatient when I hear a thick accent on the other line. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:27:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81262144 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81260948 Lesson 10 Blog 6/21/10 Why do color people get through the pre-awakening stage so fast? Is it because they just know they are colored or just because they have realization of being different and accepting it before white people. I do not understand why it would be so easy for people of color rather than people of white. Maybe because it might be that we look at white as normal, or at least other whites look at whites as normal. Could it be possible that if a colored person grew up in a predominantly white community that they do not consider themselves as black? Would this push the awakening stage back a bit to the point where people of color just do not awake to the fact that they are black? I have no ideas but so many questions. I think that any person that is stupid enough to say they do not like a group of people because they do not speak “American” should have their tongues cut out. I mean what ignorant fool. These people cannot even label their own country’s language so why the hell should they be telling people they do not belong here because their native language is not one of our own. I just think that is ridiculous. Wait a second. The higher your grades the whiter you are? That is crazy. It is scary how that even if you do not want to encounter race, it is going to come your way no matter what. I mean just to label that people are related to whites on their grades is a bit crazy. These people of color are not even given a chance to be themselves because they are already placed against the white race. But I definitely can see were people would make these general stereotypes. The video that we watched goes backs to previous lessons in this class. When people think lighter is beautiful. I mean all these girls talked about are that people want them to be like white people. If you look like white people with lighter skin and strait hair then you are beautiful. I cannot believe that when they did the doll experiment most of the young kids picked the white doll! It just goes to prove that people’s minds have not changed and society influence young kids to be lighter and white. I think that the awakening stage can bring a sense of anger to people of color. As they start to see that people of color are “them” and that they begin to struggle with white culture then they start to get angry. I mean if you thought that you were in the majority but find out you are the minority then you probably are going to be a little confused and pissed. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:16:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81260948 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment80820600 Lesson 9 Response 6/18/10 Yea I do not feel guilty for being white either. I actually like being white and feel that I am lucky. I also feel bad when I do not understand people's cultures or racial differences. I do agree that every one should benefit from being American but only the people that play by the rules to get to America. I mean I know that some immigrants are trying to get to the US to better themselves but they have to do it the right way. The only thing is that it takes a long time for them to become a citizen. Maybe the government should focus on how to embrace immigrants and maybe makes it easier for them to become a citizen so we can stop killing people at the Mexican border. Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:42:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment80820600 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment80819914 Lesson 9 Blog 6/18/10 First off, I definitely agree that white people do not want to talk about race. I mean I am white and I steer away from talking about other races because I always feel that people will label me as a racist. I do talk about race around my closest friends and family but never around a stranger or a colored person. I just do not know how they would react. I use the N word for some of my friends or when I am playing ball it slips out but never in a demeaning way. I am always cautious though when colored people are around because I know if that slips then the focus will turn towards me because I am white and therefore if I use that word I am racist. So I agree with Sam when he says that white people do not like to talk about race. What the hell are these two little girls singing about hate? Holy crap these are like spawn of the KKK. I mean these girls are singing about the white race and people are supporting them. I wonder if these girls will ever get a record deal. That is such an awakening for these two girls. I mean if they are comfortable about being white and want to play dance around the swastika then more power to them but they are going to have a tougher life if they end up in college or streets of a huge metropolitan. I agree that people are trying to move to the next level. With social identifiers I just do not know when to call people by their color or religion. I always think back to an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasms with Larry David. He wants to buy a baby for a Latino woman who is having a baby with a white man so he goes to the store and asks for a mulatto baby doll and a the black store clerk looks at him and say it is not mulatto any more it is biracial. So to me that is kind of like the whole label identifier. What do we call people and when is the right time. I bring people of race into my life. I tell stories using racial identifiers but I do it subconsciously. I do not know that I am actually doing it; I just say it just to use these social identifiers. I mean I guess that it is mostly when I talk to my girlfriend or friends but I do not usually do it when I am talking to people of colors. I have no idea why I do it; I guess it just happens. I feel that if white people reach out to people of color then people of color get mad. I do not understand why they would get mad if white people are just trying to understand the inequality between colors. Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:35:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment80819914 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80194064 Lesson 8 Blog Response 6/14/10 Wow. Sorry to hear about your mother. I too had a realization about how lucky I was able to walk/run but it does not come close to what you went through. I use to run cross country for PSU and on 7am Saturday morning we always had practice. I use to hate these practices until one day we were out in the woods doing mile repeat and at one point my coach stopped us and said isn't this great. We all thought he was crazy because it was 7 in the morning but then he went on to say: Just think of all the people who wake up every morning and would give anything to be running this early in the morning. You guys are privileged to be able to walk and run when you do not even realize how lucky you are. For some reason, that really hit home for me and now every time I complain of an ache or something in my legs I just think how many people would be happy just to feel some type of sensation, good or bad, in their legs. Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:16:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80194064 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80193489 Lesson 8 Blog 6/14/10 I definitely do not even talk about being white rather do I even know what being white actually means. Wow. I think that looking at the majority and minority rather than just I am an American like everybody else in the country is very powerful. I think that if we label ourselves as majority vs. minority it becomes a powerful subject to think about. I never really thought about being a male but I have thought about height. I wish I was tall like being 6’5” or something just because I am shorter but then again my height definitely dos not affect the way I walk through the world. I know that there are all kinds of changes when interacting with people of color and even white people. I feel that when white people are talking to other white people then they are less censored and can let issues off their minds that they would never discuss if a colored person was in the vicinity. In regards to this, if a white person is talking to a color person then they are more likely to censor themselves because of their color but they are not doing it on purpose they are doing it because they are white and they just do not think about censoring themselves. I would have to say that the pre-awakening stage is hard for most people. I mean to give little thought about race in the United States just does not seem like it would make sense in our culture. I think that we as whites are a little ignorant in this stage because we just do not think about our race. I think that we also take advantage of our race because we are the dominant group and consider other whites normal while anyone of color cannot normal. On the other hand, I can see most people in the awakening stage. I am thinking this because of the whole us and them situation. We as whites use our political correctness to censor ourselves around people of color but not around our own race. Once again I feel that we take advantage of our own race by never talking about what is really on our mind because we do not step out at look at what it means to be white. Another issue is most of the white will deny inequality and obstruct minority empowerment. Why? Well because we are at the top of the mountain and we want to keep these other people down. We deny the inequality to shield our ignorance of what the minority lacks and in a sick way I believe we actually like to keep the minority down. I think that white people just take advantage of their own race. Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:09:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80193489 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79161549 Lesson 6 Response 6/8/10 I would have to agree with the whole king of the mountain scenario. I too think that whites easily have the edge over any race just because we are the king of the mountain. I do wonder how the whites actually got there. I mean they come over to America and take the land from Native Americans but How? Is it because they were smarter or stronger? I think that the Native Americans would have known their own land and resources better than these new people so there is no way that these resources could have been taken away. But on the other hand you have to believe that the new people that came to America were smarter and could trick the Native Americans and handicap them to stay off the top of the mountain. I do not know. Thinking outside the box, what if African Americans were the first to come to the Americas? What would the power scale look like then? Tue, 8 Jun 2010 18:52:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79161549 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79160413 Lesson 6 Blog 6/8/10 I think that it crazy that we cannot even cut our strings to be totally free but on the other hand if we did cut all these string would we really be free or lost in life? I mean if we could cut off these strings then do we lose our sense of identity or our structural background? I am glad that I have these strings to hold me up and shape my human nature because without I doubt if I could survive in today’s working world. One big idea that I think about with the actions of our ancestors is today we are so dependent on other people that specialize in a specific area, such as a mechanic or landscaper. In generation before us our ancestors were the mechanic or landscaper. They did most of their own work on their car or yard unless they were extremely rich. I mean my grandfather is retired and worked in an office for a long time but he knows how to do everything. I have trouble changing my oil and understanding how to do things that are not rocket science. You look today and how many young people know how to build a deck or change brakes on a car or something that their grandfather and fathers can both do. I mean we can Google it but we still do not have a great understanding. The whole king of the mountain part of the lecture was awesome. I now understand what exactly is meant by the example. I just kept thinking that people in the same families or friends of families or even of the same background catch breaks. Especially in the working class because the result of being similar to the king of the mountain is allowing that person a better advantage than other types of people in a job opportunity or socioeconomic status. There are so many people out there that get jobs because either one of their parents is the king of the mountain or their parents are a part of the people of the person that is standing on top. It makes sense that the whites are the so called king of the mountain and that from this black and brown people are not given the same opportunity as whites. I feel that this could easily explain the whole income issue that we have between each other. The whites would have been considered the dumb race if they would have been like ok so now I have all the resources and power, I will just give some to the blacks and we can all live in harmony. Although that would have been nice and may have changed the outcome but the bottom line is that one race needs to be superior to another because that is human nature and if the whites gave some power to the blacks then there could be even a bigger battle for power today. Tue, 8 Jun 2010 18:45:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79160413 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78810250 Lesson 5 Response 6/6/10 Wow I cannot believe that even a child thinks that black people can not play hockey. You should have let him known that there are black hockey players in the NHL. I mean in order to actually make it to the NHL or anywhere you do need money because hockey is one of those sports that you need money to buy all the gear and be on traveling team and all but still if the boy wanted to play he could. I just do not like how people see sports as a racial relationship. Such as a white person saying something like, I cannot dunk a basketball because I am not black or I will never make it professionally in a basketball because I am not black or whatever. These relationships run down to kids minds and then these kid already are thinking in color before they know their ABCs. Sun, 6 Jun 2010 16:33:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78810250 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78809618 Blog Lesson 5 6/06/2010 I do not know how to explain the differences in median income. I mean it just seems to go back to a racial identity. Like Asians have the highest income because they like to crunch numbers and whatnot, so I do not know how to even explain this aspect of inequality. I cannot believe the differences in wealth when comparing black people to white people or any other race. It is just another way to look at the whites as an all-powerful race. I just do not understand how the difference can be so big. And again the home ownership and race shows that whites are again above blacks by almost 30%. I just think that it is crazy when you put these inequalities up and people see how different the equality is between races. I think the root causes of these differences are based off of socioeconomic status. I mean people that are born into poverty are most likely not going to have the same chance of graduating from college or high school as a person who is brought up in a better situation. I just do not really know how to explain the gap between incomes, but I feel that whites are offered better opportunities to work and build upon their status then blacks or browns. I think that the difference in race drives people to make the safe choice. I am totally blown away how we can take races and group them to figure who has the most wealth but when you try to figure out wealth individually it is almost impossible without information. I think that it relates back to race or color of the skin for the wealth of groups. I know Sam wants us to not group a race by median income but that is very hard to do. As Americans we are not happy if we do not have an answer. If we start guessing about people’s individual wealth rather than group then we will never have answers without knowing any information about people. We like to group these races together so we can have an answer and release our mind from if we are better than another race or not. I cannot believe that we are all only 0.01% different from each other. I mean that is crazy and since it is external it creates all these problems. I wonder what would happen if that 0.01% was somewhere else internally in our bodies. I wonder how the world would be different and if there would be all these race wars or if we would find a way to differ from each other. I just cannot believe that 0.01% separates all of us because of our external features. Sun, 6 Jun 2010 16:24:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78809618 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78106333 06/01/10 Lesson 4 Response I wish that people could all get along without fighting and work together too, but that is never going to happen. Every single one of us has some potential cultural or ethnic disgrace towards people, I just believe it is human nature. There is not one person out there who has not been influenced by TV or news about other peoples culture. I, myself, even could not believe that I could think in an ethnocentrism state of mind until I watched these lectures. I just think that the only way that people are ever going to take a step towards the right direction is to be honest and forthcoming about cultures that annoy them and then try to understand that culture. Tue, 1 Jun 2010 23:59:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78106333 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78105617 06/01/2010 Lesson 4 Ethnocentrism; that is one word I have never heard before I watched this lecture. It all makes sense because a lot of people are faced with ethnocentrism. I cannot even deny that I have never thought in an ethnocentrism state of mind. Why you might ask? Well as soon as Sam said the example about Mexico, I knew that I, along with others, have this type of mind said. I say this only because this summer my family and I are going to Mexico. The first thing I thought of for Mexico was that it is dirty and we are going to die because of the drug cartels. But I was not the only one to think this way. When my girlfriend told her sister that we were all going to Mexico she almost had a heart attack and was telling us that the cartels are bad down there and we are going to die and the United States has put a no vacation ban to Mexico. I just cannot believe that people think like this when a certain area of the world comes up in conversation. I mean I could not even believe I was a part of this until Sam gave the Mexico example but the more I think about it, it makes perfect sense. Weird. I really do not think people are going to put aside their differences to understand a culture. I believe that there is way too much ignorance for people to be like OK, I want to understand your culture and everything that goes with it. Definitely do not think the people will accept public stoning over here in the United States, but having said that I can understand why this practice is in different culture. I do not understand how people could turn away public stoning over the electric chair. I mean I feel like our ways for death are just as gruesome as public stoning. I do not think I would name my child after god just because I know that he/she would be scrutinized for the rest of their lives. I know a year or so ago there was a huge debate because some guy named his kids Adolf and Hitler. I mean I do not know what he was thinking because he knew that there was going to be trouble from these names. But on the other hand they are just names. I mean if somebody wants to call there kid Jesus or Stalin of Mussolini then they should do what they want but they will probably end up on CNN. These pictures of Iraq before the war are absolutely CRAZY. It looks just like the United States and people of the United States. I just cannot believe that we destroyed this country for bitter-sweet reasons. I am astonished that people in Iraq welcomed Sam’s student to take pictures for gifts to bring back to the U.S. I think these pictures really hit home for me on the destruction of the war and how open the Iraqi people are towards Americans. Tue, 1 Jun 2010 23:51:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78105617 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment76965556 I thought the same way about Carolus Linneaus’s strategy race was so crazy. I mean the description of what each race was just because of their color was mind blowing. I also thought it was a little ironic that he labeled the black race as lazy people because these people probably worked the hardest as slaves! I think if anybody would be labeled as lazy it would be the white race because they did not really do any hard work. Everybody knows that lazy label would not happen for the whites because they were the ones labeling the other races and they are at the top of the all races. Mon, 24 May 2010 23:23:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment76965556 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment76661688 First I would like to remark how crazy it was that Carolus Linneaus actually put people into race by different colors. I am more astonished that he actually described these people by their own color. I mean it does not surprise me that he was white because he makes the white race sound superior to all the different colors. I also think it is a little ironic that he labels the blacks as lazy people but later on in history they become the white man’s slave and work from dawn to dusk. I did not even do anything in regards to slavery after the first lesson and I am taking this class online. I did exactly what Sam said. I went on line and did not even think about the slaves who probably made parts of my computer. I did not even think to give it the time of day to type “slavery” into Google for a broad search just to see what pops-up. I guess I am like any other person and just think slavery is still dead and if I was aware of how much slavery there was, I am only one person what am I suppose to do? The subway at Japan makes me think of typical Asian countries, but it also makes me think of the White Loop stop at East Halls where all the freshman try to pack into the bus! I use to think the same way about traveling across the oceans. If I went to any Asian country I would think that they all look like Jackie Chan or Jet Li and if I went to African I would think that everybody there was black. I would have probably have been confused if I went to South Africa and saw a white person walking around. I would have thought that they were tourist or something. I think that when Sam refers to his travels to the Czech Republic, Poland and Ireland and he says that all the people started to look the same as people they knew in America is a perfect example of how America is a melting pot. Really, how can we consider ourselves as a melting pot when we distance each other by race or cultural background? I think that we as the United States do have a huge array of different cultures but I cannot call ourselves a melting pot because we are like water and oil, one sits on top of the other. I definitely agree with the whole swear word soap box that Sam was on. I mean these words are that just words. I mean who came up with them and what person decided to say that these words are bad to use. I mean I think that some other words could be better used for swear words that would make them fun to say so people could say them all the time. I was thinking about the whole concept of race groups. I mean I think that race is associated with the culture behind of the person. You think Mexican you see a tan person with a mustache selling hot tamales, you think African you see any person that appears black, and you think white then you think of any person that is light skin forgetting about their cultural background. Sat, 22 May 2010 15:30:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment76661688