en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1114503 Comments by RRISTEEN https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85126888 7/7/10-Reply to SillyJuice I agree with you, the video that was shown was pretty sad, but I must say unfortunately school budgets are based on tax bases and usually reflects the income of the area in which the school is unless state funded. On a side note, I came from an affluent town with a “good” school system and I can honestly say that the highschool shown from the suburbs is very rare and brand new. Most highschools in this country do not look close to that. I also went to a private catholic school where 90% of the students came from wealthy families and the other 10% were on scholarship and that school was in very poor shape as well. So in essence, it was horrible to see but, the reality is a state of the art school such as the one shown is very rare. Tue, 6 Jul 2010 13:07:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85126888 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85125842 07/07/10-Lesson 14 Comment Initially going into this lecture I would say that I am not a supporter of affirmative action, but I am going into this lecture with an open mind. Because I have viewed affirmative action from a very close-minded standpoint I feel and would like to learn more about it. It was pretty interesting to see that affirmative action accounts for ten percent of new hires, students etc. I initially had thought that it mostly applied to people of color, so I was very surprised to find out that most of the beneficiaries of affirmative action programs are white women. Also, the beneficiairies that are people of color are from the middle class. After not initially supporting affirmative action I already had quite a realization because I grew up with a single mother. I was lucky however because my mother worked for a successful fortune 500 company as a credit manager and was paid very well. Because of my mother's job I was awarded a very good childhood, nice house, good school, nice clothes, vacations. It hadn't occurred to me until now, but I may owe my great childhood to affirmative action. My mother very well could have been hired under an affirmative action program because she is white and of course female. This was a very shocking realiztion for me. I had initially not supported affirmative action because I felt that in the field I am obtaining my Major in (law enforcement) that many over qualified white individuals were losing out on jobs to much less qualified people of color. I still feel that this is the case because I have seen it first hand and have been told “it was to fill quotas” so the part about it being illegal and unconstitutional I don't think that the N.Y.P.D. got the memo. I feel that when it comes to law enforcement the color of someones skin is irrelevant, it should be the best qualified and best performer who should get the position, when the job entails having lives in your hands affirmative action shouldn't even come into play. Nepotism is something that I can't say that I am not a supporter of. It helped me in my current job which is a great launching platform for law enforcement. I have had many jobs that I have obtained through nepotism and I am fully aware that affirmative action is put in place to combat this. I just feel that although nepotism is out of control in the field of law enforcement so has affirmative action. There is no happy medium and it seems as if we are in the midst of a see-saw battle between both. But, I don't think affirmative action will ever catch up to Nepotism. Tue, 6 Jul 2010 12:57:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85125842 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83806294 07/04/10-Lesson 13 This lecture was quite shocking. The cartoons at the beginning of the lecture really turn the tables on many Americans current way of thinking about immigration. You could apply what is happening now to the events that happened to the Native Americans many years ago. I really enjoyed the homeland security shirt with the picture of the Indians posing with rifles. We owe much of our current way of life and support of free market capitalism to immigration, which I had not previously thought about. And arguing against immigration is indeed a support against socialism. I did not see this really until the Doctor brought up the Pear farmers in California. And the fact that immigration is not a Republican Issue or Democrat issue but just an ISSUE. That needs to be handled. When the politicians get together and fight about it rather than look at it and see how it helps us and how we need it, problems occur. This was seen when the pear farmers could not hire enough immigrants because of border constraints that came from when the politicians were bickering back and forth to see who had a tougher stance on immigration. I feel that the government should have reimbursed the fruit farmers the 10 million dollars that they had cost them because of acting like children and not paying attention to the real issues at hand. I do feel that the support for Congo the Dog not being put to death is indeed racism in it's purest form. I can attest to the fact first hand that if he were an american Citizen the dog would be as dead as Abraham Lincoln. When I lived in Florida I would hear about dogs attacking people unprovoked constantly and pretty much all cases were those in which americans were attacked. Black or White the dogs were put to sleep so this is clearly a racial issue dealing with immigration. It was quite interesting to see the waves of immigration over the years and the networks and reasons that they come about. I always wonder when I see footage of people immigrating many eyars ago on ships what they would think of the cruise industry these days and the fact that Americans cram on ships as a leisure activity in order to vacation to the destinations that those immigrants were trying to flee in search of a better life. In the past I would say that I was very against immigration feeling that they were more like invaders and liabilities rather than a significant portion of our economy. I now see that we need to figure out how much water needs to be running from the spicket at all times for the benefit of our country and our people immigrants or citizens. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 13:58:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83806294 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83799669 07/04/10-Reply to SaraMae22 I agree with you Sara, many Americans feel that when immigrants come to our country they are fully expected to give up their culture and all aspects of it in order to assimilate to our way of life as Americans. People get upset and say that immigrants take up too many jobs, but in reality they are all the jobs that Americans complain about or do not want. It seems that most Americans want to have their cake and eat it too. Many of these people are trying to make a better life for their families back home so in effect are not lazy at all and overcome extreme odds to even lead a meager life in this country. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 13:40:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83799669 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83798197 07/04/10- Lesson 13 I must say the political cartoons at the beginning of the lecture made a very impressive point. It pretty much turned the tables on the current view most Americans have on illegal immigrants. I especially enjoyed the Homeland Security shirt with the Native Americans. I never quite paid attention to the fact of how much we as a country needed immigration to function properly and not fall into the ways of socialism. If we want to maintain our ways of free market capitalism we must rely on immigration to function. The lecture definitely made me realize that it is not a political issue it is plainly just an issue. This was obviously seen that in 2006 when the politicians started rabble rousing, the borders were constricted and the fruit harvesters could not obtain workers to pick fruit and ended up losing 10 million dollars. I feel that the government should have reimbursed the fruit growers that had lost a substantial amount of money because of this. The analogy of the spicket that the Doctor used to describe what the country tries to do with immigration summed it up perfectly. In order to operate under free market capitalism, we need to determine the right amount of water that needs to flow in order to operate the way we do without the overabundance of immigrant flooding that so many seem to have a problem with. Regarding the case of Congo The Dog in Princeton New Jersey, I definitely feel that it is racist, because if the dog had attacked a caucasian american, no one would be fighting for the dog's life, no citizens and certainly no politicians. When I lived in Florida I would hear about instances of dog's unprovoked attacking humans who were all United States citizens and in every case the dog was put to death, and it wasn't a white thing either because most of the victims were black individuals. So in the case of the man raking leaves and being attacked it is definitely a case for racism. It has become very evident to me that in order to successfully maintain a healthy economy, immigration is very necessary. It was pretty neat to see the networks of migration and the fact that immigration occurs in waves. We also can't expect that immigrants will entirely integrate into our culture and forget theirs all together. Whenever I see videos on immigration dealing with hundreds of people crowded on ships and then coming to ellis island or other various ports, and spending a week to a month on ships, I always wonder how they would look at cruises today and people go on ships as a form of leisure leaving for the places they were escaping from. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 13:36:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83798197 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83116291 6/30/10-Reply to kac5293 I also found it to be true that most liberals would check that they would like to live in a more diverse area because it is the politically correct thing to say and in most of their decisions policitical correctness influences their answers tremendously. It does indeed seem to me as well that quite a few liberals go our of their way to seem to be non-racist to either secure votes politically and or just to get more people to like them and agree with them in general. I also agree with you in the fact that I do not think people dont want to live in diverse communities because they are interest but because they want to feel comfortable and at home in their surroundings, you can see this all over the world. Not just in America with KoreaTown and China Town, Little Italy etc. It's okay with the living in Queens example I live outside of the city and fully understand where you are coming from, whenever I take a trip to see the Mets at Citi Field, I know it's bad to say but it seems as if 70 percent of the crowd does not speak english as a first language. Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:38:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83116291 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83112580 6/30/10-Lesson 12 The numbers in this lecture definitely caught me by surprise. I never really put thought to the hypocracy of conservative republicans or republicans. I myself am a republican and feel that the Doctor is making a lot of sense in his argument regarding hypocracy considering this country is supposed to be a “melting pot” yet a significant portion of the country does not wish it to be. I like to think of myself as someone who embraces multiculturalism having grown up about an hour outside of New York City for most of my life. Because my “suburban” town lies within an hour of the city it is a “bedroom” community of New York City meaning that a lot of people that work there live in the suburban areas on the outskirts of westchester county (the county that NYC is in) I have seen the inevitable rise in the minority population in our community as well as their assimilation. It sounds horrible but one significant event I can remember is since I have been 11 years old (im 25 now) my entire neighborhood about a mile long and 50 households was indeed 100% white. I know this for a fact. Then two years ago a black family moved in up the road, seem very nice and their kids are always playing. But, for 9 years it was 100% white and I can't lie some people were shocked when they had moved into our neighborhood. I can't help but think hoe uncomfortable they must have felt when they moved in. They pretty much fit into the 13.8 percent of people who wish to live in a neighborhood that is 100% white. One part of the lecture that really stood out to me was the discussion of how many times you have done things with people of color. I found it funny because I have shared saliva with a person of color but I have never sat down and ate dinner with a family of color. I just happened to find that pretty interesting. Looking at the learning to speak a different language example given by the Doc, it is quite true. You will make infinite more money if you learn the dominant language say japanese or chinese because they are international business hubs. There is a great line in a favorite movie of mine called “Layercake” one of the crime bosses states “The art of good business is being a good middleman”. If you have the bridge of language to connect two people your possibilities can be endless in the world of business. I find it unnerving when I come across a spanish person speaking spanish within the U.S. arguing, I would make an attempt to speak our language when I would make a great attempt if I were in their country? When our ethnocentricity drives them from wanting to learn our language and stick with their language, culture their comfort zone so to speak. Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:27:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83112580 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81427236 Reply to DanceDiva2191- 6/23/10 I was also amazed by the Girl like me video in the sense that the young girl was unable to express herself and be a part of her culture. The fact that her own mother had told her to stop must be earth shattering. I come from a family where you are supported no matter what and because of that I consider myself very lucky. The mother probably did not even realize she was having a drastic effect on her daughter, probably even saying that in passing. But the fact of the matter is, you should always support your children regardless I feel. Regarding the children choosing the dolls, I don't think it had anything to do with them thinking black was truly bad, but more so that they see how society reacts and how society chooses, therefore influencing their choice. The skin color may not have even occurred to them, they may have just thought of an instance where the question was posed to someone else in a certain way and they chose white as well. Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:12:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81427236 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81425517 Lesson 10-6/23/10-The study with the dolls was quite shocking. I was very startled to see that children so young were already taking part in racial decisions. The number of black children that chose the caucasian baby was very surprising. I recall the number being 15 out of 21 black children choosing the white dolls. It seems that from the current culture that very young children are already becoming part of racial issues which is very disturbing. This is also seen from the story that the Doctor talks about when he was at dinner at some friends house who were black, and the black child is told by another four year old friend that she is dirty. It seems that the situation is not improving and that at a younger and younger age children are being exposed to racial tension. At a young age myself I actually was lucky enough to find out what it was like to be a minority as a white male. My experience coincided with Pop Warner football when I was 9 and 10 years old. I grew up in a very affluent town in Connecticut, however there was one very small section called Scalzi park which people would say is in the “bad” section of Stamford. Because there was only one football team in the town and it happened to be stationed out of that area the team was about 75-85% black. This thrust me into being an outside of sorts at a very young age, and I was fighting to be accepted on my football team for most of the season. Luckily, I had a taste of what it was like to feel different far before most white people if in fact they do at all during their life. I myself can be guilty of circling the wagons. I have routinely hung out with people that have my same beliefs for many years in my young adult life. I guess almost everyone can have the habit of doing this, because who would want to hang out with someone that does not agree with them in most circumstances? I can see how every ethnic group can succumb to tightening their wagon circle, people naturally want to hang out with others who they feel comfortable with and agree with them. Regarding the Jena 6 gathering I Initially felt that the second phrase lended to the immersion stage. Because the woman is pretty much saying, Why would these white people be here? When in fact it wasn't a matter of race yet, human rights in general and the color of the people there should not have been in play. I thought the Doctor made a great point in saying that in order for a person to understand race and let it go they need to experience all these stages first. Kind of reminds me of American History X where Edward Norton's character dealt with immersion and became a humanitarian. Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:59:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81425517 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80588430 Reply to JJlayton-due 6/20/10 It is very true, we have wash clothes on display all over my house because my mother insists on decorations yet no one in the house ever uses a washcloth. The wet dog smell thing kind of surprised me though because I have never head it and I have been around quite a few black people in my life and they definitely would have let me in on something like that, probably kidding me about it. I do remember seeing Dave Chappelle making fun of white people in a stand up routine because we did not use washclothes, I remember laughing because I thought it was so true. Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:20:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80588430 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80586371 Lesson 9-Due 6/20/10 I found white guilt as a very interesting subject. I had never really thought about it before this lecture. At times I have found myself a little remorseful about what has been done to Native Americans in this country in the past, but that was pretty much the extent of it. This class has really led me into the Awakening stage. I have truly started to seek a deeper understanding about race issues and I feel have begun to lay the foundation to advance to the next stage in a positive way. The professor is right, from lectures and information so far in this class, I have wanted to address issues and racism in random discussions between people I know. Not so much as I am fighting for another race, more so the reason I want my friends to understand race, and what it truly means. I don't want them to ignorantly make blind statements about other races, as much as understand why they are making those comments. Aside from the Awakening I feel that I am also experiencing a bit of Revisioning. I do see a very large problem with political correctness yet, at the same time I have begun to see the racial inequality because of arguments such as the king of the mountain theory etc. I have also tried to bring up facts about racism for people of color in order for them to understand it as well, and they can be just as racist as whites and make just as ridiculous ignorantly blind statements. I can very easily see that the discomfort that white people feel can lead them right back into their old ways of thought. The discomfort can truly bring out anger because who wants to continuously feel awkward and uncomfortable in certain situations? I have known about the Black People Love Us website for some time now, and yes it is quite hilarious. I was not aware of the fact however, that black people thought all white people smelled like wet-dogs if they are wet. I did know however that Black people use wash clothes and white people tend to not. In the topic of these assumptions however, I can recall one that whites most often think about blacks and that is, black people generally smell like cocoa butter. So, in essence both sides are guilty of such comments regarding smells. The Doctor made a great point about the race table and just keeping your mouth shut after making certain comments because you cannot dig yourself out of the hole. I can see how an individual such as the student got tired of the “your white your advantaged” blame game and basically was just tired of race. Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:00:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80586371 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80418225 Lesson 8-6/16/10 Reply to Kac 5293 I am right there with you, as I stated in my blog post, In Florida I had quite a few black friends who thought I had no problems because I was a “white boy” from New York. I remember the word that they always used to use to refer to things white people liked or the way white people act as “Corny”. You are right about the Awakening, most people just end up stuck there. They do not go forward or back they just recognize the fact that it is “Us and Them”. Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:23:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80418225 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80417687 Lesson 8- 6/16/10 This lecture was very interesting because it made me think long and hard about being a white person. The doctor brought up a lot of things especially the pre-awakening stage which I had not thought much about until now. I must admit that I am part of that stage. And talking about that stage had made me start to realize my “Awakening”. I previously never thought about the issues about being white because I lived a very sheltered life growing up. I suppose my background, education and upbringing had a lot to do with it. I lived in a remotely affluent area, and attended a very strict catholic school for many years. Although surrounded by different races I was so sheltered I never thought to realize my difference of being white. As I grew older and lived in other parts of the United States where cast assumptions are made about all different races specifically blacks thought of whites, I started to get a little taste of what it meant to be white. Yet, because of my past I was still clinging to Pre-Awakening. As I think back to when I lived in Florida for instance, I can recall significant instances where black individuals I knew would make comments about how easy life was for me and I had no problems because no one gave me a hard time, and my favorite, cops never pulled me over just because I was black. Also the comedian stereotypes where the white person is uncool and whenever imitating a white voice comedians tend to do a geeky voice as if all whites are in fact geeks. The simple fact was I liked and acted the same things most of them did, I also had problems just like they did. I may not truly know what it is like to be black, but now I do know what it means to be discriminated against. I know the Doctor how that my whole life I have been getting affirmative action, yet I still have suffered from it personally. It is my dream to become a police officer and I am at this point vastly overqualified for pretty much all of the departments I have applied to and have been told personally, by administrators that the reason they cannot hire me is because they need to reserve spots for individuals without caucasian backgrounds. So, I too have suffered for being white in a significant circumstance, and when I think about instances such as that, I do begin to truly become part of the awakening. Yes, as Louis C.K. states, it is frigging great to be white! but, I still have problems and have faced issues because of it. As far as the PC goes, I think Robert Byrd was right, it becomes worse because it is talked about and over emphasized way too much to the point where it's beating a dead horse in some cases. He shouldn't even have had to apologize for his comment. It is obvious he wasn't trying to hurt anyone and it wasn't off-color at all. The fact that he had to truly shows how the effects of PC are very negative. No one can simply speak their mind for fear of “harming” someone. Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:18:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80417687 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79116878 06/18/10 Reply to Colour of change- I have taken many incarceration classes at penn state for the Bachelor of science in criminal justice and you are spot on, the Dr. is definitely right on target. The drug laws have provided as such that so called “black drugs”(crack) hold harsher sentences than “white drugs”(cocaine) which are seen in the prevalent societies. For instance if an individual is arrested holding an ounce of cocaine and an individual is holding an ounce of crack, the punishment for the offender holding the crack would be much more severe than the individual who was caught holding the same amount of cocaine. The rest of the statistics the Dr. talks about are sad but very true. Tue, 8 Jun 2010 15:11:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79116878 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79116131 06/08/10-Lesson 6 I can very vividly remember playing King of the Mountain with my fellow students on a grassy hill in the front of my elementary school in the early to mid 1990's, so it was a great anology to explain how races have been kept down and treated unequally because the more privileged have tried to make it so. It also aided in understanding Free Will and Determinism a bit better. Determinism having to do with the situation or environment you are in from instances outside of your control such as those above you keeping you down, but you are still able to make your own decisions with “one hand tied behind your back” so to speak. The GI loan aspect after world war II was pretty startling. Both of my grandfathers got the loans after world war II. One graduated from penn state and went on to get his masters degree and the other got his associates and I am pretty sure money for a house because he was a father of 8 children. I was stunned to see that only 100 were given out to individuals of color. It seems as if that was so substantial to the world as we know it now. It seems that if the amount of blacks that applied for the loans and were eligible had received them, the professor makes perfect sense when saying, they would be a large part of our families and everyday life and we would have grown up not knowing anything different. Having blacks in school, at your job, or in your family wouldn't seem rare at all. I remember two instances growing up in Connecticut where it was obvious there was a huge divide between my race (caucasian) and ethnic races socially. I can remember turning to my mother very young, about 5 years old, and asked her, “mommy, why are black people the only people who get arrested?” I was so young yet because of the world I had seen and environment I lived in at the time it seemed as commonplace. The second instance was when I was the same age and a distant family relative married a black woman and at such a young age of again about 5, I referred to it as “jungle fever”. Again, it was because of the influence around me and I was not used to it had the environment been different I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Regarding wealth and things being handed down to benefit people that others do not receive I can attest to happening quite often in our society. I myself will be handed something eventually, as my parents were before me. So, I can definitely see where the Dr. is coming from and it is similar for affirmative action, I never thought about it in that respect. I always complain about affirmative action and never realized that I have been getting it my whole life from other white people. I do now acknowledge that white people got to the top of the mountain and made rules and laws so other people could not get to the top. I never realized conservatism as separate from republican, it was interesting to finally find out there is actually a differentiation of the two. I believe it truly isn't all hard work but also how much you are indeed helped along the way. Tue, 8 Jun 2010 15:05:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79116131 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78238418 6/2/10-Reply In response to your comment miss Layton, It is good to see that you are accomplishing your goal and finishing school. I myself was classified as one of those "white" students gliding by. I spent my first 5 years of school as one big party. Then I took a semester off and applied to penn state after a light went off and I realized I better get my life in gear and get a good degree before it's too late. So, now I work full-time and have worked extremely hard for over a year and a half straight to finally be able to graduate this year with my bachelors degree from a very well respected university. I look at it as for a while I made bad choices then, as the professor said, one day a light went off. I wish the light had gone off sooner and I hadn't wasted my parents time and patience but I am making my life better regardless. It was quite an inspirational lecture and no doubt will help me with further vital decisions within my life such as a masters or juris doctorate degree. I to have worked hard it is refreshing to see others who are making the right decisions and making their lives better. Thanks, Richard Risteen Wed, 2 Jun 2010 18:12:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78238418 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78236432 6/2/10-Lesson 5 It is so interesting to see how race comes into play when discussing the biological differences and how you explain the social separations and income levels. Dr. Richards made a great point when gathering students of different colors, i.e. black, brown, white to the front of the lecture hall and discussed the income levels separately, as opposed to the whole group average. Then alternating their positions according to income levels when talking about how they in fact may be in real life and not according to statistics. I myself tend to think that the social separation tends to do with the Socio-psycho Cognitive. I have lived this first hand, I am 25 and finally about to graduate college. Not because of my biological makeup, how smart I am, or my family but because the first time around I made bad decisions and decided to pickup a beer rather than a book. So now, I have been feverishly working like a dog the past year and a half to finally graduate while holding a full-time job and I believe it is all because of choices that I made. I feel that when you break it down, every human has choices unless mentally handicap or physical handicap. Other than that every situation can be altered. But, some may argue the socio-structural side saying that their social structure does not provide for these choices. But I truly feel where there is a will there is a way. I do feel however that pertaining to sports in general and not personal life choices that the socio- structural and biological side may have something to do with the ethnicity of people in certain sports. I.e. hockey being very expensive and predominantly european and so is skiing. Also the biological tendencies as compared with the Korean student and the West African student and their bodies. Dr. Richards hit the nail on the head when comparing himself with different students, I as a caucasian student couldn't think of one reason why the white student may have less money or a lesser job right off the bat, I was definitely speechless. The first part of the lecture definitely helped me realize that race is not there and shouldn't be a factor. Oh, and I can honestly say, I actually thought when I was younger that the reason black people were better at sports was because not that they had an extra bone in their leg but, an extra muscle in their calfs! I don't know why I used to listen to my friends so much! Again with the second part of the lecture the Dr. brings about how it is different in looking at individuals rather than groups, when he talks about IQ levels. And the biological makeup having to do with people being smarter ancestrally. I really enjoyed the Dr.'s emphasis on Freedom and in the end we are always free, and that there is no constraint in the world to keep us from making decisions in situations. Unless, of course you are physically tied down. The emphasis on choice being made in the lecture has really got me agreeing with the fact that this is the most important lesson in my college career. It is all choices, If I strive to do better I can make the choices to do so. Those words definitely resinate in my mind “FREE YOURSELF, IT'S YOUR FAULT”. You definitely can't assume that based on color certain people are richer than others. As the Doctor discusses black and brown people that may be extremely wealthy I can recall a wealth of Middle Eastern students at USF in Tampa when I attended there who were nephews, sons, extended family, and princess of sheiks etc. and were worth millions. You never know, As they say “looks can be deceiving. I found it very interesting that both the free will and determinism perspective were both equally true, I personally thought that free-will was much more prevalent. Another great Lesson in the books! Thanks, Richard Risteen Wed, 2 Jun 2010 17:56:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78236432 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78214677 Sam I am right there with you on wishing I could buy more grass fed, free-range meat it really is just too expensive. I also agree with you on stand hunting, it is a great view. Safari hunting in Africa, where you are going up against some formidable competition, now THAT is hunting. But like you said about trophy hunting where your view about it is just as one sided as any other ethnocentric vision, I am sure that tree stand hunters have their arguments as well. But, yes it is better for one bullet to kill one animal than the wholesale slaughter of millions. I also agree that stoning is a deterrent and if the individuals know full well it is coming, why commit the act? The problem isn't with the punishment either it is within the laws and mandates set up to call for such a punishment. The laws might be extremely unreasonable, but hey it is ethnocentricity no matter which side you look at it. One side thinks they are right as well as the other. Wed, 2 Jun 2010 15:01:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78214677 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78213578 6/2/10-Lesson 4 Well, another week and another great lecture. During the first lecture on Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism, I remembered one gleaming past instance of it from my childhood about twelve years ago. In which, we were having a party at my family's home and many close friends were over. I remember playing with a friend of the family who was about my age at the time (12 or 13) and I was talking about my football team as I had been playing pee wee football for years at this point, and I had asked if he wanted to throw the ball around. He mistook what I said as meaning soccer, I was floored by his “misconception” and deemed him in my mind as “stupid” and laughed that he called soccer football. I then went to my mother and laughed basically calling him an idiot to her, then she turned it around on me to my surprised, “Sweetie, This is the only place in the world where football is called football throughout the world football is known as soccer”. Through my own ethnocentricities and cultural relativism I turned out to be the wrong one. And in my tiny town and through my tiny world I had no idea that I was in fact wrong and the one who has the misconception. As for hunting being ethical, I completely agree and as I am sure other students have stated I would love to buy free range grass fed meat because the life that factory farmed meats live is dispicable. My father for example is an expert duck hunter and eats whatever he kills in an outing, it is completely respectable, he respects the beauty and nature of the animal as well as the landscape. When duck hunting you can sit for hours at a time, still, just waiting for the flock to come appreciating the nature around you. The second lecture on christian invaders was great, I had actually thought about it many times myself. I to do not believe what the insurgents are doing is acceptable by any means whatsoever, yet I do understand why they are doing it. For example, I always use the Bear and the honey as an example. It is widely known in nature that bears have an affinity for honey. They will find a nest and do whatever is in their power to extract the honey combs from the hive. However, the hive is a home to bees and when the bear is trying to take their home, and resource away, they try to protect it and start stinging the bear trying to defend their hive i.e. homeland. The acceptance of number of civilian casualties in bombing raids was quite a shock, I had no idea they put a limit on numbers, and why 29? why not 28? or 30? Maybe they just picked a random number? I recently read yesterday that coalition forces led a missile attack a few days ago and apparently killed the number 3 man in command of the Taliban, Mustafa al-Yazid, in Afghanistan. According to media outlets and the military this is a monstrous crippling blow to the terrorist infrastructure since the war in Afghanistan began. This “achievement” however came at a cost. His family, If I remember correctly the missile strike killed his wife, three daughters, a grand child, and reportedly other men women and children. If anyone wishes to watch a great cheesy 80's film that might give you an idea of Dr. Richards means when trying to put us in their shoes, watch RED DAWN w/ Patrick Swayze and an all-star 80's cast. Wed, 2 Jun 2010 14:52:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment78213578 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment76914521 Great post, I agree with you the Linneaus classification of race was rather funny. I to think that it was rather absurd to list caucasians as gentle considering at the time one could make a very good case that they were anything but. It is indeed pretty shocking to think that more slaves exist in the world today than ever did throughout human history. It was pretty interesting to see the hands on grouping of the students. I would have switched some around as well, but we each have had our own experiences with different cultures and races, some more extensive than others. The whitening creams were as well very interesting, I am curious to see how well they work on the student who volunteered each class to have the cream put on his hands. It is pretty scary to think that the cream can actually eat away the first layer of the epidermis. I can't understand the need to want to look darker, I guess for me for instance I feel that tanner women look more exotic, hence I tend to be more attracted to them and I am white myself yet am darker than usual and tan very easily and do not really burn. I guess I must have some ancestry that has to explain my skin tone. Mon, 24 May 2010 16:07:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race__trashed/#IDComment76914521