en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/758227 Comments by TDactyl https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69969947 We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. cont. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:16:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69969947 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975869 The information and perspective of being a Muslim in the Middle East really opened my eyes and helped me fully understand what is happening and partially why it is happening. It all just really made sense to me. For this reason I find it strange that some people could still get offended by this lecture. The only way I could see someone getting offended by this lecture is if you were not paying attention closely and then heard something out of context and then just completely shut Sam out. Which in my opinion is very possible with what I see people doing around me each class (texting, talking, reading. etc)? Either way it was a great lecture and I want to give props to same for crushing it. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:02:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975869 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975817 . We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:02:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975817 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975737 We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. The information and perspective of being a Muslim in the Middle East really opened my eyes and helped me fully understand what is happening and partially why it is happening. It all just really made sense to me. For this reason I find it strange that some people could still get offended by this lecture. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:01:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975737 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975688 That video was in your face and if you attended the lecture you would completely understand where this video and Sam is coming from. Thumbs up to whoever edited this too. Good work, it is very intense just like the Jihad video we watched in class. On another note I am not sure how you could get offended by this after attending the lecture and understanding what Sam was trying to do. We were switching places and cultures to better understand where Muslims are coming from and why some might join the fight against America. Just like some Americans believe all Muslims are bad there are Muslims that think all Americans are bad. This is a small portion of each culture but the media presents only one side of each argument for each country. For America were fighting nothing but radicals and for Muslims in the Middle East it’s a fight against radical Christians who are invading their land. The lecture was just meant to show that this does not just happen by chance but is instead created from many misunderstood interpretations by both sides. Just like we develop are ideas from what we see about Muslims on the news, Muslims do the same in relation to Christians. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:01:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69975688 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69974270 Part 2: We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. The information and perspective of being a Muslim in the Middle East really opened my eyes and helped me fully understand what is happening and partially why it is happening. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:48:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69974270 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-full-lecture__trashed/#IDComment69973484 That video was in your face and if you attended the lecture you would completely understand where this video and Sam is coming from. Thumbs up to whoever edited this too. Good work, it is very intense just like the Jihad video we watched in class. On another note I am not sure how you could get offended by this after attending the lecture and understanding what Sam was trying to do. We were switching places and cultures to better understand where Muslims are coming from and why some might join the fight against America. Just like some Americans believe all Muslims are bad there are Muslims that think all Americans are bad. This is a small portion of each culture but the media presents only one side of each argument for each country. For America were fighting nothing but radicals and for Muslims in the Middle East it’s a fight against radical Christians who are invading their land. The lecture was just meant to show that this does not just happen by chance but is instead created from many misunderstood interpretations by both sides. Just like we develop are ideas from what we see about Muslims on the news, Muslims do the same in relation to Christians. We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. The information and perspective of being a Muslim in the Middle East really opened my eyes and helped me fully understand what is happening and partially why it is happening. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:41:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-full-lecture__trashed/#IDComment69973484 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69972807 Just like we develop are ideas from what we see about Muslims on the news, Muslims do the same in relation to Christians. We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:36:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69972807 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69969706 That video was in your face and if you attended the lecture you would completely understand where this video and Sam is coming from. Thumbs up to whoever edited this too. Good work, it is very intense just like the Jihad video we watched in class. On another note I am not sure how you could get offended by this after attending the lecture and understanding what Sam was trying to do. We were switching places and cultures to better understand where Muslims are coming from and why some might join the fight against America. Just like some Americans believe all Muslims are bad there are Muslims that think all Americans are bad. This is a small portion of each culture but the media presents only one side of each argument for each country. For America were fighting nothing but radicals and for Muslims in the Middle East it’s a fight against radical Christians who are invading their land. The lecture was just meant to show that this does not just happen by chance but is instead created from many misunderstood interpretations by both sides. Just like we develop are ideas from what we see about Muslims on the news, Muslims do the same in relation to Christians. We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. The information and perspective of being a Muslim in the Middle East really opened my eyes and helped me fully understand what is happening and partially why it is happening. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:14:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69969706 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69968330 I honestly think part of us "moving on" is that Americans have become numb to the death of a human life. We watch the news and we hear about the murders and other deaths that have occurred the night before and we just pass it off. We also watch the shot em up movies and horror films and think nothing of it. I think this directly plays a role in Americans not valuing lives as much or at least becoming numb to the situation of death. If it is not right in our faces we just pass it off and move on with our lives like nothing happen. I don't know why this is the case but it seems to be a growing trend. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:02:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69968330 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69968036 First off the creators of South Park are absolute geniuses in my book and are extremely good at poking fun at some of the stupid things that are occurring in the world (i.e.. sex addiction). In regards to the Muhammad episode, this is not the first time they have poked fun at Muhammad or any other religion. They have been doing this for a long time and they do it in a way to make some viewers very offended and then others like me can see the humor in it. In my own opinion people just need to relax and don't let a cartoon influence you too much. I know some people can't do this and that's why the creators of South Park got death threats but come on guys it’s a cartoon with third graders who cuss and zdo derogatory things...RELAX! Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:59:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69968036 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69967583 That video was in your face and if you attended the lecture you would completely understand where this video and Sam is coming from. Thumbs up to whoever edited this too. Good work, it is very intense just like the Jihad video we watched in class. On another note I am not sure how you could get offended by this after attending the lecture and understanding what Sam was trying to do. We were switching places and cultures to better understand where Muslims are coming from and why some might join the fight against America. Just like some Americans believe all Muslims are bad there are Muslims that think all Americans are bad. This is a small portion of each culture but the media presents only one side of each argument for each country. For America were fighting nothing but radicals and for Muslims in the Middle East it’s a fight against radical Christians who are invading their land. The lecture was just meant to show that this does not just happen by chance but is instead created from many misunderstood interpretations by both sides. Just like we develop our ideas from what we see about Muslims on the news, Muslims do the same in relation to Christians. We see the destruction and the resistance and Muslims see "Christian invaders" such as George Bush who label the war as a crusade. When the media reports this to the public what are they suppose to assume about the war other then it is a religious conquest? This idea is what Sam was getting at and that is why we were supposed to be in the shoes of the Muslims and try to understand everything from their side. Which I fully grasped and I now have a totally different appreciation for the war and why Muslims in the Middle East may hate us. Prior to the lecture I never really took the time to understand why Muslims may hate us but after the lecture it became quite clear and to me it was very understandable. This was probably the best lecture of the year in my opinion and possible the best lectures I have attend in my college experience thus far. The information and perspective of being a Muslim in the Middle East really opened my eyes and helped me fully understand what is happening and partially why it is happening. It all just really made sense to me. For this reason I find it strange that some people could still get offended by this lecture. The only way I could see someone getting offended by this lecture is if you were not paying attention and then heard something out of context and then just completely shut Sam out. Which in my opinion is very possible with what I see people doing around me each class (texting, talking, reading. etc). Either way it was a great lecture and I want to give props to Sam for crushing it. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:56:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69967583 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment67592343 There absolutely has to be a step two. I think the United States could be the first country to pave the way to rectifying this problem. I think this issue does not have a quick fix but is a matter instead that must be done in phases. If we just stop trading with these countries all together we will just make things worse for them and ourselves. However, if we can begin to phase out our importing of know products that are produce via slave labor I think we could begin to put a dent in the problem. I think a good starter would be to acknowledge the problem as a nation and push toward a way to resolve it. If we can educate people across the nation I believe we can begin to fix the problem. I think right now there are not enough people aware of the issue and that’s why there has not been a strong push as of yet to stop it. Once the public becomes aware I think step 2 can begin. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:15:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment67592343 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66260767 Wow. I really do not know how much farther video games can go at this point. This is totally insane and crosses so many lines. I don’t really know where to begin by addressing this issue. Who created this type of game is my initial reaction and why would they every think this is a good idea? The sad part of it is the creator is probably making millions off of a bunch of “sick” people who end up buying these games. I just do not understand how the government could allow this to continue. Just imagine young kid playing this game and the influence it would have on a young mind. This is just downright terrible! Tue, 6 Apr 2010 19:39:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66260767 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66255607 I feel like I learned a lot of valuable information at the beginning of this class primarily the information that was taught prior to the first exam. For example the inequality lectures that discussed income differences and the race breakdowns of crime rates in the nation. At the very least this information made me think a little more in depth about issues. I can’t say that my opinions have been completely flipped but I do see certain issues in a new light. Honestly, I am not sure how that this could not happen to ever person in the class with how intense some of the lecture information and media clips are. Sam presented some very powerful information during the first half of the semester that was back by statistics that let me better understand what is really going on in the world today especially when it relates to race relations. That being said I can see why some people might completely block Sam out because of his off the wall ideas and thinking. People are usually presented with information in a very direct way that is not accompanied with opinions from the professor. And the opinions or stories that Sam usually presents are not mainstream ideas that most people have heard before. Sam on the other hand just says whatever is on his mind no matter what the topic may be. I personally like this because he is honest and straight forward with the class and it makes the class stay in tuned with what he is saying. When he says something wild you know people are listening and taking the information in and thinking about it at the very least because of the response of the classroom. I give him a lot of credit for this and it is like he always says he wants you to think and I believe he has accomplished that in my personal opinion. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have come home and told my roommates what I just heard in lecture today. For this reason I think it is impossible to say that I have not taking the information and just completely ignored it and just sat there during this semester. If I talk about information an hour after class you know something is getting through and making you think about the information. I soak up everything Sam says no matter how different it may be from my opinion so I can expand my mind and understand other people’s views. I honestly do not think you can just go through life and be stubborn and not consider other people’s opinions no matter how extreme they may be. With that being said I think Sam has done a good job expanding my mind and helping me see things from a different vantage point. Tue, 6 Apr 2010 18:59:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66255607 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64895277 This is something that I have heard about before but never really looked into the exact number of the majority versus the minority because I really do not see it as a monumental thing. It may just be because I am white but it is most likely because when I was growing up I lived in an area that was already split in half when it came to minorities and white people. For this reason I never really cared about it because I was already living in it and it did not have that big of an influence on me. I doubt that when the day comes when white people are now the minority that any race from the previous minority will really give it much thought either. Some areas probably won’t even notice the difference and others who do have more minorities have always been in contact with minorities so it is not a big deal. A person from North Dakota is just as likely to not see a difference as someone from the South because it is all about perspective. The people from North Dakota are not diverse and it will continue to not be and people from the South are already diverse so there already part of the “switch” in who will be the minority. For this reason I do not think it will be a big deal. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:47:05 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64895277 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64892497 I think Americans just like to complain and argue about anything possible, I think it has just become a part of our culture to question everything. When you think about it that is how this nation was created. We questioned British rule and complained about it and eventually broke away. Since this is how America reacts to everything it does not surprise me that people would complain about something as simple as the census. I also think you could make the simplest survey imaginable and people would still confuse themselves. For instance you could have a question like check yes if you are currently breathing and some people would not know what to check or be offended. It is simple, some people do not think to in depth about it and others just feel like they must be offended somehow. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:26:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64892497 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64883860 After watching this video I felt like I just got punched in the stomach and had the wind knocked out of me. I watched, and my mind just went crazy trying to understand how this could be and how terrible it is that these young children have these views. I am in no way blaming it on the children but it raises the question of how this came to be and how we can change this thinking. It saddens me to see these children become socialized to think this way without ever really understanding why they have developed these ideas. It is truly amazing how at such a young age these children can make these generalizations. However, when you stop to think about it for a second it really is not that hard to understand and realize why it is the way it is. Just turn on the cartoons and other shows that young kids watch on a daily basis today. Think about almost every Disney production, they are probably the best example of the biases toward white features and characters in TV today. When you take the time to think about it you realize that almost every show on TV depicts white characters. In most instances these characters have qualities that are deemed by the public to be respectful and good. It does not take a child very long to come to understand that this is the “nice or good” way of doing things. Since this is what is shown to black children from the time they can comprehend speech it makes sense that this is what a young African American child would think. Maybe this means that the media has to change and that African Americans should become a bigger part of what young children see on TV. Another concern that came to mind after watching the clip a few times was what does this mean for young white children. If young black children see white as good it would only make sense that young white children see themselves as good and if there good does that mean they see black children as bad? This is what really frightens me, I know white children are less likely to associate with race because of being the majority but I think it is an issue that is at least worth thinking about. I would personally be interested to see how this study would go if it were young white children instead. Would the white child react the same way and say that the white doll was good and the black doll was bad? I have no way of being sure one way or the other but my instincts tell me that this would be the case. It is at least an interesting idea that could provide results that could help us better understand why and what causes this. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:18:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64883860 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63589382 This is an interesting point that this person brings up and one that probably does not have a definitive answer to it. I think when it comes down to it a person who is multiracial would just side with whatever they felt more comfortable with. Who is to say there right or wrong if they decide to be classified as white or “colored.” It should be a personal choice and just be left as that. I do however like the statement he made about how everyone is a person of color because white its self is a color. I think if everyone could look at race relations in this way we would have less inequalities and discrimination among everyone. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:12:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63589382 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63586629 I would have to agree with the majority of the points you made and would like to expand on one point specifically. The point you made about how from an early childhood kids are taught that Indians and Pilgrims were buddies when in truth it could not have been more different. With this style of teaching it makes me wonder if it would be appropriate to just hold off on in depth race relation discussions until a child is older and can fully understand the issue. Instead of teaching false information that will stick with a child and instead of scaring them at a young age with the truths maybe it would be better to wait until a child is in the 4th or 5th grade to tell them the facts. I think this could really go a long way in race relation discussion because I think at this age kids begin to make choices by themselves and can better comprehend the information their taught. Just an idea I thought I would throw out there. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:43:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63586629