en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1116943 Comments by ViciousVirgo https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85433167 i completely agree with you with the fact that a school's location can greatly affect the outcome of a person's life. I always say that a change in environment can change a persons life. whether it is a good or bad change, it still happens. For me, i am from Philadelphia but was priviledged enough to live in New Jersey while i went to school in Philly. I had a surburban lifestyle even though i went to school in the inner city. I went to a catholic school and that was a good education but once everybody got outside those doors and went home, it was the opposite lifestyle. There was a hectic environment and it is a very violent bad neighborhood. Since this was the area that the majority of my classmates grew up in, they were not offered the same opportunities as me and they also did not want to take the same route i did. that isn't a problem but it is also due to the fact that they were not surrounded by the same environment i was. I was the only one who went to, what i feel as though, is a respectable, well known, smart school. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 03:09:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85433167 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85417505 Another thing I also found interesting is the section about the commandments and what percentage of people follow each one. I find it shocking that there were such high percentages for a lot of them such as honoring your mother and father or using God’s name in vain. I think people pick and choose what they put in each category. I am pretty sure that a lot of people do not follow those specific commandments down to a T and in fact have went against them on more than one occasion or more than they actually think. Commandments such as Honor nobody before God has a high percentage but I know for a fact that people put alcohol or sex or relationships or shopping before going to church which is technically putting something before God. While looking at this, I think people pick and choose what to put in which category or try to make what they don’t do in that category acceptable or an exception to the rule. Even when I went to a catholic school growing up, my theology teacher told us many stories about how she doesn’t follow the commandments as much as she should but she really tries. So if she said that, being a very committed Christian, I can imagine people who do not pay attention or take their religion as seriously are worse than her. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 01:16:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85417505 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85417477 I never really had a clear understanding of what Affirmative Action was but I have a general understanding. What I do not understand is why this even came about or why it still exists. Things like this to me are the reason we will never be all the way equal. If you give somebody an advantage based on some characteristic that they would not normally receive, that is already putting one person or group at an advantage and another at a disadvantage. This makes me wonder how people in general ever expect anybody to try and be equal with another person when you have official legal proceedings that allow someone to benefit from something based off of race, gender or their able-bodied status. On the other hand, the slide said that it discriminates against whites and men which I honestly do not feel bad about because it is reversed all the time. To me, that is one way of making us close to equal, by putting whites and men at a disadvantage just like women and minorities are at a disadvantage a lot of the times. I just think things such as affirmative action make things worse and it does not come close to making things better because someone has the advantage for the wrong reasons so it is harming not only that person but the people that are at a disadvantage too. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 01:16:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85417477 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84813802 I can understand your frustration when it comes to people that you can not understand. I wrote about this on more than one occassion. With me, it is frustrating when i can not understand the person but it also frustrates me that some businesses over here, a country who's language is primarily english, hires people to operate and run things who do not speak this language. I feel as though if the native language is english, people should speak it if they are giving me a service. I think if i were to go to another country and speak my english, it would frustrate a lot of people if their language isn't primarily english. it is just a matter of who you pick to run things over here. Mon, 5 Jul 2010 02:23:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84813802 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83649543 I just think it is ridiculous that we can pick and choose who is in and who is out in our society. We cancel people out and make them feel like shit just because we think it is wrong. What is actually wrong? Is it because our bodies were made for the opposite body parts to enter? Is it because the bible says so? Do we actually take the time to figure out what is so wrong about two people being happy? I am far from a homosexual but I also think it is ridiculous. I could not imagine someone treating me the way some people treat homosexuals because of who I choose to love or what I choose to do with them. If I want to get married, I should be able to or even if I don’t get married, I should have the same rights as everybody else. Love is love. Bottom line. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:55:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83649543 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83649414 Being around a lot of people who are homosexuals and even having friends who are gay, I have had a lot of talks concerning this issue. Some of them feel as though it is a waste to even express their sexuality or try to fit in with society and they genuinely feel like an outcast. I have friends who are females who have cut their hair just to appear as a man and make their relationship seem a little more acceptable. They said it is not because they wanted to but because they are so shunned by society, they just want to be happy. It makes me think about how much in life they are discriminated against. In organizations, sororities and sports, they are looked at differently or even turned away simply because of their sexual orientation. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:55:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83649414 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83649387 I am glad we got to this lesson because it makes me think of where I am from and also my upbringing when it comes to this topic. The first thing I want to mention is where I am from and how homosexuality is viewed there. I am from Philadelphia and in Philly, the younger generation is more disrespectful to me when it comes to homosexuality and they really make it hard for people that are truly in love with the same sex to get the same respect as straight people. I say this because in high school or amongst the younger generation, you see a lot of kids just doing it because it is “in.” They may not truly be in love with the person or dating someone of the same sex might not even be their thing but they experiment and get in a bunch of relationships just because. When this happens, the older generations and even their peers who are truly homosexuals, do not respect them or take them seriously. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:54:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83649387 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83640982 As a Human development family studies major, this lesson was beneficial. I like how you mentioned the example with the little boy and the doll baby. I have heard this plenty of times from not only my major but parents and people in general. It makes me really wonder. As a parent, do you stop your child from playing with something that he may honestly enjoy, risking him turning feminine when he gets older or do you allow them to have the fun they want to have as a child and see how they turn out. Is it nature or nurture that affects the way a child grows up when it comes to stuff like what toys they play with when they are younger. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:23:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83640982 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83639732 It also makes me think do a lot of people know what an immigrant actually is. I finished talking to my roommates and I began to wonder if this was a form of racism and discrimination. A lot of people do not wish for immigrants to be here even if their intentions are good. Some people do not support a lot of businesses because they are run by immigrants or people that are assumed to be immigrants. I also noticed that when I am out with my friend, if something goes wrong at a fast food restaurant or any establishment that is run by a foreigner, they automatically throw racial slurs at them and begin talking about how they are illegal immigrants. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:18:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83639732 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83639603 A few lessons ago I talked about how some accents bother me because in America it Is frustrating to have to struggle to do business with people who are not from here. My roommates agreed but they also realize that sometimes the people are not necessarily from other countries but right here in America. When I looked at the other slide that compared what I like to think of as the good vs. bad immigrant, I began to think on a broad scale. You have the immigrants who come over here to honestly make a living and try to better their lives for their families and children and then you have some that come over here and conduct the same dirty business that they do in their own countries. It is horrible to me that we mix all of the immigrants into one category. I think this is how a lot of prejudices begin. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:18:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83639603 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83639571 I like looking at the slides during the lecture and seeing what pops in my head when I think of what the slides say. I read the intro slide for the immigration lesson to my roommate and she began laughing and it made me wonder why. I admit, I gave a little chuckle but then we took the time to analyze why. The intro slide says “They keep coming,” and when I had a conversation with my roommates I asked why was it funny and what were the reasons we agree with the statement or why do we feel it is true. The first couple of things that came out of their mouths was that they automatically assume Mexicans and Asians are the only form of immigrants and went along to say that they come over and take all of our businesses. Getting back to the intro slide, they feel as though that is exactly what is occurring with them. They come over here in so many ways illegally and then they are able to establish businesses. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:17:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment83639571 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81761476 They don't show their full potential. For public schools, it is mostly for families who can't afford tuition of a catholic school and usually the public school atmosphere is horrible compared to catholic schools. There are fights, security guards and cops everyday. It is just a horrible environment that about 90 percent of the kids are satisfied with and proud of. The 10 percent who only went there due to financial issues but really want to learn and succeed, they have to shy away from their intelligence based on survival and to not get viewed as being white or corny/nerdy. SAD! Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:51:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81761476 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81761393 This is amazing how you stated that the smarter blacks are, the less popular they are. I JUST posted about the same thing in my blog. Coming from Philadelphia, I can speak based on experience. It depends on the kind of school you go to honestly. I went to a catholic elementary and high school in Philadelphia and it was good to be smart. Nobody made fun of you and you were proud to be the top of your class. I graduated number 1 in elementary and not to toot my own horn but I was the most popular girl in my class. I graduated in the top 30 of high school, which was more diverse compared to my all black elementary school, and my intelligence was praised and i still was popular. But if you go into a public school in Philadelphia, it is the complete opposite. If you are smart, you are teased and considered white or acting white. It is sad. It's like public school kids want to hold you down and keep you on their level and some kids act dumb just to fit in or not get picked on. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:51:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81761393 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81757393 Some children think they are not meant to go to college just because it is a higher level of learning and some people say it is for white kids. Another thing is when you graduate; you will always be under a white person. As previously stated, this is my own experience that I have noticed in Philadelphia. I am not saying this is how everybody thinks but in the inner city of Philadelphia, there is a lot going on in the minds of kids that makes them feel as though if they succeed, they are disowning their own blackness in a way and becoming white. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:39:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81757393 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81757237 Another thing that stuck out to me is the slide that states Hispanics and blacks struggle to find their place in the larger culture without becoming “white.” There are so many times where I have seen people of color in my hometown of Philadelphia, shy away from their full potential just because they do not want to be considered white. I know in the inner city, it is considered nerdy or dorky in some public schools to get all A’s or to be very intelligent, that some kids actually do bad on purpose just so they won’t be considered “white” or another negative term that is connected to white people. It is so sad because I see children that want to use their full potential but because they are a person of color, they do not want to leave their majority group and become, what to them, is the minority group. It is embarrassing in a way to know that a different race is already looked at as smarter than what you naturally are. This also gives kids a sense of self that their intelligence level is wrong if it is above a certain level. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:38:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81757237 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81757081 While watching this week’s lecture I began thinking to myself about a few things. I am a person of color but I looked on a larger scale to what some of the things being said in lecture meant to me. The first thing that stuck out to me is how people around you shape your sense of self. Now I know that in lecture Sam is talking about how ancestry shaped your sense of self but for me to relate a little, I had to modernize it a little bit. This made me think of stereotypes in a negative way and how sometimes what people say to somebody can stick so much that it becomes a part of what they truly believe. It becomes their sense of self. So for example, when somebody says the typical “angry black person” or another stereotype, a black person might believe it is acceptable to act that way or they may take on those characteristics unintentionally just because it is shaping their mind to think it is them. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:38:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81757081 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81166183 I can completely understand what you mean when you say you steer away from talking about race. i am black and i know when i sit in discussion classes i have learned that a lot of white people either od not want to talk about race or walk on egg shells when it comes to race especially if it is a black and white thing. Being black, I can give examples of why a lot of blacks do not want to talk about race with white people as well. For one, black people just do not feel that white people understand at all the struggle they go through with racism or on a daily basis so if a white person tries to understand or tries to give an example of how they themselves have been a victim of racism, black people do not want to hear it. Slavery also plays a part in it because even though other races enslaved blacks at one point in life, all black people can remember is when whites did it and also during the segregation movement, whites had the upper hand and were responsible for holding black people down. It is much deeper than white people just being nervous or just a certain racist situation they went through. All in all, i can understand where you are coming from. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:49:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81166183 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81165683 Also because it is the native language of this country. I know I can get an attitude right from the gate with Asian accents or accents of Arab people because it is very hard to understand them but yet they are running and operating in businesses where they have to talk on the phone with me. When my car broke down on my way home from University park, I was on the phone with a lady with an Arab accent and I got so frustrated I had to hang up. Im stuck in the middle of nowhere and she couldn’t even understand me and vice versa in order to try and figure out the problem. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:43:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81165683 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81165653 I was fine with this. In high school, it got better because my school was more diverse but now it was a struggle for the white girls of my school who were acting black. Any white girl who came in with a certain hair style or said certain words or even a white girl with rhythm, who can dance, was considered acting black. The second thing I wanted to comment on was the two videos about discrimination. It amazed me how different looks can determine how people treat you or even if they pay you any attention. The video based on looks I could relate to because I know I can get defensive or shy away of people look a certain way. Also, I know that I and my mother get frustrated if we hear certain accents that aren’t clear over the phone. My mother feels like if you can’t speak clear English, you shouldn’t have certain jobs where you would have to talk a lot and figure stuff out with people who talk English. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:43:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81165653 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81165619 I enjoyed watching this week’s lecture. I also enjoyed the videos featured this week. I had a comment about two things. When I saw the slide that said “acting white” I had a lot to say about it. I remember when I was younger; I heard that a lot of the time. I am African American and mixed with a lot of different ethnicities. I lived in Willingboro, New Jersey but I went to a catholic school in the inner city of Philadelphia. I have long hair and I’m light skin, I got good grades and I did not use the same slang that the majority of my classmates used. Since I was the only one that was in this situation, I was called white a lot of times or they used to say I was acting white. When I was younger I understood why they thought this but it made me realize that it was not me, it was what they were used to and grew up around. Luckily for me, I was able to live in the suburbs of New Jersey and go to a catholic school in Philly. A lot of people did not believe I was actually from Philly simply because I did not act the part of what a typical Philly person acted. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:42:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81165619