en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/763011 Comments by adobe https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70071223 Part 3: I feel that whenever you are dealing with issues like this it’s important to remember history and to see it from another angle. Another thing that really bothers me too is people who say if they want to come to the U.S. they should all speak English. Well as a matter of fact many illegal immigrants do learn to speak English, but guess what many don’t have the time because they are slaving away to make enough for their families. We are quick to say that others should learn English but when we go to other foreign countries we demand and expect others to speak to us in English. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:52:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70071223 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70071191 Part 2: Before I go on I want to clarify something else. I am not saying that illegal immigration is right, obviously it would be ideal for everyone to come to this country legally, but unfortunately that is just not possible. The people who come to this country come in the search for better opportunities, for some people it’s even a matter of life or death because the conditions in their homelands are just impossible. When I was in high school I actually used to work as an interpreter for Spanish speaking illegal immigrants at a clinic. The people that I met were incredibly hard working and just wanted a better life for their children and in a way it made me happy to see these people grow and progress in this country. I just feel like a lot of people who are quick to judge don’t really see the human side of this issue. Yes illegal immigration is wrong, but perhaps we should change our system or create some kind of program that will prevent more illegal immigration. I also really liked the video that Sam showed in class about the European immigrants who came ILLEGALLY to the U.S. I think it’s kind of ironic how people forget about that and again this is an example of ethnocentrism. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:52:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70071191 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70071069 Part 1: Thursday’s lecture was really interesting and I agree with you. I mean like you said the immigrants who come this country illegally are most likely poor therefore they don’t have the money or the requirements to come to the states legally. Not only that, but the regulations to come to the States are so strict that it’s probably another reason why there are illegal immigrants. I am glad that you brought this up because a lot of people don’t really realize this. I mean, coming to this country illegally is not by any means easy. Although there are illegal immigrants that come from all over the world, I will just use Mexico as an example. Mexicans who come to the U.S. illegally will most likely come by crossing the border this means walking through the desert! So many people die just trying to come to this country for a better life so just thinking about that is important before making stupid remarks like ( oh they are taking our jobs, and they should learn English etc..) Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:52:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70071069 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-occupied-territories__trashed/#IDComment68467577 I’m glad that you brought up this topic, because after class I was wondering about it. I was kind of hoping Sam would mention it but he didn’t really talk about it. Perhaps there wasn’t enough time. It also kind of upset when Sam was asking around about what countries are democratic in the Middle East and he mentioned that perhaps Israel was somewhat of a democracy, I feel like this is the view of the West, because to me if we are going by the meaning of democracy (a democracy is a political government carried out either directly by the people (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people) It is meant to avoid uneven distribution of political power. Yet Israel by no means practices this. Israel by no means meets these standards. I mean to me Israel is a terrorist nation. Israel continues to reinforce an occupation whose every element, including the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes, violates international humanitarian law, and particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention. It explains the absolute impunity by which Israel invades Palestinian cities, imposes a permanent closure that impoverishes millions of people or imprisons an entire people behind barbed wire, checkpoints and walls. I’m tired of hearing the same thing over and over that Israel is defending its self. I am sorry but denying people, food, water, medicine an education and imprisoning them behind walls is not defense. It’s called ethnic cleansing and genocide. The problem is a lot of people particularly in the states are not even informed of this because the American media always portrays the Palestinians as the enemies. As a matter of fact getting the information from any other international newspaper is better than relying on American media especially when it comes to international affairs. I mean this conflict has been going for over 60 years and we still haven’t done anything to stop this?? This is just unacceptable. Of course if asked about the South African apartheid or the genocide in Rwanda anyone would stand up and say yes that was unacceptable I would have been the first to do something to stop that injustice. Yet this is happening today and why are we not taking a bigger stance to help out? Israel might one of the U.S.’s biggest ally but this doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be held to the same standards as every other country. And if you say that you don’t want to be political or take a stance, well I’m sorry but you are already a part of this if you live in the states and pay taxes because our tax money is buying the weapons that the Israeli army uses to kill innocent civilians every day. I honestly hope that this conflict can be resolved soon and the U.S. seriously needs to step up and hold Israel responsible for its crimes. I think that once this conflict is solved the relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East will definitely improve. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:06:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-occupied-territories__trashed/#IDComment68467577 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66944211 Part III: It is also sad that these video games are all over the internet and that anyone can access it. I’m sure there are sick people in the U.S. who already play this video game, but I think and I hope that it won’t become popular here. There are way too many regulations and women’s rights groups that I think that anything would be done to eliminate these games. I also didn’t like the way CNN reported this because they only reported on what was happening and what these video games are like and that you can basically access them over the internet. This is obviously going to spark curiosity in some people, so I think that CNN should have included ways that we can try to stop this. Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:49:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66944211 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66944188 Part II: I also think it’s unacceptable that these types of video games are legal in Japan and that no government officials wanted to comment on this issue. Some of you mentioned that things like “I guess Japanese morals and culture vary greatly from ours.” Yes we me might have different cultures and values but what I have to say is that at the same time I don’t think that our morals are that far behind. Games like these might be legal in their countries, but it’s not like the U.S. is morally good. I mean we support countries that kill innocent people, and kill innocent civilians, but most people not really know about this because our media decides not to report it, so no we are not innocent either. It would be a very naïve thing to say that we have it right and all those other countries are just wrong. This obviously does not mean that I don’t condemn these violent video games. Although violent shooting video games are different from these rape video games, they are still a form of violence that I also think we should try to get rid of because like Sam commented I don’t think they are really creating any kind of contribution to society. Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:49:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66944188 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66943814 Part I: I would have to agree with almost all of you that this video has certainly crossed the line. It is definitely appalling and the fact that CNN couldn’t even show the footage is really scary. I can’t even imagine that someone would ever consider making such a game. I mean think about all of the women who have been rape victims and are trying to move on from this horrible experience and then they see something so disrespectful and insulting such as this video game? How do you think they are going to feel? Rape is a serious crime and I think that the creators of this game and those who are endorsing it are taking it way too lightly or frankly just not even caring at all. It almost seems that as if to them rape is a turn which is an absolute disgusting thing to even think about. Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:48:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66943814 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65698321 Part IV: My only hope is that they are not getting these negative messages at home or at school. I feel that what parents and teachers tell kids has such a big impact on them that I think it’s extremely important for them to send them positive messages and whenever they see a student teasing another student that they do something about it and have conversations with children about acceptance. It’s never too early to have these conversations and I actually think that the sooner the better because kids absorb everything very quickly and if all they are receiving from society is negative messages, then this will definitely affect them one way or another when they grow up. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 03:55:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65698321 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65698209 Part III: Every day after school I would come home crying because I was teased and picked on and because I didn’t have any friends. All I wanted was to just look act and speak like all the other light skinned, and light eyed girls so that I could fit in and make friends. I even began to try to change myself and deny my ethnic identity just so I could be like everyone else without knowing that this was actually harming me. I guess it wasn’t until later in high school and college that I actually began accepting myself and finding beauty in myself. This just proves that your surroundings definitely impact your way of thinking especially at a young age. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 03:55:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65698209 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65698053 Part II: I also feel that I had a somewhat similar experience to this. Back home in Peru I never really felt ugly. I grew up thinking that I was pretty. I was light skinned compared to the indigenous people of Peru and I guess in a wrong way I felt superior to these people when I was little because I didn’t know better. Moving from South America to the states at the age of nine was a really hard adaptation process for me. First I was teased all the time in school because of my thick accent and my lack of knowledge in English, I guess I was easy to pick on and stood out. I was the one with darker skin, darker eyes and darker hair compared to everyone else and suddenly I began to feel like ugly, really ugly. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 03:54:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65698053 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65697239 Part I: This video was so sad to watch but so real. I don’t think I will ever be able to erase the image of the little black girl when she is asked to choose the doll who she thinks is the bad doll and she chooses the black doll, and then when she is asked to choose the doll who looks more like her and she is torn when choosing the black doll again. The expression in her face just breaks my heart. It so sad to see that at such a young age, kids are associating themselves with being “the bad and ugly race.” I feel that kids learn these things from what they see every day. I mean if you look at the mass media for example in Disney there was not a single black Disney princess until recently, when the movie the princess and the frog came out and a black Disney princess were featured. (Actually now that I notice there is not a Latina princess so maybe this will bring a problem to Latina girls.)Until then all that little kids would see was predominantly white princesses and princes and they are always the “good people.” Sat, 3 Apr 2010 03:51:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65697239 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64279073 Part 3: Conservative members of the Orthodox Church observe the ancient practice of abstaining from Holy Communion during menstruation. What does this say about cultural views on menstruation? Why is it that in these cultures menstruation is seen with a negative connotation? It’s almost as if when a woman is on her period she can’t enter the temple because she’s dirty. The Mayan myth is also crazy I mean really women were punished? Why aren’t more cultures celebrating this miracle? It’s not a punishment! It’s a gift and it’s beautiful! Something that I also wanted to mention is that I think that a lot of people particularly men do not realize what some women have to go through every month. Some girls might experience mild cramps, but I know many other women who have such painful cramps that they have to receive shots to ease the pain and this happens to them every month. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:18:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64279073 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64278961 Part 2: I feel that from the beginning girls learn to not talk about their periods because it is taboo. I even remember that when I was in high school my friend would talk about how she would talk about her period with her boyfriend and I just thought it was so weird. I couldn’t believe that she would mention such a “gross” thing to her boyfriend. But then I realized that I was wrong and that having a period should not be something that I should be ashamed of. Now it’s almost like I have this sense of pride in getting it every month because it makes me feel like a woman. Something that I am interested is how other cultures view menstruation. For example, Mayan mythology explains the origin of menstruation as a punishment for violating the social rules governing marital alliance. The menstrual blood turns into snakes and insects used in black sorcery, before the Maya goddess is reborn from it. In Hinduism, a woman experiencing her period cannot be part of religious ceremonies for the first 4 days of the cycle. Also in Japanese and Thai cultures women are banned from attending temples. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:17:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64278961 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64278879 Part 1: I agree with you on this post. I think that men and women should be more open talking about menstruation. I think that menstruation is such a beautiful natural occurrence. Women should be celebrating the fact that this is a sign of fertility; the ability to bring life into the world. I remember that I got my period much later than my friends and every time a new girl would get it I would freak out because I never thought I was going to get it, and this scared me because I would think “oh no I am never going to be a complete woman!” But when I got it, it was such a relief that I too was now part of that “club.” Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:16:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64278879 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63072246 Part IV: Some people may support the school's decision to retaliate against the lesbian because they believe the school is trying to maintain the values of society. People may be scared that homosexuals, would corrupt their children and turn them into homosexuals as well. People may also believe that homosexuals are simply perverts and therefore don't want them to be part of the society. I personally believe that the real reason why people may support the school's decision is because of a lack of proper education toward homosexuals. If people knew more about who homosexuals are, their struggles and their beliefs, I honestly believe there would be less hostility towards them. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:04:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63072246 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63072174 Part III: As far as sexuality is concerned, by making the decision to not have same sex partners attend the prom, the school is sending a message that same sex couples are wrong. In retaliation to the threat of a same sex couple going to the prom, the school said the event would be a "distraction to the educational process". It is one thing for an individual to discriminate against homosexuals, but I believe the school has no right to enforce the belief that homosexuals are abnormal, when there are obviously people who disagree with this. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:03:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63072174 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63072068 Part II: By enforcing girls to be feminine and I presume men to be masculine, the school is helping to enforce those gender roles that are not only harmful to some individuals, but to the society as a whole. For those males that are more feminine and those girls who are more masculine, the school's decision to enforce such dress codes shuns part of their identity. To have what is supposed to be a support system, like a school, shun who you are could be extremely harmful to those students. Can you imagine trying to hide who you are every day, knowing that if you expose yourself, you would be rejected? Unfortunately, I can understand why so many of the LGBT community commit suicide every year. I believe that enforcing these gender roles is harmful to society as a whole because it does not allow individuals to dream and create what they want to create. Those gender roles build walls, and those walls limit the potential for great ideas and innovation. Not to mention, gender roles tend to discriminate against woman, forcing them to be the more passive gender. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:02:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63072068 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63071960 Part I: I have to say that I also agree with the majority of these posts. Although what happened with Itawamba County Agricultural High school is completely outrageous and I wish I could say "I can't believe this happened."However, I actually can believe that it happened. Our society is not completely open with the gay community. So the fact that this girl's prom was cancelled because she wanted to go with her girlfriend wearing a tuxedo is not surprising. (This is not to say that the decision of the school's administrators is acceptable). I believe that this school is not only trying to control people's beliefs on sexual orientation, but it is also trying to maintain and enforce gender roles. I think it is ridiculous that the school would not allow girls to go to their proms with tuxedos. What if a girl felt like wearing pants? I do not see how that is such a crime. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:01:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63071960 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58900034 PART 3: I think what concerns me even more is that there are genocides going on right now that many people don’t seem to really know or do anything about. Like for example as some people mentioned in class, there is a genocide going on right now in Palestine and it’s been happening for over 60 years. Why are we still letting this go on?? After all the pain and suffering that we have seen in the past? This is what I can’t understand and what really troubles me. Are we going to wait until all the Palestinians are murdered and stripped of their land to then acknowledge what happen? We should know better and not repeat the same mistakes. I think this is the most effective way in which we can help, by not letting these things happen again and again. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:20:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58900034 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58899951 PART 2: We have to acknowledge that the pain and suffering that was inflicted on American Indians was wrong. As far as what can we do to help or make it better? Well we can’t really change what happened, but I think that the best way to go about it is by teaching and talking about what happened, by having open dialogues and helping break the stereotypes and to help American Indians become a more integrated part of the society instead of just shoving them to the side. I also think that the American Indian culture should be more celebrated among everyone even if you are not American Indian. I am Peruvian, but I’m not indigenous because my family emigrated from Europe, but I still try to feel a sense of pride in that native and indigenous culture even though I am not directly related to it. In Peru there is a lot of racism against indigenous people usually from the higher class of European descent and I think it’s disgusting and wrong, because just like the American Indians these people’s ancestors were also murdered and robbed of their riches and land by Spanish colonizers. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:19:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58899951