en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/759687 Comments by ags5087 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70049586 Wow! This letter was very eye opening for me. I will admit I never give any thought to the people in prison. I always just assume they are monsters, always have been and always will be. This man's letter changed my perspective. Yes, he committed a terrible crime, and yes he deserves to be punished, but the way he tries to make a positive out of a bad situation is incredible. This man has just taught me a lesson, this man who has murdered someone, this man who will spend the rest of his life in prison. Just because he maybe in prison does not mean his life is over. Obviously this lifer is learning about life probably more than innocent people do every day because we are so caught up in our busy lives. For him to notice these little gestures and notions of compassion in a place where it so hard for anyone to, to me, is beautiful. I do believe in what this man says and I wish that my mind wasn't corrupted by this one person that unfortunately gave me such a misunderstanding about with regards to people who committed crimes. I want to believe that people can change and maybe it's not that I don't believe it but I just wish that this man who entered me and my mom's life could change as well. I really liked the way this man stated how yes there are some people in the prisons who really deserve to be there and they should be nowhere else, but how he also stated that a lot of the prisoners have big hearts and are good people. I would have never come to that realization on my own. Reading this letter is an experience many other students will not get to have unless they take this class or have a personal relation/ experience with someone in prison. To go to bed not being able to sleep thinking the next day is going to be as worse and the last for the rest of your life would be terrible and unbearable for most. thank you for this letter to make many realize the other side of the fence and to understand where some prisoners who have changed are coming from. One thing I was surprised about though is that he did not mention what he thinks about the person he killed and how the members of their family feel. The guy who wrote this letter has obviously spent a lot of time reflecting not only on his own life and the choices he has made but you can see how this change within his life is allowing him to see life around him completely different. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:30:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70049586 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68395762 This article is very eye opening and surprising to me. It really takes me back that Chinese and Mandarin are making such an outbreak in the United States. I understand that China is an upcoming country and that it is quickly emerging in the business world, but I did not expect this increase to effect grade schools and even kindergarten to be reacting to its emergence. I think it is great that people are trying to adapt to change and that they are making a conscience effort to be able to adjust to any curve ball that the world can give us. It is very important for a person who is learning a second language, to learn it while they are very young. This education will increase their ability to adapt to the language quickly and be able to pick up on not only just the language but even the slang or the culture behind the language. Children will be not only pick up on a language easier but it will give them more leeway to become completely fluent very young and open up many doors for them. This is just what the school systems are trying to do and I appreciate the efforts and strives they are taking. It was also very surprising that not only are Chinese language classes increasing on the East and West coasts but in the heartland states. This is surprising because the heartland states are slower to adapt to change and are usually more behind in updating their culture. On the other hand I am a little troubled by this article. I feel as if this emergence continues, America as a country will begin to start losing power in the world. If people in America are adapting to change so quickly, I would hope that other countries are transitioning their culture to adapt to our changes. Although these changes in other countries are already happening with an increase in English classes in other countries, I do not want Americans to believe that they need to adapt to other countries to keep their power in the world. If we keep shipping over teachers from China to teach America students, this is taking away jobs from hard working Americans. Why isn’t it possible that Americans can’t go about teaching American students Chinese? I am not against Chinese immigration or helping other countries find jobs but I feel as if Americans need to remember that they do not need to rely on other countries to be able to keep their power in the world. All in all, I am glad to see that students are becoming more highly educated and becoming more aware of the changing world. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:47:25 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68395762 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66130320 You were completely right. Right after viewing this CNN clip I was completely appalled by the behavior that Japan would allow to happen in stores. People should be ashamed that they even have these video games in stock, let alone the fact that they are selling them to the civilians in their country. I do not understand how this video game was even allowed to be cleared for production. It is obvious that Japan needs help on censorship and that other countries need to step in and help. It is also troubling that people in Japan are not making a huge fuss about this situation, let alone congress men. They should be shunned for reporting back to troubled comments on this issue by saying, “no comment”. This really shows a troubling side of Japan that I did not think any country would allow to happen. In addition, the fact that although this game was taken off the market, it is still able to be downloaded is even more troubling. This means that not only was this game easily assessable to Japanese citizens but now it is even more assessable and free to anyone around the world. These types of games will only help continue the terrible torture that troubled people find to be acceptable on women. After reading the book, Disposable People by Kevin Bales, my eyes were really opened up to sex slavery. The torture that women face in Thailand truly shocked and troubled me. I did not know that this type of behavior was going on and was becoming acceptable to the nation’s capital purely on making money. This situation, although much different, is on its way to becoming a global issue. If people are finding the ability to treat women this way by the click of their fingers, they will find newer ways to make this more acceptable and appealing. A huge wave a change needs to occur and it needs to happen fast. If more of this behavior happens I am worried about how it will change other people around the world. I do not want men to think that because these games were allowed to be produced in Japan, that they can start up their own production line to fulfill cruel people’s intentions of going about rape. I would have thought that with all of the equality movements that our world has gone through that this would not be happening and that we would not have to deal with situations such as these. In order to stop this type of behavior to continue, everyone really needs to take a better look at what these types of games to do to society. It could get into the hands of the wrong people such as young teenagers and corrupt them into the people that are making these games today. I hope that people continue to take stands against this and try to make life changes for the world today. Tue, 6 Apr 2010 00:36:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66130320 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63583092 The people, faculty and students around this school town are not highly educated in current culture and society. This will inevitably lead to some very bad press for not only the school but for the whole district in general. In addition to this, the article portrays this school as a public high school. If this school has no religious boundaries around it and it is solely a school for kids to attend who live around it, then that leads to even bigger problems. It shows that the school board can just get away with making decisions for the whole town and not keeping in mind the other opinions of the residents of the town. In addition to this, people should stand up to this issue because since it is a public school, they have an even bigger right to. Their tax dollars are going towards paying for their kid’s education and if they are allowing their hard earned money to be ruled by opinionated school board representatives, they have even more of a right to take a stand. It is not too difficult to raise money to put together a prom if everyone were to contribute. They could easily organize an event for their children to enjoy. Not only the parents, but the kids can help put up a fight against this. I was also disturbed by the fact that a student was singled out in the article. They are referring to the student Constance McMillen as the issue for canceling the prom. Not only is it wrong to expose someone to the media but it is wrong to single them out in general. I would not have a problem with a legitimate reason to cancel a prom, but what type of message are we teaching kids when we show them we can cancel an entire event and also blame it on a person. It is teaching kids to not open their minds and eyes to other beliefs and values. We are in an age where people are beginning to be desensitized to issues such as these. I am not referring to desensitization as a bad thing but as a good thing. People need to understand that there are people in the world that do not believe in the “common” way of life and feel oppressed by society. If people were to open their eyes to issues such as these, we would not be running into problems like this. People will be a lot happier and a lot more pleased with the world around them today. They will get along more and will not feel so disconnected from the world. As there are increasing numbers of gay and lesbian couples in the world, people are going to have to adjust because it is already began to be a part of reality. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:09:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63583092 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59980529 This story is completely absurd. These employees need to take a look at the world around them and make better decisions than the ones they are making in their workforce. If they were to compare themselves to other companies, they would find that they are very unique. Not unique in a good way but in a way that is utterly disturbing and wrong. The world we live in today is a much diversified culture filled with all different types of races. This increase in numbers pertaining to the minority increase has given people a new outlook on life and has given them reasons why they should be open to learning new cultures and become well rounded when dealing with different type of people. Hollister needs to realize that our country is not just white. Other races are going into their store and are shopping there. They are not just appealing to white people but to other cultures as well. By having such ridiculous rules such as these, they are pushing away a large amount of customers and in the end they will be losing business. They have no excuse or do not have any right for pity if they were to go under because their idea of ethics is completely twisted. The fact that this story hit big news also shows that other people are finding this absurd enough to put on the news. This story is going to hit big and make people double check how they feel about the store Hollister. After hearing this story, personally I am very troubled and do not find these actions excusable. This company deserves to be exploited and called out because they should not be able to get away with actions such as these. I have shopped at Abercrombie and Hollister for some of my high school years. However, I never felt like I was discriminated against as a customer. I have noticed that the employees that are on the floor are predominantly white though. I have seen a Black girl and a brown guy in their stores though and thought nothing of it. I thought this store was welcoming all kinds of people being that this is the world we live in today. Nobody should feel as if they can walk into a store and get discriminated against. That is not the world I thought I was being raised in nor would like it to be the world for future generations to be raised in. If stores like these have policies such as not being able to wear a head scarf, then they need to change their ethics so that they become more appealing to the outside world. In the future I hope that this store makes better decisions and that other stores take this as an example of what not to do. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 03:26:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59980529 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58909024 Although this wealth of industry and oil refinery may be helpful for the Three Affiliated Tribes economic status, I feel as though all this work is against what Native American ancestry originally believed in. Drilling holes into the ground and extracting oil isn’t exactly conserving the nature. If ancient ancestry came back and saw what was happening on this “red land” I don’t think they would be extremely content. I feel as though these materialist rudiments are against the Indian’s culture and yet no one is bad tempered now. The tribe officials say the oil has helped right a wrong done to the tribes in the 1950s, when more than a tenth of the reservation was flooded by the federal government to create Lake Sakakawea, a 180-mile-long reservoir. But now the government is drilling under this lake to obtain oil and no one is complaining. With this newly discovered oil, there is now a lot of attention being paid to their tribal land. Roads are crowded with gas guzzling cars and huge trucks and machinery are always present. Drilling for oil is highly damaging to the environment, so the Native Americans have to make a decision of whether the benefits of this economic boom outweigh the costs of the damage to the environment. In addition to damaging the environment, the waste produced by refining the oil is very damaging to people’s health. Like the article states, many people living near refineries were diagnosed with cancer due to the chemicals released by the refining process. Today, Native Americans are doing the best they can with the resources they have at their disposal. Resource endowments based on where they relocated is a matter of luck, but maintaining efficiency when using one’s resources is most important. For instance, certain tribes are considered to be very successful, with high profit casinos distributing wealth amongst a community, and outsiders bringing business to their personal economy. Most interesting is that those tribe members who decided to move off the reservation because they couldn’t find work are now found returning to ample jobs and considerable pay. More than anything, I believe this gives the tribes and their members an opportunity to start with a clean slate. Does it necessarily justify the harsh actions that were taken against them in the first place? Absolutely not. The reservation should try to allocate their wealth amongst other suffering tribes and reservations that aren’t as lucky. I can only hope that they decide to use their extra riches to help those in the community that are less fortunate, like those in the video who just “want to die.” Through a larger sense of community there are many improvements that can easily be made. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:56:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58909024 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/another-reason-why-gay-marriage-matters__trashed/#IDComment57703511 This video was very surprising. I was unaware of these immigration laws that are pulling families just like these apart. Laws should not have the ability to break up a happy home with no problems or issues that need to be handled this way. One of the purposes of immigration is to have a better life in a different country and be able to live the way that these people are choosing to live. These people are no different than any other American citizen. I was also astonished by the high statistics of families that are being torn apart due to immigration laws. People need to start reconsidering their ways if they are choosing to be against gay marriage. Hopefully overtime people will begin to sensitize to such people and give them a chance to live their lives. Also, the fact that these two women had been raising two young boys and also being able to lead a stable home is very sad. It is disheartening to know that people will excuse a family’s way of life just because they believe that same-sex marriage is not okay. In order to stop such things from happening, people need to start writing to representatives of the senate and congress to spread the knowledge of this issue. Our country is starting to develop into a pro gay marriage society in some states and people need to look at this and follow in their footsteps of law. Not too long ago were black people patronized for their color. This was a problem so people decided that they needed to fix it and create laws that will help this racial group succeed in their life goals. They finally got the rights that an average American had and were able to lead a life of freedom. Why can’t this be true and happen for the gay society? Once knowledge is spread and people begin to have an understanding on this issue will the problems gays are facing diminish. They won’t feel as if they can’t live their lives and people will be more at union with one another. My older sister’s husband’s brother faces the issues that these women are experiencing. Although he is not married yet, he will face the problems that gays pursuing marriage are facing today. I do not want to see him go through the same problems that people are facing today in the future. Hopefully by the time that he will begin to pursue a marriage, laws will be changed and people will be more respectful. It all begins with people taking a stand and once this occurs our nation will breathe a little easier and will be looked upon as in even more united. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:32:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/another-reason-why-gay-marriage-matters__trashed/#IDComment57703511 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56083630 After listening to this scandal on the news, I was hoping that it would be brought up to the race relations project blog and it did! This situation covers many main points that could and will be covered in class and it is very appropriate that it was posted here. Sanford’s lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer, has every right to be criticized for the statements that he presented to the public at the end of January. If he is hoping to “ascend to the state’s highest seat in November’s election” he better reconsider his comments that he expresses to the public. In any way or in any form should any one feel that a comment like this should be held in any type of positive light. A comment like this is very upsetting and can hit hard at home for many Americans. Due to the recent economic crisis, a comment like this is even more unacceptable. With people losing their jobs and having to face programs such as welfare, many citizens of America will find this to be offensive. I do not believe that Andre Bauer should get away with this statement either. It was obviously thought out and truly believed in if he were to relate it back to a childhood memory with his grandmother. If he holds a position as governor, he needs to learn his facts and should have learned by now how to express his opinions to the public. If he feels that feeding the poor through welfare is causing more and more poor people to exist, he does not understand the concept of welfare to begin with. To start off, the definition of welfare is: receiving financial aid from the government or from a private organization because of hardship and need. Does he not care about his citizens that are in need? How did a man like this get into such a leadership role that leads citizens from diverse economic backgrounds if he feels as if some at need should not be recognized? Although too much welfare is never good for anyone because it does not push them to succeed, it is still needed in many situations. As stated, most people who receive welfare are children. These children are the future for tomorrow. With this statement he is unknowingly or possibly knowingly stating that his opinion on economic elements or social elements resides completely in the day and disregards the future. Welfare was introduced to the public as to help people that are less fortunate by allowing them to have a chance to prove themselves to the public. With this money, they are able to eat, pay their bills and get through the day. People are not supposed to be on welfare forever so with this money, they help themselves grow by becoming more successful in their whereabouts. How is this concept allowing these less fortunate people to “reproduce” and create more poverty throughout the nation. With all of this in mind, I am very upset with such a comment and I hope that this governor takes his time to make up for such a nasty opinion. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 23:32:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56083630 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment55555451 Wow! I am completely astonished by this video and this blog written. It is so absurd, unnecessary and rude for this type of behavior to be viewed and tolerated. This type of situation is a message to the world that people’s mindset and actions are not where they should be today. If this type of behavior were to have occurred hundreds of years ago, people would not have even blinked an eye. But the fact that the world has evolved into a completely different community of people, this issue needs to be brought up and also brought to a stop. Racism in the world today should not be tolerated. Nor should it even be an issue. I am completely stunned and astonished by the actions of the fans in the video posted on the blog. They do not understand the severity of their actions and the message that they are portraying to the world. Other nations watch these types of clips and they get an understanding of where these European countries are at culturally. If they feel as if this behavior is appropriate and should be allowed, their nations government needs to take a second, observe what is going on and figure out a plan of action. These nations need to look at how other countries are developing with their modern ways. Other countries such as the United States who strive to live in peace and unity have not had any open acts of aggression or acceptable acts of aggression. This type of aggression solely causes rifts in society and gives people ideas of organizing hate crimes and rebellious actions. With this type of mindset, we have gone farther in many more ways than one and we can be proud of this type of message that is given out among the people. With being more united and more of a tight community we have strived in fields of business and many other aspects of our society. For example, having a society that accepts other people’s nationalities and cultures has given us an up in business relations. We can advance our self by working with countries like China, India and various other countries to help progress further in fields of education and business. The part of the clip that I thought that was very effective of putting the point across of these racist actions is when a fan is calling out to the soccer goalie about not caring if he is brown or orange but to just leave. This fan is solely thinks that it is okay to portray a message like this. If people think that these acts of violence and hate are acceptable, the European governments need to take charge and deal with this matter. Sat, 6 Feb 2010 01:36:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment55555451 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54148906 I completely agree with part of the last statement that is written in this blog: “Seems to me that truly enlightened governance allows people to pursue the path toward self awareness and growth that best suits them.” Although the French government may think that they are helping these Muslim women who were required to wear head scarves and veils, they are solely just causing more problems. Unless there are several detrimental issues surrounding the issue of these women wearing these outfits, the French government should not be going out of their own way to enforce these laws. These women have gone through enough oppression in their life and the fact that the French government thinks that more oppression will be good is absurd. In the video it is stated that if the laws were to be enforced, women in this attire will not be able to go through normal day to day things such as picking up their child from school or taking buses without being issued citations. In addition, the French government is only putting a negative connotation on their culture as well. With these laws, they are clearly stating that they do not accept this kind of behavior. Also, the French government is not known for creating laws that do not accept other cultures. In the beginning of the blog post, I disagree with the French statement that says they are going to turn them into “enlightened French citizens”. They need to retrace their words and reevaluate what they consider enlightened. To enlighten someone, you are to make them feel comfortable in their own skin and to give them the power and strength to complete their goals. How does creating a dress code cause any of these Muslims to be enlightened? This explanation is a pure excuse for the French government to appear as leaders that are not controlling but that are all for growth and development. These laws will clearly do the opposite from making these women feel more comfortable. Instead they are going to just feel as if they are being conformed to a different society. If the government is looking to make their country more “progressive” by enforcing these laws, they are steering in a different direction than where they are attempting to end up. If they are looking to be progressive they need to accept their citizens. In my opinion, with this acceptance they will reach a whole different ground of being progressive. People who come from different countries could bring many new ideas and “progressive” ways to the table. If the French government decided to hear the opinion of their citizens besides creating opinions for them, they would be pleased with the results. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:55:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54148906 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-s__trashed/#IDComment53873517 whats good Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:37:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-s__trashed/#IDComment53873517 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2009/11/the-solution-to-the-race-dilemma__trashed/#IDComment53105844 I do not agree with this solution to the “race dilemma” one bit. Before people decide that it is a great idea for everyone to become a unit of one, they need to look within themselves and figure out if that is who they really want to be. Who is to say that the white person next to them is that much better than themselves in order to change their entire appearance? Who is to say that their white appearance will get them far enough to reach who they really want to be? People need to take a second and question their belief system and their deepest desires and ask if they are willing to give all of that up just to look and act like the person next to them. Although celebrities may have the power to persuade people to change others appearances, who isn’t to say you couldn’t be one of those people that persuade people to accept their differences. If everyone walked around with the same look, what would you initially find striking in another human being? It is not all about looking alike in order to feel together. I come from a family of seven people. My father is white, my mother is Mexican and each and every one of my brothers and sisters have a variety of traits from each parent. Some of us have darker skin and some of us have lighter skin. I am one of the children in my family who has darker skin and I have never felt inferior to any other white person around me. I enjoy being unique and having different qualities than others. The fact that Sammy Sosa took it into his own hands to change his skin color is disturbing, along with other celebrities such as Michael Jackson. It is more than impossible for everyone in the world to look alike in order to feel a sense of togetherness so why try and take a different route. People should use their differences to create a world of one. By accepting others different qualities in life, people will reach a different level of “togetherness”. This type of unity will not only be better but it will require others to be themselves the way it should be. In the end, people will be happier and in the end people will formulate bonds with others that they would not have been able to reach by just being alike. If you were to say that you and your group of friends or family all act alike than you are lying. So why lie and say that you guys all look alike? Keep yourself intact by embracing your outward appearance and soon you will be embracing others with the attitude that works for you. Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:59:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2009/11/the-solution-to-the-race-dilemma__trashed/#IDComment53105844