en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/764585 Comments by ant5061 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment70012452 This girl brings up a very interesting point here and I have a couple different viewpoints on it. First, let me start by saying that there are people in the world that are very self-centered and unwilling to help other individuals. There are those that care more about themselves and don't even care a little bit when they hear that terrible events have happened that killed thousands. Some people see it as though if it doesn't directly affect there lives than why should they care. However, there are tons of people out there who take time to think about those individuals who are suffering and those that just lost loved ones. I, personally, know of individuals who went down to New Orleans to lend a helping hand after Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything in its path. Even if someone just takes time out of their day to think about those lives that were lost and perhaps say a prayer for them I think that says a least a little something and shows they do care about others. I know when I hear about a tragic event like the earthquake that hit Haiti and killed so many innocent people, I do feel extremely sad and often do something such as take a moment of silence and pray for them but I know there is often more I wish I could do. However, just because I can not physically be there to help out and make things better doesn't mean that I don't think about something like when 300,000 innocent lives are taken. Like I said before, it's true that some people don't even think twice about news like that upon hearing it and go on doing whatever it is they were doing at the time because they just don't let it affect them. However, while we should try to help others as much as possible and at the very least take a moment of silence for them I can see how we wouldn't let that affect us from taking tests and stuff. Things like that should affect us in some way even if it's just in a small way but at the same time we often don't let it affect our daily duties and such because they are not individuals who we know. If a mother, father, relative, or friend dies than there is a personal connection there an feelings and emotions that are rooted deep in a person that make it harder to just forget about or go on with our daily routine. I don't necessarily think though that it makes us bad people for letting the death of a loved one affect us more than the death of others. However, as stated before I think there should be at least some emotion felt upon hearing news like that. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:34:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment70012452 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70012071 It is the American dream to want to make something out of yourself, even when you have nothing. In class on Thursday Sam told the story of how immigrants that had nothing, no money or items, took the chance and traveled all the way to the United States in order to create a new and better life for their family. He continued to say that the history of America is one of people who worked hard for what they got and now look how far America has come. Maybe I am an idealist, but I feel with hard work it is possible to get where you want to go. The history of the United States proves this. So does my family history. My great grandparents on my father’s side came here as immigrants because they wanted a better life. My grandfather worked hard and opened his own furniture store and my father also worked very hard in medical school and now has his own doctor’s office. I think that even if there was some luck on their side, they had the determination and hard work to make money and thus a better life for their children. Because both of my parents worked so hard, they were able to send me and all my brothers to college and we are all working hard in return. It is easier with money, as I think everyone knows. We talked about in class how those with money are naturally ahead at the starting line, but I think a lot of the time it is because people before them worked so hard to make a good life for their family. I know that I am working hard in college and going to work hard if I go to graduate school and at my job so I can support my family in the future and know that I can give my children and their children a good life. Yeah people with money can get away with things more but I think in the end it all comes down to how much time and effort a person is willing to put into accomplishing what they want. We talked about the illegal immigrants and I think that they just want what all of us do, to work hard and make a living. The thing is I know that I come from a family where my ancestors gave me a better life because of what they did and it is sad that there is just not enough room or money for all the people who want to work and get educated to help out their family as well. I think that people forget that sometime immigrants want the same thing as we all do because it is easier just to think of all the annoyance and money they are causing us. As Americans I think we all know too well the feeling of wanting to be more than where you started or wanting to continue on a path of success and work. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:31:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70012071 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69806472 This letter was so insightful and was really an eye opener for a lot of people especially for myself. I, like many others, am guilty of assuming that all people in prison are hardened criminals that are monstrous and will stay like that even if they aren't in prison for life. Many people in society assume that all people in prison are evil and will never learn from what they did. The man who wrote this letter shows us that while some people in prison don't learn from what they did there are others that do learn and are trying to make their life in prison the best experience as possible. Who would have ever thought that prisoners would be caring human beings who are willing to help other prisoners? Honestly, I would have never thought that and I think a lot of individuals out there wouldn't expect that either. I think part of the reason why I had that misconception about prisoners has something to do with my job back at home. During the summers I work at a courthouse where I get to see prisoners come pass by my office throughout the day when they are being escorted by police officers to their hearings. In my time working at the courthouse I have seen some scary situations where the prisoners rebel against the officers and try to hurt them in an attempt to escape. Seeing these scenarios was not exactly heartwarming and I think is part of the reason why I assumed all prisoners are monsters. However, after reading this letter from the "lifer" it gives me a better understanding of how some people change for the better when they are in prison. It amazed me that he stated in his letter about prisoners wanting to help other prisoners like when someone gives up their phone time to a prisoner who really needs the extra time to talk to a loved one. It also amazed me how he talked about donating blood and writing letters to others outside of prison, which are both activities that I would not normally expect a prisoner to do. It really touches me to know that some prisoners really are willing to be there for other prisoners especially when one just feels like they can't make it through the crappy day or when something happens like they lose a loved one. I think it's really important that they are there for one another because, let's be honest, if they weren't there for one another than who really would be there for them? Yes, they have family who I'm sure visit some of them as often as they are allowed to but overall they really do just have one another to turn to during this time that they are in prison. I think what amazes me the most though is that someone who knows that they are spending the rest of their life in prison and there is no hope of getting out whatsoever can have such a positive outlook on their life. Overall, this was a really touching and eye opening letter that made me realize some prisoners really can change who they are and learn from their mistakes and in the process have such a positive attitude even though they are stuck in prison for the rest of their life. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:03:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69806472 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68449035 Even though I am not a male I still have strong opinions and views on the question in the video. I have enough guy friends to know that although some of them strive to have the perfect muscular body, most of them do not feel the need to conform to society in the same way that women do. Women are constantly striving to get the perfect body and to make themselves as attractive and desirable as they can. Men, on the other hand, don't care that much about their appearance at least not to the extent that women do. Of course, there will always be that number of men who are obsessed with going to the gym and getting as muscular and buff as they possibly can but to my knowledge most men don't strive that much to get the perfect body. I mean let's think about this logistically, for the most part the majority of humans who have eating disorders are women. I am not saying that no men out there in the world have eating disorders because that would just be completely foolish to think. However, it is well known that for the most part the individuals who have such problems like eating disorders tend to be females. I think it is safe to say that women feel more of a pressure to conform to what society thinks is beautiful and attractive than men do. I also think that even though women compare themselves a lot to other women, men are also responsible for how much women feel they need to conform to society's image because men often judge women and critique them on a daily basis. I can't even count how many times I've sat in front of guys in class or have passed them on the street and have overheard comments they were making about other girls they were looking at. It seems that guys are always judging girls and comparing them to other ones that they know or that they see at that time. Meanwhile, most girls that I know don't sit there and judge guys to the extent that guys do to girls. I'm not saying girls never talk about guys that they think are attractive or stuff like that because of course we do, however, for the most part I have overheard guys judge girls and talk about girls way more often than girls talk about guys. This is, in part, why I feel that guys don't feel such a need to conform to society because they are not being judged or critiqued as much as girls are. I think that is just the way that we have grown up in society and although I wish women weren’t judged so much on physical appearance I don’t think it’s ever going to change. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:20:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68449035 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68447217 I felt that the play that was done in Tuesday's class was really thought provoking and gave a different outlook on how women may feel about their breasts. Typically when women are dissatisfied with their breasts it is usually because they feel they are too small and have a desire to get bigger ones. This play flipped the normal aspect on it and instead it was a girl complaining about her breasts that she felt were causing problems in regards to her relationships with boys so she wanted it to look like she had no boobs at all. Since I am a woman and have a lot of friends that are women, breast size and body shape are two very common issues that are discussed and complained about quite frequently. Whenever I have heard girls talk about their breast size it was usually talk of them being too small and wishing they had bigger ones and very rarely have I heard a friend say they wanted smaller ones because they were too big although it has happened a few times before. Not only though did the play show an opposing viewpoint to what woman typically think when they think of boobs but it also provoked a lot of thought on body image in general. It really is disgusting to think how much we dwell on our body image and how obsessed we women can be about trying to obtain the "perfect body". In my opinion, women are almost always comparing themselves to other women no matter if it's comparing breast size or even something else like lips. We, as women, critique ourselves so hard and are always comparing our bodies to the other bodies of women out there. I know that we are all women and should embrace our bodies and love what we have but honestly that rarely happens. It is true that some women out there are happy with themselves and I really do amend and applaud them for that because I feel that most of the women out there find flaws in at least one part of their body if not more and try so hard to fix the flaws that they see. It's so upsetting to know that so many women out there have eating disorders and such because our society has a specific look that they think is beautiful and if a woman doesn't look that exact way than it's like we instantly have to put forth an effort to try to change ourselves into that image. Take a look at most of the magazines out there and you will find the exact same thing in every one of them. Most of them are filled with extremely skinny, tall, beautiful models that are toned in every part of their body and are essentially perfect. I really don't think those women exist because even models in magazines need some part of their pictures photo-shopped. When will society ever change it's image of what it truly means to be a beautiful woman? Honestly, it's sad to say this but I don't know if society's image of what is beautiful will ever change. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:02:06 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68447217 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66342832 The first thing I want to state is that I understand why someone would ask this and why others would agree that they questioned if the class was really affecting there opinions. I think it is normal and typical for people to at some point during the course of the semester ask themselves what they have learned and if it has changed there opinion in one way or another. However, I don't understand how someone can sit through a whole semester of this class and not obtain anything from it and not have it affect their opinion in even the slightest way. I really do feel sorry for this kid that he hasn't obtained anything or changed his opinion in the least about the issues we discuss. I mean no offense but why did he take this class in the first place then. Everyone that I have talked to who has taken the class in previous years or is taking it now is doing so because they wanted to learn more about these issues that we still face today on race and in one way or another there opinion changed at least a little bit. I must say quick to that I don't know if anyone who commented on this realized this but the person who asked the question in the video is the same person who believed in class that nepotism is perfectly acceptable. I remember a few classes ago when we talked about affirmative action and nepotism and this person talked on the microphone how nepotism in his mind was fair and said so what if he gets a great job based on the fact that he has an uncle or something working for the company. I know my reaction as well as the people's reactions around me were all the same. The people that I was sitting around could not believe that he said what he did and ever since he made that comment I have completely thought of him as an arrogant asshole. Anyways back to the question that he asked, I think the people who are unaffected by this class and who don't obtain anything from it are the people that went into the class with the idea that they may already know everything about race relations and just wanted to take it for easy credits. I think it's inevitable to have people in a class who are just taking a class because they heard it was easy and I admit I'm guilty of doing that once or twice before too. However, I think and would hope that the majority of people in a class or at least in Soc 119 are taking it because they really wanted to get something out of it and learn more about this issue that we have such problems with. I believe that in order to gain something from this class though a person has to be open-minded and not be stuck in the mind set that they already know everything about racial issues. I know personally that there is something we learn about in almost every class that is either new information to me or has changed my opinion in one way or another. I'm not saying that my opinions are completely different than they were going into the class at the beginning of the semester but there are things that make more sense to me now and make me think a little bit differently. Wed, 7 Apr 2010 06:13:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66342832 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66340272 Honestly I'm going to try not to be too "bitchy" responding to this comment but either way I disagree with this comment and it really does piss me off. I can see why someone would say "oh it's just a video game" but seriously just because its a video game doesn't make it anymore acceptable that the whole concept of it revolves around rape. I know that in the comment it stated you would not be buying the game and that is great for you but the fact that you are even okay with a video game on this concept disgusts me. You stated in the comment that although you didn't think making a video game on this was a good idea you said you didn't see a reason for it to be removed. Are you freaking kidding me? Maybe you can sit here and say that you think I'm overreacting to this but the fact that you saw no reason for it to be removed really makes me wonder what kind of person you are. The thought of someone making a video game like this is completely wrong in the first place but then to top it off there are people that really do not see a big deal in this at all and whether they decide to play it or not they still think it should be left on the market for millions of people to buy and play. Maybe you have never known someone who was raped but I can guarantee that if you had a mother, sister, friend, or other relative that you knew was raped your opinion on this came would be completely different. Think for a second how a person who was raped would feel about there being a video game out there on the market promoting the rape of women. I know you say that you could care less what people do in their free time and I'm not telling you that you should care what everyone does but you obviously think that this game is at least a good idea for people who have a fetish of raping women and that is seriously disturbing. If there are people who have a fetish of raping women and I'm sure they exist, this video game just feeds into their sick obsession and who knows maybe it would give them even more thoughts of going out in the world and raping someone. What I want to make perfectly clear here is that although not all people who would play the game would go out and rape women there would be some percentage of ones that would end up doing it. For people who were already having thoughts of raping women, this video game wasn't made so that they would get their desire out and have no chance of committing the criminal act in the real world. I know you brought up video games like Grand Theft Auto and said how not once did you feel compelled to go out and commit acts that were shown in the video game and that's great for you that means your a normal person then but not every person out there who plays a video game is unaffected by its contents. There is a percentage, whether small or large, of video gamers who are affected by the content in the game and are likely to commit some of the violent acts that are shown in the video games. My point here is you are completely wrong to think that people could play this game and every single one of them would be unaffected by it. I know you have your own opinion on this and I'm sure there are some that agree with you but either way keep in mind not everyone who plays these kinds of games are normal and in the right mind set to do so and also take and step back and try to imagine how you would feel if you actually knew a lot about the issue of rape and knew someone who went through it. Wed, 7 Apr 2010 05:45:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66340272 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65680364 This blog was really quite interesting to me. It made me think that he has absolutely every right to feel as confused as he does. However, this also makes me wonder why no one else has brought this up. I am sure that he is not the only multiracial student in our Soc 119 class and I would think that he is not alone in feeling the way that he does. Maybe not every multiracial student in the class has given such thought to the matter as he has but I would still think that a majority have a least thought about it to some extent and are probably feeling a similar way to how he feels. I agree with what some other respondents to this blog have posted concerning feeling bad for him not because he is multiracial but because he has to feel this way and doesn't know what team he should be on. Personally, I think he should be on whatever team he wants. He stated in the post that he had a hispanic mother and a white father but he grew up with his mother's side of the family which is hispanic so he shouldn't have to feel that he has to choose the white team just because his skin color is white. It really saddens me that people would look at him and automatically assume he is white just based off the color of his skin because upon hearing that said to him I can imagine that only makes him more confused on what team he should consider himself to be on. However, I know that people have always made stereotypes of people just based off of their skin color. I was in a discussion group for the race relations project a few days ago, and one of the topics we discussed was how no one can really tell what another person's race or ethnicity is based off of their skin color. However, many people often think that they can make the stereotypes based off of the color of their skin and they many times think they are right when in reality majority of the time people who assume someone is white or black or whatever race is wrong about it. It sucks that people, including Sam, have gone up to him and assumed he was white or asked about his views within the white team. Honestly, I know i am personally not in this situation myself but the best advice to him would be to pick whichever team he feels more comfortable identifying himself with. If he agrees with more views on the white team then maybe he should lean towards that but if its the opposite and he agrees with more views on the black/brown team then he should lean towards that. I don't even think he necessarily has to pick a team anyways. Maybe one day he would agree more with the white team and on a different day agree with the black/brown team so really he should just lean towards whichever team he feels more comfortable with. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 01:46:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65680364 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65676288 Let me first start off by saying that I can't believe people are still talking about this topic. I remember a few weeks ago there was a blog about the people in charge of the Census wanting to possibly take the word Negro off the Census. The stance that I took at that time is the same stance I have now. I personally think that it was a good idea to keep the term Negro on the Census. As was discussed in this blog and the previous blog on the issue, if the term Negro is taken off then many older black citizens could be confused on what to put because they associate themselves with that term. The term Negro is what the elder black people have used to describe their race for pretty much their whole lives. However, I understand why a younger African American person could be offended by seeing the term Negro on the Census. It's a term that often brings the thought of slavery to their minds upon hearing it. What I think is so frustrating about all of this is that in general not everyone is always gonna be happy about something. In the Census of course there are going to be multiple groups of people complaining to change words or add other terms and what not. However, even though younger African Americans have a problem with the term Negro why is it that they can't understand why it is still on there? I feel like it has been explained to them but they chose not to listen and instead just want to stay ticked off about it. Whether it's blacks, whites, or native americans I feel like people just often love to complain about things no matter what the issue may be. I feel that the younger African Americans should be able to understand why the term is on there and although they may not be thrilled about it they should be able to understand that it is there for a significant reason and is not there to be offensive. Like was stated before, if the term Negro was taken off then many older African Americans would be confused and not know what to put down for their race because that was the term that they associated themselves with for so long. The last thing the people making the Census are trying to do is confuse or offend people. Logistically, the term should be on there for the elder African Americans so that the Census can be as accurate as possible. Even with the term being on the Census, the younger African Americans who are having the problem with it can still mark themselves as what they want like African American. Thus, with the term Negro being on the Census the elder African Americans are able to still mark themselves as what they have always considered themselves while the younger African Americans can still put down another term that they associate themselves with like African American. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 01:15:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65676288 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65349211 This was an interesting article that really did make me think a lot about the topic and pose some intriguing questions to me. Maybe I am just naive but I guess I never gave to much thought to the concept of today's minorities becoming the majority in the near future. I suppose I never really thought of it because it never came up in high school classes or even college classes until now. For whatever reason when I first read this article it was really hard for me to think that in just a short while the number of blacks, hispanics, and asians could surpass the number of whites currently. This may have been due to our previous lecture in Sam's class where we found out the statistics that blacks make up about 1500 students out of the almost 40,000 students here at Penn State. When I heard the statistics I really was amazed. I remember sitting next to my best friend in that class and we both turned to each other in complete shock that the number of black students here were so low. Let me add to that though that my best friend and I are friends with a good amount of black people so maybe that is why it seemed the number should be so much higher because we feel like we see them so often on campus and are always associating with our friends that are black. After reading the article through a second time though I began to see how this could be possible and I started telling myself it wasn’t a matter of if it would happen but more a matter of when it would happen. I think it's very plausible that this could happen somewhere in the future however I still find it hard to believe that it would be within the next few years or so. I think overall it would take quite some time for a minority to become the majority. However, whether blacks, asians, and hispanics become the majority in the next few years or in the next few decades I strongly hope that by then everyone can treat each other equally. My major concern with what will happen when they become the majority though is that they will want to "get back" at the whites for how they thought whites have treated them for the past how many centuries. It’s kind of like I feel that possibly they would want to get back for things that have happened such as slavery and other forms of discrimination that they have encountered in the past. Obviously no one can say exactly what will happen when they eventually become the majority but I honestly hope that at that time we can all see each other equally since we are already trying to work towards that now. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 23:14:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65349211 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64265981 I think this video, as I am sure everyone agrees, is really disturbing. Sadly it is shown in the media everyday that the ideal form of "beauty" is light or white skinned and white hair, usually straight. Even in a class earlier in the semester Sam discussed how whitening cream is a best seller. this was mentioned again in this video when the girls talked about how they used bleach on their skin. I could not believe that people would actually bleach their skin because they thought they were that ugly. That is so sad and I guess that I do not understand it because, as Sam has said, I am not black and do not know what it is like to be like that and feel that way. I just could never imagine hating the color of my skin that badly. Sam talked about in class how even though Disney tries to incorporate princesses like Jasmin and Mulan they still have white features with just a little different skin color. I had not even noticed this and I think it is disgusting how at a young age children are presented with whiteness as beauty. When the black girl said that the doll that was white was the "good" doll and the doll that was black was the "bad" doll, it broke my heart. She is just an innocent little kid and has not done anything to feel that she is bad just because of her skin color. When asked what doll she looked like you could just see the struggle and sadness in her face when she picked up the black doll. At first she touched the white doll and she had such a longing in her face to want to be white and be good as she thinks that doll is, but she feel she will never be good because she is black. The fact that black children think they are ugly and bad is just horrifying. It is crazy to think that in our society, even after fighting this oppression, some of the young black children were not proud to be black and have a strong history that they should embrace and not hate. The way these children are thinking is holding them back from their true potential. When Sam said in class how each black person at least felt this way a little bit, that was shocking and sad to hear. Before this class I had never felt bad about my white skin, but I never thought of it as better than black or any other skin color. In the video one of the girls was talking about how her mother did not embrace her natural hair. It just seems that whatever black people have is turned around to be ugly, but if they bleach their skin and straighten their hair then they are trying to hard to be white so it is like they can never win and it is thus understandable why these poor girls are confused. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:10:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64265981 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64086583 Let me first start of my comment by saying that I was somewhat shocked when we started talking about "bleeding" today in class. I am a female so of course I am completely comfortable with talking about my period but I guess since this isn't a topic that is often discussed in classes yet alone anywhere around guys it was kind of surprising. I really didn't think that what Sam was saying in class was offense at all. I mean I do think he could have used a better term other than "bleeding" like menstrual cycle or even period but overall I'm glad that he was comfortable enough to bring up such a controversial topic that so many people, mainly guys, are disgusted talking about. I know some guys left the room while others just cringed in their seats but I seriously have never understood why the topic is such a big deal and so hard to talk about. I can't remember how many times a guy has run in the opposite direction because they overheard me and my friends talking about our periods. Honestly, to girls talking about our periods is a normal occurrence. Females are capable of talking to almost any other female whether their mother, sister, friends, or even classmates and it doesn't become an awkward conversation or one where the other person is sitting there cringing saying "ewww don't talk about this anymore, it's so gross". I really have always wondered why guys are so disgusted by this topic. Guys should be happy woman have a menstrual cycle because not only does that mean that one day they can have children when they get married but it also means that if they are being sexually active with a girls in college they will most likely want those girls to get their periods otherwise they are going to be a baby's daddy sooner than they wanted. Being completely honest, I have heard so many unnecessary stories from boys before like about them masturbating and other gross things that many females do not wish to hear about but I don't sit there and complain about it and how gross it is. It really is stupid that boys become so disgusted by this topic but I am guessing it all started back in elementary school when both the guys and girls got the separate talks on puberty and periods. Separating both groups was probably the first indication that we were not suppose to talk about the opposite sexes bodily functions and what not. I feel that if guys were educated even a little bit on the topic of periods in middle school or something than possibly there would be more of an understanding of it and potentially not so much disgust towards the topic. Either way this really is an issue that I hope guys can eventually learn to accept a bit more or at least be able to stay in a room when a conversation about periods is going on because the topic is not a big deal at all. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:59:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64086583 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63598946 First let me start off by saying that I agree with Sam's comment about white guilt and how white people often don't admit to feeling the white guilt but the same does exist for the most part. I am basing my agreement with the comment on talks that I have had with other friends and family as well as my own personal opinion. I honestly believe that although it sucks that so many white people feel this way I think that a lot of white people do feel at least some shame inside for past history and as a result we just take the blame and decide not to speak up about racial issues a lot of the time because of this. I will even admit that I have truly felt some of this white guilt and feel some shame inside because of everything that I've learned about past history of African Americans. I will also admit that the white guilt has directly affected why many times I sit at the "race table" and don't say much at all and simply listen to the African Americans and others who remind me of the shame that I feel inside. Now to relate this to the question in the blog, I believe that it really would make a difference concerning white guilt if the history books were changed. Let's be honest here, a majority of what we were taught through grade school, middle school, and maybe even high school was about African American slavery and how the white people controlled them and kept them from having equal rights that the whites had. When we learn this stuff through grade school obviously we are very young and our minds aren't fully developed so we may not understand the severity of the issue at that time but what we do know is that we were being taught it for a reason because it was very wrong. Eventually over time through school when we continue to hear the same things from our history books it can become instilled in our minds that we, as white people, did something extremely wrong and thus has created the problems today with so many racial issues. When this becomes instilled in our brains so much over time eventually some people, although maybe not everyone, is going to feel a sense of white guilt inside that makes them feel as if it was their fault what happened in the past. Since we have been learning the information about how much we wronged the African Americans over such a long period of time I think it's understandable why many white people choose to stay quiet when they are asked about racial issues. If the history books were different then this white guilt really wouldn't exist or at least not to the degree that it does now. What really bothers me is how naive people are and don't want to admit that they feel even the littlest shame inside for past history of African Americans. Just to clarify though I'm not saying that the history books should be changed but I do think that if they were things would be a lot different and white guilt wouldn't exist so much. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:06:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63598946 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment63033630 Seriously when I first saw the article I was completely outraged. This is ridiculous that any company would try to tell an employee that they are not allowed to wear something that is part of their religion and that they have been wearing their whole life. Not only was it completely wrong of Abercrombie to fire the girl based on her wearing of the hijab but it was especially wrong because they told her upon hiring her that she was allowed to wear it. Honestly, if I was working at an Abercrombie or Hollister I would probably quite considering what they did to this girl. The company had no right to fire her for that especially after it states in the company's policy that they are a corporation that has leverage diversity. In no way, shape, or form does this issue of them firing a girl based on her wearing of a headscarf help show that they are all about diversity. In fact, this issue shows just the opposite of how much abercrombie and hollister don't incorporate diversity into their workplace and shows really how much they do discriminate. What is even more sad is that this is not the first allegation that the company has received in reference to discrimination. Almost everyone that shops at those stores or has at least been inside of one of them can see that the stores themselves are made up of mostly white, fit, blue-eyed, blond-haired males and females. There is absolutely no diversity that can be seen in most of the stores that the company has. Every Abercrombie and Hollister that I have ever been into are filled with exactly the same type of people working there. The stores typically try to portray the image of very sexy individuals who look like they belong on a beach. Honestly, the fact that they do that is so sickening and there is an extremely good chance that the girl who they just fired did a better job as an employee there than some of the white employees. The company claims they are all about diversity but everyone knows that this is a load of crap right there because they are anything but diversified. What I find also disturbing is the fact that those stores that do have African Americans working there typically give them jobs in the stock room where no one, at least not shoppers, can see them. I don't see why any company would want to be that cruel other than for the reason of them trying to make lots of money and get the best sales but that is no excuse to treat someone like the way they are. I have quite a few friends who have worked for either Hollister or Abercrombie and have honestly told me how the ones that are of a different race are usually stuck to work in the stock room whereas most of the white employees are working in the actual store itself. I'm really appalled that a company would think it is even the slightest bit ok to treat people like that. Overall, I just feel completely disgusted by the company and feel extremely bad for the girl that got fired. I really hope the Muslim girl's family sues the company to the fullest that they can and hopefully some justice will be served through the process. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:49:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment63033630 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62826801 I am really glad that someone brought up this topic because I think it was a question kind of lurking in a lot of students' minds but no one wanted to be the first to bring it up. When sitting in class and paying attention to how the colored people react to responses compared to how the white people react to the responses on the screen I think there is a noticeable difference. I definitely agree with the posters observation that rude comments coming from white people create uproar amongst the colored people in the class while the rude comments coming from the colored people tend to be overlooked and not create such uproar. I know that comments such as “white people can’t dance” and “white people are bench warmers” are not exactly the same things as saying a comment like how loud black girls are but overall those types of comments are still wrong. Saying something like “white people can’t dance” could be offensive to some and guess what it is still considered being racist or stereotypical just like if someone said that all black girls are loud. I don't understand how in class there was such commotion when the comment about loud ass black girls came up but when comments about how black people think whites are over privileged it was almost completely ignored and went unnoticed. Personally, i know myself and plenty of others that were offended by just that comment alone yet no one really complained about it or expressed their feelings on how they felt after seeing that comment but everyone in the class knew how the black people felt when hurtful comments were posted about them. My point here is that whether a rude comment is coming from a black person or a white person the comment itself is wrong and the person who came up with the comment is wrong in doing so. Whether black or white people should not be making such rude comments and when someone does make comments like that people need to react. I think it's really unfortunate that often times white people won't stand up for themselves that much when comments are made against them but when there are comments against black people it is often expressed that they are upset about it. I'm not saying every white person feels this way but I do know that a good portion of white people feel that they just need to take rude comments that come at them and not say anything at all. I think some people might think that since the whole slavery issue started how long ago that maybe blacks have more of a right to react like that when comments are made against them. However, this should not be the case though because everyone doesn't matter what color you are, is entitled to express how they feel when someone makes a rude comment against them. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:55:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62826801 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62516083 When I read the article I was literally in shock. I have heard in the past of school principals and administrators not being in total agreement of same-sex couples in their schools but never did I think that a school would actually go to the extent of canceling an annual event such as prom. The thought of a school canceling their prom all because one student wants to bring someone of the same-sex as them that they are in a relationship with is completely absurd to me. I have several issues with that but let me first make it clear that I personally do not think I will ever be gay, it's just not what I’m interested in I have way to much interest in the opposite sex, but I do believe that gays and lesbians are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals. If a girl wants to bring another girl to their prom than it should be her decision to do so and there should not be such controversy from others about it. I've heard of girls taking other girls to prom and they were solely friends, so what makes that so much different? Whether a person chooses to take someone of the opposite sex, a friend of the same sex, or a partner of the same sex that should be their decision and no one else’s. Even if the school board told Ms McMillen she couldn't bring her girlfriend but still held prom that would still be wrong but it makes it even worse that they would go to such lengths to cancel the event all together. The girl is 18, who are they to tell her she can't bring who she wants to an event that is supposed to be all about the students in the first place? Prom isn't held for school administrators or staff, it's typically held for the juniors and seniors in high school who have worked all year and deserve to attend an event such as that. Prom is an event that many people, particularly girls, plan months in advance for and just because a girl wanted to take her girlfriend to the prom is no reason whatsoever to cancel it. If this had been a story from the 1980's or maybe even 1990's I would understand why it occurred a little bit more, but the fact that we are in the year 2010 and this happened is completely ridiculous to me. It really makes me wonder when people will be able to just accept the fact that some individuals will be homosexual and I really wish I had the answer to that. My best guess is that at no point in my lifetime will even the majority of people be willing to accept the concept of homosexuals. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:51:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62516083 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59707243 Like the majority of people who have commented on this blog I too disagree with the statement the girl made in the blog. I honestly don't understand where she came up with the idea that themed parties are all hosted by white people and that they are racist. I can't recall ever hearing of a themed party that was racist. Most themed parties at penn state consist of themes like Ceo's and corporate hoes, highlighter parties, anything but clothes, golf pros and tennis hoes, toga, and the latest Jersey Shore theme. For the record, just to clarity things I have known black people to host parties like this so not all white people host themed parties. Themed parties shouldn't be portrayed as a bad thing and I certainly hope other people don't start thinking themed parties are racist. Themed parties are meant to just be a good time all around. They are a way for people to step out of the normal social/party attire and get creative making or putting together costumes based on the theme. Although I haven't attended any "gangster" themed parties, if someone did throw one of those themed parties I don't really see how it's racist. There's a possibility someone might misconstrue it and think maybe it's racist but it be just like if someone decided to throw a nerd or white-trash themed party. Those themes aren't racist, they may be stereotypical but it's not an attack on black people. Why would someone think that themed parties like that are automatically racist an a attack on black people? Honestly, I think her opinion and question is really harsh and racist in itself. Not only do I disagree with her statement but so do numerous students who have posted comments on this blog before me. Most of the people who have commented on this blog seem like they have partied a good amount, as have I, to know that themed parties are not only held by white people and that they aren't racist either. Even if you think beyond the normal themed parties and start to think of themed parties like State Patty's Day you will find that that is in no way racist either. I've really never met anyone else that has thought a themed party was racist and most people that i know (whether black, white, asian, or latino) like themed parties in general. The only reason a person has ever given me for not liking a themed party is that they had no idea what to come up with to wear for it but the reason had nothing to do with the theme being racist because they just aren't. With that being said, if someone else could explain to me where they have heard of a themed party that was racist before please let me know because as of right now I haven’t seen them exist. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 08:38:26 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59707243 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59691700 It amazes me how much I have never really noticed this idea before that is presented in this blog. I may not keep up with the show the Bachelor or the Bachelorette much but know enough to see know that all of them have consisted of entirely white people. Why is it that shows broadcast by networks like ABC seem to be represented predominately by white people whereas networks like MTV and VH1 have numerous shows representing several different races? My first idea of why this occurs regards to the overall age groups that tune in to each of those networks. It is probably very fair to say that a majority of the people watching shows on ABC tend to be in an older age group. For example, I know my grandparents and parents watch a variety of different shows on that network but almost never do I see my parents and especially not my grandparents watching shows on networks like MTV and VH1. This is not to say that my age groups and even individuals younger than me don't watch shows on ABC because of course we do but overall I think since ABC came into existence it has tried to attract an audience of an older age group. MTV and VH1 on the other hand obviously try to attract a much younger age group which is why I think they consist of way more reality television shows than other networks. I think our age group in general is just way more prone an attracted to watching reality tv shows then lets say my grandparents. When I really try to break the question down I'm trying to think about how each network handles it's selection process for choosing its contestants. Obviously when looking for contestants on any of these reality shows the producers want contestants who are not only very appealing to the human eye but who are also interesting individuals that will attract a larger audience thus bringing in the money for the show. If the ABC television network wants to appeal more to an older audience than they would be more prone to looking for individuals that the older audience would want to watch on tv. I believe this is the same scenario for the networks like MTV and VH1. While those networks are still looking for very attractive participants for their shows, they are more prone to cast individuals that would attract their audience which consists of teenagers and young adults. I think it's safe to say that people in my generation are more acceptable of different races than are older generations. This is why it is perfectly normal for MTV and Vh1 to broadcast shows like For the Love of Ray J, I Love New York, and Making the Band, where a majority of the people in those shows are black or latino. Although it would be nice to see shows on ABC that consist of more than just the white race, I don't think it's something that the network is looking to do in the future. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 05:54:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59691700 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-two__trashed/#IDComment59684556 Let me first start off my saying that this is a very interesting question and one that produces a lot of different ideas for me. I think it needs to be said first that not ALL judges are racist. I'm not going to sit here and say that by no means are no judges in the criminal justice system racist because although it's unfortunate some people just are racist and it may happen that they do become judges. However, being a criminal justice major I know a lot about the system and know that while certain aspects of the system may seem racist there really may be underlying factors that are the real reasons why some people get sentenced for a longer period of time. I know firsthand that not all judges are racist, not only do I know this from being a criminal justice major but also because I have some personal experience. For the past four years during the summer I work at a courthouse back at home. I literally work for the judge and get to handle all the paperwork and cases that she deals with everyday. I've seen the ratios of white people that she sentences to jail compared to black people that she sentences to jail and there really wasn't that much of a difference. There was somewhat of a difference which maybe people would want to argue over however, I keep in mind that I work at a courthouse in the center city which that city and its surrounding areas are mostly made up of people that are black and hispanic. However, I know not all courts are centered in areas that are predominantly black. Obviously, like we have learned in class there is a difference in the number of black people and amount of time they have to serve in prison compared to the number of whites and the amount of time they must serve. Although the court that I work in may not seem to show the racial bias in sentencing, I know that other courts do. This brings me to my next idea that was asked in the blog about the amount of money a person has affecting the sentencing process. Overall, I do think that it helps when going through the criminal justice process to have a lot of money. If a person (whether black or white) has a good amount of money then they will most likely get one of the best lawyers they can find. Many people these days do not have the option of getting the best lawyers they can find. However, I do not think that means that just because a person can't afford one of the best lawyers out there that they still can't attain an exceptional lawyer. There are numerous lawyers out there, that although they might not charge the most money for their services, they are still amazing at advocating for their clients. For example, I think that public defenders often get a bad reputation since they are paid through the government to represent clients that cannot afford to pay them directly themselves. Through my job I have had to talk to several public defenders and I know that most of them are very qualified and do everything in their power to advocate for their clients and if their clients do happen to get sentenced they try to fight to get them the lesser punishment. Keeping all of this in mind, it leads me to believe that money doesn't ALWAYS matter in regards to the criminal justice system but I would probably be naive if I thought money NEVER helped in any of the circumstances. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 04:48:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-two__trashed/#IDComment59684556 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58694806 In regards to saying that being at Penn State takes away a certain level of "threat" I must say I completely disagree with that. Although State College is far different from let’s say the Bronx, that doesn't necessarily mean that the level of threat goes down. From experience and through talking to many students I can say that there is "threat" on campus to some degree, keep in mind bad events happen anywhere at any time even in the best of neighborhoods. Also, to say that everyone in state college treats each other with a certain level of respect is also somewhat falsifiable in my opinion. There will always be those kinds of people that don't show respect for others no matter what type of surrounding they are in. Even if almost everyone that goes to Penn State loves being here, that doesn't automatically mean that we have a sense of togetherness. If that was the case then every surrounding you could possibly put yourself in would be you would have a sense of togetherness with the other people located there as well and that is by no means true. People find a sense of togetherness with things that personally relate to the type of person that they are. Thus, if a person decides to wear Lil' Wayne jeans or 50 cent's t-shirts they are most likely doing so because it is something they like and something that makes them happy. Why should anyone be judged for wearing a type of clothing that makes them happy? Unfortunately, I know that we live in a very judgmental society so that does happen somewhat frequently but just because a person wears a certain brand of clothing or dresses in a specific manner doesn't mean that they are a thug, poser, etc. I'm not trying to be unrealistic or naive though to think that NOONE out there in the world is trying to imitate another person like a celebrity or someone. We all know, or should know by now, that there are some people in society that try to imitate certain rappers, models, or other celebrities. However, it's not fair to assume that everyone or even most individuals who wear a brand of clothing, such as clothing from 50 cent's G-Unit line, are trying to imitate him and be "thug". For example, just because I may own a few items from Jessica Simpson's clothing line does not indicate in any way, shape, or form that I am imitating her and trying to be like the multi-millionaire pop-star. Overall, an individual should be able to wear whatever they want because it makes them happy and shouldn’t have to feel like someone thinks they are trying to imitate another person based on the brands they wear. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:34:46 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58694806