en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/762875 Comments by bwarelaflare https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69542148 I think that we can be very selfish in world affairs at times because they do not directly affect us, and I do not think that this is wrong or right. We might not really pay attention to it because we might not care or we just do not want to get emotionally attached to anything. Now if a family member or a friend were to be involved in a terrorist attack or major natural disaster, then we would get involved. We just have to keep living, point blank period. If a family member died, you mourn for a a couple weeks, but then you have to move on because if we all acted as if the world were over every time somebody passed away, a lot of things would not get done. All we can do as Americans is be supportive of those who it is directly affecting and send money. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:46:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69542148 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69538022 We are ALL racists in our own way. I think everybody thinks that only White people can be racist, but that is a misconception. I have overheard many conversations that if they had came out of a White person's mouth, there would be a riot, but since a person of color said it, it is alright because they are "sticking it to the White man". I think it is true that Americans have a better chance in making a significant change because of all the opportunities and abundant resources we posses. This is not racist to me, we are only taking advantage of the opportunities bestowed upon us! Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:37:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69538022 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69535061 When I finished reading this letter from the man in prison for life, it really made me think about how we take life for granted. These men are never going to get out of jail, but they are making the best out of their situation. They are taking advantage of the little things in life that we tend to overlook. We all watch television and movies and expect prisoners to be terrible people who do not deserve to walk this Earth, but that is not the case at all. The way they portray prison in movies and on television is terrible exaggeration of how it really goes down. I know many people who have gone to prison and a lot of that stuff that we are fed simply isn’t true. Don’t get me wrong, some of it is, but not a lot. They are isolated for a long time by themselves, and it gives them a lot of time to think and ponder about their life. It can change a person and really make you evaluate and re-evaluate what you did in life in the past, what you are doing now, and your plans for the future. While I was reading the letter, it seemed like this guy was really in touch with his emotional self. He is in touch with this and he is in prison, and there are millions of people on the outside who are not in touch with this side of their self, and it is sad. They are able to give up their dislike or hatred for another prison to console another, while we have beef with our next door neighbor over nothing at all. I have no idea what I would do if some bad news got back to me from home and I could not do anything about it, or a natural disaster happened and there was no way to get in touch with anybody but word of mouth or the news. I personally hate the feeling of being helpless, so I know I would be going through it. I tried to place myself in this guy’s shoes, and it made me think about having to wake up every day for the rest of my life inside a prison cell. The simple things we take for granted like going to the bathroom, taking a shower, walking down the street, or going to the store is out of the equation. We complain about things that these guys would kill (no pun intended) to complain about. Of course these guys did some terrible things and that is why they are in there, but I think Pennsylvania should change the laws so that reformed prisoners can get parole, and they can enjoy life on the outside. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:29:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69535061 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68405441 This really opened my eyes because I NEVER thought about or looked at it in this perspective. I would hear about 20 people being killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan one day on TV, or read about 12 people who were gunned down in the street in Iraq in the newspaper, and say to myself "Damn...those terrorists are CRAZY!". You damn right if another country came to the United States and started regulating I would join the resistance! Why wouldn't I? And when you take a step back and really think about it and put yourself in their shoes, you totally understand just like Sam said. And now I get it. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:07:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68405441 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68404114 This is just sad and it makes me angry that we still are continuing with our violent ways all over the world. It is like we are throwing together adversaries, and then doing whatever to them just because they "might" or "could" pose a threat to the US. We will accuse them for all the things that have been going wrong, and that the only way to contain or stop these "evil terrorists" is with violence and senseless murders of innocent civilians. How somebody is supposed to react when one or maybe even a few of their loved ones are killed by the Military? And they were innocent on top of that? I would feel a need for revenge, just like the next person. I do not even mean revenge via suicide bombing, I mean revenge by protesting or some other way to get your voice heard. In no way, shape, or form is suicide bombing the way to go to get back at somebody, but that is the route they chose. It is just hard to decipher an actual terrorist and somebody who is out for justice, because we are not over there seeing all this. We just see what they feed us on the news. In America, we do not deal with terrorism on a daily basis, so a lot of what goes on, we simply would not understand. News media outlets could tell us ANYTHING, and we will believe it because we do not have any other way to look at it. We just keep on creating terrorists so that we can put 700 billion into our military. And for people to question our government, you are suddenly a "conspiracy theorist" or a "terrorist sympathizer" when that is not the case at all. There is A LOT of wrongdoing going on and people just want to know what is going on. While we think by shooting and killing and getting rid of anybody who looks or thinks differently than we do is going to help us and reduce our enemies, it is only INCREASING or enemies by the people who were directly or indirectly involved with that innocent bystander who was killed for no apparent reason. We need to just leave certain places alone and let them handle their business! What would happen if some country didn't like the way President Barack Obama was running the country and decided to come over and regulate? There would be an uproar! I do not know about you, but if my mother and sister were killed senselessly, no amount of money or sheep would subside my anger..... Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:56:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68404114 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67405591 I think this is a great idea. BUT, I feel like the main language is English. Everybody should know English all over the world since The United States is the most powerful country in the world. Of course you should know other languages for different purposes, but English is the benchmark for effective language I believe. In my high school, I was enrolled in Spanish for a semester and that was it. I do not know if that was long enough for me to effectively learn the language, but it helped me a little. My high school did not offer Chinese as a course, but maybe it will in the future. Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:39:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67405591 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66846105 This is a great question that really made me think. I feel like Sam Richards has changed my opinion on a lot of things regarding race relations. A lot of stuff I already knew about, but he shed some light on a lot of other things I was not familiar with. He made me realize that you should have an open mind in terms of meeting new people from cultures different from yours because you could learn a lot from them about life. He also made me take into question some of the beliefs I had already had in my life. Overall, this class has just made me realize you can feel differently about different topics, there is nothing wrong with that! Fri, 9 Apr 2010 18:07:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66846105 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66825439 As a huge fan of video games, I like to keep an open mind pertaining to all of them. There are many genres ranging from action, action-adventure, life simulation, strategy, and even sports. But this certain game is very perplexing to me. Why would you want to go around and rape females, real or simulated? I guess the idea to some sick person could turn them on, but for an actual video game to be made and distributed is insane. Japanese products are known to be over the top and to push stuff to the limit, but this is just way too much. How could you play this game and then say you love your mother or sister or aunt or grandmother? It is one thing to have a ”violent” video game, but it a completely different thing to make a whole entire video game devoted to seeking out females and savagely raping them. I also have another set of feelings toward this game. I know when people hear about this they can get angry and will feel offended, but wasn't it there the same kind of uproar about the Grand Theft Auto video games series a few years ago? In that game you could kill innocent civilians, you could shoot down cops, and you could even have sex with prostitutes and then kill them to get your money back. Is this not on the same level as the Japanese video game? That depends on who is playing the game I would say. I honestly LOVED the GTA series because whenever I got mad or in a bad mood or just needed to let off some steam, I could play GTA: San Andreas and relieve my frustrations by getting into a car, driving onto the sidewalk, and run people over! Or putting in a cheat code and run around robbing stores and people! And then go on a high speed chase and kill dozens of cops and FBI agents! And it felt DAMN good! I knew I would never actually do this in real life because of the obvious consequences, but to simulate doing all this bad stuff was fun to me, and about everybody else who bought a copy. As of 2010, 120 Million copies have been sold worldwide, so I am guessing many people felt the same way I felt about it. I am glad to hear that Rapelay has been taken off the market, not only because of its content, but because of its mediocre design. I feel like the media has played a HUGE part in this game because it was off the market for a long time until some news media outlets brought it up and started ranting about it. And of course people all over the world started to inquire and look for illegal replicas of the game. It is like when your parents told you not do something or banned you from doing something, making you ant do it even more LOL. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 16:13:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66825439 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite__trashed/#IDComment64377557 Times have dramatically changed since the word Negro was a popular term for Black people. They HAVE to change in order for our world and society to evolve. It's just the way of life. The census is a great way to gauge where we are at in terms of race and population, but i feel like we have let the Census control HOW we think about these things, and in a way it kind of holds us back in moving forward with positive progress. This is America, the GREATEST country on the planet, and it is a very diverse nation, as it should be. We have MANY ethnic groups and mixed races, how are they supposed to identify which race they are? They cannot tell which race is the majority! We have to start getting rid of these generalizations or else we will still be stuck in the year 2000. The word Negro is still taboo in a way because it sound like the word Nigger. I think it is a word that will disappear in time like most old words like that. People will just stop saying it LOL. We come up with new words for people, places and things everyday, so it does not really bother me. There are so many different words to describe stuff, who knows what will happen next? But I like that changes are being made for the better so that we can advance as a planet! Due Feb. 5th Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:03:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite__trashed/#IDComment64377557 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment64375802 I agree with you because this should not even go down at all! The fans should not be allowed to throw items on to the field in the first place anyway because a player could get struck with it and could get seriously injured or hurt. The fans should have been promptly tossed from the stadium. And then the coach saying that racial comment should have been fined WAY more than he was. It should have been a REALLY expensive fine so any other person or coach who even thought about saying something like that would have thought twice about it. This video is eye-opening because it shows how far along America has came in terms of dealing with racism and how far we still have to go. Jan 27th this was due. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:43:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment64375802 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment64375000 I agree with this blog entry 100%. I never thought that when Muslim women wore those head coverings, it was because they were oppressed. I always thought it was because of their religion. I did know that every person that practices Islam does not have to wear them, and if you are unfamiliar with the religion, then of course it might freak you out a little, but that is just ignorance. France should not ban the burgas because that is like banning Christians from wearing crosses or Jews from wearing the Stars of David. It is a violation from your rights as a person. Due Jan 27th Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:34:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment64375000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64289425 I feel the exact same way about these types of issues. No issue should go unturned or unopened. We should talk about everything regarding race and regular societal affairs so that they no longer become taboo. If people had taken the stance we take regarding menstrual cycles with race and gender, who knows where we would be in 2010? In a time and place where we have so many other controversies and concerns, a 28 day cycle should be the LAST of our worries. So I don't feel like this is a "sensitive" subject and people should not feel so uncomfortable about it. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 03:18:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64289425 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64283890 This is a crazy video in a few ways. For one, what is so wrong with the kids choosing the white doll? Do they HAVE to play with the black doll? I think this is just reinforcing stereotypes and facilitating racism in a way. If they want to play with the white dolls, go ahead and let them! The dolls are ugly anyway LOL. Another reason this video was crazy is because of the way the "experiment" was conducted. It is like whoever produced this analysis baited the young kids into picking the white doll by asking them enticing questions that had to end up with the little children picking the white doll. I just think everybody is making a big deal out of this video. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:13:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64283890 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/i-guess-it-pays-to-learn-a-bit-about-other-people__trashed/#IDComment63866377 I believe that this was a a case of misunderstanding. Not everyone is going to know about EVERY culture and their ritual practices. If I was on the plane at the time and seen him "strapping" himself up, I would have panicked as well. The flight attendant did the right thing in taking the appropriate steps in asserting the situation, because in this day and age, ANYTHING is possible, especially when terrorist carry explosives in their underwear and even bombs in breast implants. The teenager should have known that that probably was not the best idea and time or place to do that, and the flight attendant should know of all (or most) religion practices that cold occur on a plane. It is nobody's fault really! Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:53:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/i-guess-it-pays-to-learn-a-bit-about-other-people__trashed/#IDComment63866377 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment63864849 This is just crazy how blatantly racist soccer fans in Europe are! In America we think racism is minimal and damn near over, but this video shed some light on how we are still on bad terms in destroying racism. For the fans to heckle and harass some of the BEST soccer players in the WORLD is mind-boggling! Can you imagine if people tried to do that to Michael Jordan? What about Ray Lewis or Jerry Rice? It is one thing for a fan to just talk about how bad the team is or whatever, but it is a whole 'nother thing entirely too openly yell racial slurs. And even the coach talked about a reputed soccer player and it was on television. Maybe he was just trying to motivate his players. Maybe he is a part of the Ku Klux Klan. I do not know that, but I do know that he is supposed to set an example and that is not the right way to do it. Nobody wants to be playing in a big important game and you are already under a lot of stress and pressure, and then you get bananas and God knows what else thrown at you while you are on the field. I could not even imagine. I could see if it was the Away team's fans, but it is your HOME team's fans. And then most of the stadium chanted "MONKEY" when the guy had the ball, I could see why he just could not take it anymore. We all have to learn to respect one another and adhere to each other’s feelings. At the end of the day, we are all different, whether it is looks, or culture, or even playing style. People are scared and apprehensive about things that are unfamiliar to them; they just have to be educated about new things. We have to stop being close-minded and learn to be more open-minded. The way these people are acting you would think it was 1950, when we are actually in the 21st Century. Stuff has changed and will only change more so we should all just get used to it. The only way to eradicate racism is to learn about ALL cultures and know that there are going to be people in ALL races who are just bad apples, but they shouldn't spoil the whole bunch. Don't let one person make or change your views about the whole race. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:39:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment63864849 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment63856939 Pat Robertson made some REALLY dumb and terrible comments about Haiti. I actually want to apologize for every Christian out there for his idiotic statements. He actually thinks he is somebody "important" and thinks he can say whatever he pleases and that is not the case. He probably has a few yes men around him that kisses his ass and does not argue with him about the things he says and does. When you are 9in the position he is in, you HAVE to have people around you that challenge what you say and give you different angles to look at things. Pat Robertson is like that deranged and unstable family member who says outlandish stuff at the family reunion barbecue, but everybody puts up with him because he has a lot of money LOL. To say that a natural disaster happened because somebody made a pact with the Devil is moronic. We live on PLANET EARTH. Natural disasters are going to happen, and we should expect them to as well. The Earth had tsunamis and earthquakes WAY before humans were on this planet, so just too even think that is crazy. To say that things like this happen is because you sinned is a terrible way to look at things. Remember when Pat Robertson had prostate cancer? Did he get that because of HIS sins? I bet you won't hear him talking about that! Bottom line, this is a time where the world can come together and show each other how compassionate we can be and that we are all in this together. What occurred in Haiti could happen to Canada tomorrow. It could happen to Great Britain next year. You never know! And who are we to question God and talk about his intentions? He obviously had a plan for this, and I think it was to bring people together. He wants to see how kind our hearts are. And if you do not like what Pat Robertson said, all you have to do is turn the channel or turn the TV off. That is the beauty of technology LOL. It is unjust to blame the people of Haiti for what happened to Haiti. I wonder what Pat Robertson said when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Did the people of New Orleans make a pact with the Devil? Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:32:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment63856939 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63574815 If an esteemed Congressman who led sit-ins back in the 1960's says that the things he heard in 2010 after a health care bill was passed were tasteless and uncultured, then you KNOW that is out of hand. I understand a few protesters were riled up and angry, but being passionate about something does not mean you should spit and hurl racial epithets at politicians. And then you call another Congressman a f*****, that is just not called for. I thought America was the home of the "civilized" and "cultured" ? Is it not? I mean, these aren't interns or despicable people, these are CONGRESSMAN who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. They are veterans at issues like this. Nobody should have to go through this kind of harassment in this day and age. The bill that was passed is only going to HELP those who NEED help. There are college students who have NO health insurance because it is too expensive to pay for. Now what if something would happen to them? They would be SOL. The Republicans should not call someone "un-American" just because they have a difference of opinion. That is what makes America so great because we are able to do these types of things. Stuff like this did not happen UNTIL President Barack Obama was elected into office. They just cannot fathom a black guy telling them what to do. This kind of uproar did not happen back in the '90's when HCR tried to pass a health care bill. It is just crazy how this is turning into something out of a movie. Pretty soon, violence will be committed. It is not cool to condemn a group just because a few want to act out. Don't they know what they are doing is not helping our country whatsoever? It is actually being counter-productive to what this country has gone through and what we have accomplished to get to where we are now. If they really wanted to get their point across, they should just take the appropriate steps in doing so, just like the Democrats. Behaving like a 4-year-old who didn't get their way in a toy store is not the way in doing things. How do you just spit on a respected and admired 70-year-old man? Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:51:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63574815 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62230974 This is a great story! I always wondered when a woman would finally be able to coach football. I think she deserves it because as you saw, she absolutely LOVES the game of football; she is knowledgeable about the game since she played with a pro team, and she used to be an assistant coach at a rival high school of the school she is at currently. Some might see this and say "Why is everybody surprised? You are surprised just because she is a woman? It should not mean anything." And other might see this and say "This is crazy, a woman coaching FOOTBALL?" I think people may be shocked just on the simple fact that MOST people feel like football is a male dominated sport, and for a women to be involved in such is very bizarre. They would think this because she is the first of her kind, and people who pioneer something will always be looked at in and odd way. I am glad whoever gave her the job did, because to hold somebody back from coaching football because of their gender is the same as holding somebody back from coaching football because of their race. It is discriminatory, just in different ways. I think she is a very brave woman because she is basically the ONLY Black Female head football coach in the WORLD, and most would be apprehensive, but I can see that she is not. She is confident in all her abilities, and she comes off as very humble. I only wish I could see her in action. Women, black women in particular, have always had a rough time whenever they tried to do something that was male dominated, and you would think that in 2010, this kind of thing would have happened by now, but everything happens for a reason. If women can join the military, and run for president, then they should be able to coach football as well. A lot of women LOVE the game of football, I mean, why shouldn't they? It IS the greatest sport EVER. I just think a generalization of women is that they are football ignorant and do not know about the intricacies of it, but this not the case with a lot of women because they know stats, players, and all the rules and regulations. The women that do not know about the game of football should take it upon themselves to learn about it. They should read up on it through books, magazines, and the internet, watch the games, ask questions, and even play it if at all possible. In conclusion, I hope Natalie Randolph does an outstanding job with her new team and I wish her nothing but the best. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:14:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62230974 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59223314 When I read the article about this white only league, I was not in the least bit mad about the obvious racist elements in it. I started to laugh actually. I don't know, if I was some white guy who actually wanted to join this league, I would feel some type of way. I would not be proud at all. It is like you are admitting that you cannot cut it in a better league, and you are taking what you can get. I would not want that type of player on my team anyway. I want the player who strives to get better and who can adjust to any situation at any given time. And if that involves playing a more up tempo game, then so be it. It is no secret that the NBA is dominated by black people. We were not even ALLOWED to play the game at one point, and now that we took it over, you want to make an all white league? I would be EMBARRASSED as a basketball player to even consider such a thing. It is like a slap in the face to your basketball skills in my eyes. And there are A LOT of people who enjoy watching the fast paced NBA of today, just check the ratings. How would you even prove that somebody is full Caucasian anyway? The way the world is today, NOBODY is probably full Caucasian anymore. America is one big melting pot, and to say that in order to be in an "All-American" league, you have to be full Caucasian is like going back to the 1940's. It is just crazy to think that minorities are dominating something so much that this idea is even being brought up! If you would have asked somebody if they needed to make an all white league back in the 1950's they would have said "We already have one!" I do not know how anyone can read about this and NOT say this guy is racist. He is ever so subtlety saying he wants an all white basketball league because black basketball players are far more inferior to white basketball players. I have seen a lot of black basketball players play with "fundamentals" just like I have seen many white players who are adequate at "streetball". White people have had a VERY big head start in terms of EVERYTHING, so now that minorities are catching up, you go and do something else to hold minorities back? And to sit there ansd call the league "ALL-American" but only say White-Americans can join is just sad. America is an equal opportunity place, and this is not giving and equal opportunity to everyone. It is very bigoted. Mon, 1 Mar 2010 16:44:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59223314 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58591475 I for one find it hard to talk about this at times because of how crazy it is. I know it was a different time back then, and the Drwinsim theory should be taken into account, but to look back it it now can make people feel uncomfortable. To talk about any "taboo" subject can make people uneasy. From slavery, to the holocaust, and many other things. Another thing is people might hear abou this and block it out mentally, and emotionally. I think if it is brought up more and more, people will have no choice than to think and talk and analyze the situation. Also, a lot of people just could not care less about what happened. I do not know why they would not, but they do not. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:16:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58591475