en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/762966 Comments by cbd5023 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment71504997 Every once in a while you hear or watch something that brings tears to your eyes. Dan showed such kindness with his gift to Mira that you cannot help but to feel a sense of happiness and elation that people like Dan exist in the world. It was truly a selfless act of humanity for a person who was almost a stranger. It is hard to imagine the type of person who would submit himself to major surgery in order to improve the life of an acquaintance who he probably never spoke to outside of the market. Not only did Dan do a wonderful thing but he involved his family in the generous act and by doing so enriched the lives of his children as well as Mira and himself. Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:44:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment71504997 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment71504698 In a perfect world this would be an easy question to answer. Of course, everyone should have healthcare! How can we possibly deny any human being the right to medical services? If a person is in our country, whether a citizen or not, whether illegal or not—they are still people and should receive the very basic elements of humanity. But, we do not live in a perfect world. The altruism reflected in these sentiments is noteworthy but are we really prepared to face the consequences of our selfless decisions. The reality is that it has taken decades to pass the recent health care law that mandates health care coverage for uninsured Americans. I believe that the issue was first discussed by Franklin Roosevelt when he was President. The American people still remain divided on the very simple proposition that all Americans should have coverage. Raising the issue that all immigrants should have coverage significantly raises the ante on this topic, both in social terms and economic cost. I think that it is important to distinguish between ideal world and the practical world. Much of the debate over insuring the 30 million uninsured American citizens has been over whether offering coverage will overwhelm our health insurance system and who will pay the cost. President Obama’s response has been that our healthcare system can pay for the additional coverage itself. The system can be streamlined, fraud can be eliminated, and the savings from eliminating uninsureds’ visits to hospital emergency rooms, for minor problems, will all result in substantial savings. If the President’s projection is correct we may be back to the perfect world. My guess is that the world is not that perfect and it will take a substantial infusion of money to fund the coverage implemented by the new law. So now we are in the practical world. I do not know how much it would cost to insure everyone on American soil but I know the cost would be significant. Who would pay the cost? Should only legal immigrants obtain coverage or should everyone be covered just because they are here? Being practical certainly has its drawbacks. I feel terrible, but I think I would vote against healthcare coverage for immigrants who are not legally in the United States. Even if only legal immigrants (or visitors) were granted healthcare coverage the cost could be immense, not only in terms of dollars but also the system’s ability to provide medical services to so many people. Maybe we should start by just complying with our current law and offering medical services to good, old fashioned, legal Americans, and see how it goes. Perhaps it will work out to be cheaper and better than many seem to think. If this is the case I am all for altruism and healthcare for all—as long as it does not cost me too much! Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:43:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment71504698 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment71504486 I think that most immigrants come to this country to better their lives and the lives of their families. The United States has always been the place where someone can rise from humble origins to become successful, productive or maybe just satisfied, with a good life. Although some immigrants may think it is easy to earn a living, most would likely realize that it takes hard work, perseverance and maybe some good fortune to be a “success.” I think that hard working people who are trying to improve their lives should not be criminalized by a system that forces them to utilize a process that is difficult and expensive. When a person proves that she will be a productive member of society this should pave the way for her to achieve her dreams. Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:41:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment71504486 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69955644 I think the fact that human beings are able to deal with the knowledge that we will all die and that our deaths may follow that of our loved ones is an amazing feat. How does one get up every morning just knowing that parents, children, spouses and friends are all dying? We just do not know the timing. When we do suffer the inevitable loss we take time off school or work to deal with the emotional turmoil. Eventually, we get back to our normal lives. It is incredible that people have the ability to revitalize their emotions, when at the time we face our personal losses we feel we will never recover. When we hear of natural disasters and the loss of many lives I think we all suffer but are able to segregate those feelings from the more intense feelings that concern those who are more personal to us. This is probably a good thing. Otherwise we would be mourning every day and we would never actually have the opportunity to live. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:17:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69955644 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69955490 I do not for a moment doubt that there are countless inmates in our prisons who feel deep regret for their crimes and their victims. For those who cannot engender the lament for their crimes I would presume they at least have remorse for being caught and incarcerated. But then, I digress. The posting by this inmate does not surprise me at all. Just because a person has committed a crime and is serving a sentence does not mean that the individual is devoid of human feeling or compassion. In fact, I would assume that, for many inmates, the difficulties of prison life, accompanied by the concern for those family members left to fend for themselves, has made them more considerate and kind hearted than they were before encountering prison life. There are different personalities in prison as there are in the outside, free world. I am sure that many prisoners are repeat offenders, have committed heinous crimes and are absent any form of remorse or consideration for others. Others, however, may be first time offenders who got overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment, did something wrong and now are serving their time. I have heard that most of the murderers serving time in prison are first time offenders and knew their victims. If this is true, it is likely that their emotions got them into trouble initially and it would not be a stretch to assume that those emotions still exist, notwithstanding incarceration. I think that human beings need to associate with others. I assume that satisfying this need is very difficult in prison and that having a “true” relationship is rare. This does not mean that the need disappears. The example of the two enemies in the posting indicates that the men continued to harbor social needs to associate and friend others. The horrible loss suffered by the one convict was enough to open the heart of the other and allow them to share the loss of the man’s son as well as their other concerns. Leading a solitary and lonely life without family or friends cannot be easy. I think the blog is interesting because it reminds us that some or maybe most of these inmates are not animals. Even the worst of the inmates is likely to show compassion given the necessary stimuli. Criminals are sentenced to prison for several reasons. They include punishment for their crime, the protection of society from their harmful ways and supposedly, to rehabilitate them and eventually make them productive members of society. While the rehabilitation of “lifers” may not help society particularly, I would like to think that prison life includes more than just society’s retribution for a person’s crimes. It would be nice to think that prison actually improves its population, makes it find compassion and ultimately turns its members into productive members of society. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:16:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69955490 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment69955410 The human will to survive is powerful. The Haitian people are living through a horrific experience and their ability to create a business and social structure in the midst of their devastating losses is incredible. The statement that there is more business competition now than there was before the earthquake is truly remarkable. It is interesting that society finds a way to develop, even in the worst of times. People are resourceful. I would not think that people without clothing, food or other necessities of life would line up for a pedicure or a hair treatment, but maybe it is these luxury items that make their hardships more endurable. I am impressed with the salon owners that were smart enough to envision the need and competent enough to deliver it. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:15:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment69955410 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68459401 How could we not create terrorists? Although accidentally, we kill women and children. We destroy homes and families. Local inhabitants of any invaded land are naturally hostile to their intruders. The antagonism increases substantially when innocent individuals are poorly treated and many times, maimed or killed. In any armed conflict the opposing forces create enmity towards each other. These bad feelings only increase when one side, as is the recent position of the United States, depicts certain countries as “outliers” and treats them differently from other nations. Threatening a country with nuclear attack may scare the country’s government into doing what we want but more likely it will force them into a corner and give them no option but to come out fighting. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:04:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68459401 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68459344 I absolutely understand. It is not really a question of what is right or wrong. It is not an issue of whether Iraq had or has nuclear ambitions. From an Iraqi citizen’s perspective his country is being invaded. Not only are the invaders destroying much of the country including the cities, the infrastructure of the roads and the mosques, but they are killing countless Iraqis—both soldiers and civilians. As an additional insult, the invaders are mostly Christian and fail to understand even the rudimentary conventions of Islam. This is not the first time that the Muslim peoples have felt they were fighting for their very existence. Hundreds of years ago, Muslims fought in the Holy Crusades against the Christians. The ongoing conflict in Palestine and the perceived American support for Israel must appear to be a continuation of the same tale. It must appear that the non Muslim world is always ready to do battle with Islam. While I do not think that this accusation is true, I do understand that the average Muslim resident of Iraq or Afghanistan would likely feel discriminated against or prejudiced by the American government and its largely Christian constituency. They feel that this country insults Iraq, Afghanistan and other predominately Muslim countries. When I left the lecture I could not help but to think what my friends and I would do if soldiers from a different country and a clearly different ethnic background or religion invaded our home or our school. We would certainly fight back and most likely would not even know all the reasons that an aggressor country felt the need to attack us. Even if we did know or understand the reason for the invasion, why would we believe that the reasons given were good enough for another country to disrupt our lives, kill our families and change our society. An insurgency is simply a way to fight back, as best as one can, many times against an overwhelming force. Just as American revolutionists fought back against the British in the American war of independence, it is not surprising that our invasion of these oil rich lands has fomented what could be described as a religious war against America. I am sure that many people in the attacked countries were displeased with their lives prior to the American invasions. Now that we have replaced Hussein’s government and destroyed much of the crops in Afghanistan, it is possible that those who were previously discontented with their lives are now happy. Certainly, there are others whose lives have now turned for the worse. Whether lives have improved or declined, it is unlikely that anyone would welcome an invasion and fail to fight back. When the attack appears to be an ongoing assault on the Muslim way of life, there is no other option. It is not a question of right or wrong—just a fight to reject the evildoers and protect one’s home and religion. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:04:16 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68459344 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68459290 I absolutely understand. It is not really a question of what is right or wrong. It is not an issue of whether Iraq had or has nuclear ambitions. From an Iraqi citizen’s perspective his country is being invaded. Not only are the invaders destroying much of the country including the cities, the infrastructure of the roads and the mosques, but they are killing countless Iraqis—both soldiers and civilians. As an additional insult, the invaders are mostly Christian and fail to understand even the rudimentary conventions of Islam. This is not the first time that the Muslim peoples have felt they were fighting for their very existence. Hundreds of years ago, Muslims fought in the Holy Crusades against the Christians. The ongoing conflict in Palestine and the perceived American support for Israel must appear to be a continuation of the same tale. It must appear that the non Muslim world is always ready to do battle with Islam. While I do not think that this accusation is true, I do understand that the average Muslim resident of Iraq or Afghanistan would likely feel discriminated against or prejudiced by the American government and its largely Christian constituency. They feel that this country insults Iraq, Afghanistan and other predominately Muslim countries. When I left the lecture I could not help but to think what my friends and I would do if soldiers from a different country and a clearly different ethnic background or religion invaded our home or our school. We would certainly fight back and most likely would not even know all the reasons that an aggressor country felt the need to attack us. Even if we did know or understand the reason for the invasion, why would we believe that the reasons given were good enough for another country to disrupt our lives, kill our families and change our society. An insurgency is simply a way to fight back, as best as one can, many times against an overwhelming force. Just as American revolutionists fought back against the British in the American war of independence, it is not surprising that our invasion of these oil rich lands has fomented what could be described as a religious war against America. I am sure that many people in the attacked countries were displeased with their lives prior to the American invasions. Now that we have replaced Hussein’s government and destroyed much of the crops in Afghanistan, it is possible that those who were previously discontented with their lives are now happy. Certainly, there are others whose lives have now turned for the worse. Whether lives have improved or declined, it is unlikely that anyone would welcome an invasion and fail to fight back. When the attack appears to be an ongoing assault on the Muslim way of life, there is no other option. It is not a question of right or wrong—just a fight to reject the evildoers and protect one’s home and religion. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:03:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68459290 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68459208 As with all people regardless of gender, ethnicity and culture, women come in different sizes, shapes and packages. The Hollywood portrayal of women is that they are mostly glamorous, skinny and wealthy. No wonder most of us have body image issues and are overly conscious of our appearance. In spite of the different body images that women portray, I agree that women all have a common bond. Whether it is because we all come from Venus (whereas males come from Mars) or because we may all eventually go through the rigors of childbirth, there is a certain link among us. There is a certain understanding that we have with other women that makes us understand that beyond shape and appearance there is an inner being that really defines who we are. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:02:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68459208 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment65944412 This topic is very interesting to talk about because it is something that comes up in many careers. I overall think affirmative action is a good idea because it helps those who are born into less fortunate situations get into good colleges and or help with their career aspirations. However, when you take into account what the student said in the video, I do not think that race should play a part. It is unfair for a hospital to take a person of color over a white person who may qualify better for the job just because of their race. During the hiring process, the only thing that should be considered is who would be most qualified for the position. Especially when considering a doctor in a hospital. As a patient, I would want someone who could provide me with the best help. Sun, 4 Apr 2010 19:45:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment65944412 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65943575 I would respond to this student by telling him to categorize himself with whatever he “feels”. In class, Sam usually talks about the “white team” and the “brown and black team”, but we never speak about the “in between team”. I truly feel bad for this student, because he seems confused and does not know what to categorize himself as. He was born from a Hispanic mother and a white father, but he was raised on his mothers side of the family, so he was born Hispanic. He states that he has always found himself jumping on the “black and brown side” because of how he was raised. However, he also states that Puerto Rican is his ethnicity, but his race is white. He claims that Sam has come up to him and asked where he stands in this conflict. However, I believe that if he was raised on his mother’s side of the family, and has identified himself as Hispanic, then he is Hispanic. In my opinion, what one categorizes him or her should be based upon how they were raised, the traditions they practice, and their culture. Although this student claims that many people would consider him white because of his skin color, he has never considered himself as white. I think that someone should be whoever he or she wants to be. We should feel proud of who we are and we should not have to choose sides. Who is to say that there are only two sides—the black/brown team and the white team? There is so much more to who we are than what our skin color appears to be. In this video, the student explains that he feels conflict with himself. He also explains that he would identify on the black/brown team through the experiences that he has been through. I am just wondering what specific experiences he has gone through that he would identify himself with this specific team? Overall, I do not think that this student should have to feel conflict with who he is. Why does he have to pick a side? Why cant he embrace his multiracial culture and identify himself with both? I guess I do not understand the big deal of classifying oneself with a specific team. I find it even more upsetting that the two sides are labeled “teams”. The United States is supposed to be a melting pot of cultures and races. I hope that someday, we can all come together and identify ourselves as “one team”. Sun, 4 Apr 2010 19:34:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65943575 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65942267 I do not think that getting rid of welfare is a good idea. The Online Dictionary’s definition of welfare is, “Financial or other aid provided, especially by the government, to people in need.” There are so many people in our country that rely on this system to help them get by. It is very sad that there are people in our country who abuse the welfare system. I also understand that many people use the money given to them for unnecessary things. Also, a lot of people on welfare are simply taking the money, without going out to look for a job to support themselves. However, there are those who desperately need it to survive and help their families. By eliminating the system, there would probably be a huge increase in poverty. The solution may be to revise the current welfare program, but not to get rid of it completely. Sun, 4 Apr 2010 19:18:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65942267 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment65046423 I agree with Sam. I do not see a reason for us to stop questioning things. Sam talked about ethnocentrism and our ability to step outside of our own shoes and see the world in a different way. If we do not question or try to learn more about other people and cultures, how can anything in the world change? Personally, I am always thinking. I always question what it would be like if I were another race. Would anything be different? Would I live in a different place? How would I feel? These types of questions are those that should be asked. When Sam showed us the video about the dolls, I was disgusted. If people do not question, there will be no change on issues such as the doll situation. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:19:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment65046423 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65044938 Sam said that this video would be the most disturbing video that we watched this year, besides for one about slavery. He was right. I was disgusted watching this video. I was so shocked that most of the young black children chose the white doll over the doll of their own color. I was even more disgusted to hear why they chose the doll they chose. Most of them said that they chose the white doll because it was the “nice” doll. It makes me wonder why they think that? What have they learned at such an early age to be exposed to the topic of race? I believe that the media has a lot to do with this problem. Children see their favorite dolls on TV, including Barbie, which are predominantly white. This truly upset me because, they are just kids. It is so sad that they are experiencing this at such a young age. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:07:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65044938 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65044005 I had an idea of how the future demographics in the United States would become before reading the New York Times article, “Birth to Minorities Are Approaching Majority in U.S.” I was not surprised to learn that the “majority births would drop below 50 percent around 2012”. My first question is: Why is this so important? Why does it matter how many white people and non-white people there are in the United States? I understand that the United States is considered a “melting pot”, but why is it important for us to know the exact number? Even though statistics show that whites may become the minority in the future, I do not think that anything will change. Just because whites may become the new “minority”, does not necessarily mean that they will stop being those people in “power”. Growing up as a white girl, I never really gave much thought to becoming a minority. However, I am Jewish, so in a sense I do belong to a minority group. Even though most of my friends at school do not practice Judaism, they accept me. I have never felt out of place and have never been treated as part of a “minority group”. However, my parents always strive for me to keep the Jewish traditions and practices in my life because we are considered a minority. In this sense, I understand why minorities and majorities may be important to some people. However, I do not think that people would give much thought to this topic if it was not presented on paper. However, being an elementary education major, I have explored this topic in many classes. I have learned that the demographics in the classroom are dramatically changing. I do believe that this information is necessary to understand, because it is prevalent when teaching. Teachers need to understand the background and cultures that their students come from in order to teach their students effectively. Sam told us that Pennsylvania is 85% white. I am very confused on how whites will be the minority in the United States as a whole. Does this just mean in certain areas of the United States, or overall? I find it hard to believe that whites will become the minority in a state such as Pennsylvania, when whites are such a high majority. However, I do agree with Sam. I am very unsure of what the big deal is. I do not think that these statistics and facts will make any profound changes in the way our country is run. Personally, I do not feel concerned of being the minority. We are not even sure if this is definitely going to happen, but if it does, so what? Like Sam said, “transformation happens…” Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:59:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65044005 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63406981 I agree with the speaker in the posting. The term “white” was probably more appropriate 100 years ago. Historically, the American melting pot was mostly composed of white people from different European countries where the primary diversity was their economics. In the last 50 years the world has changed dramatically. Most large American cities have had a Chinatown for as long as anyone can remember—but other Far Eastern ethnicities are relatively new in this country. With the immigration of substantial numbers of Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indians and many more the inevitable mixing of the races is happening every day. Other minorities, most notably African Americans and Hispanics have obviously been in American for centuries, but again society has changed and will continue to change, allowing more interchange among the races and inevitably more intermarriage and mixed progenies. It is only a matter of time before the discussion of races will either be irrelevant or will be only historical in nature. It may be 100 years from now or maybe a 1000, but the races will inevitably mix and we will live in a total multiracial world. Many of us already enjoy a mixed heritage of ancestors from different countries. It is just a small extension of this reality that our children’s children may enjoy a mixed heritage of ancestors from different continents. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:50:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63406981 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63406822 I think that Coach Randolph is one really cool lady. She is clearly articulate and reserved. I also think she is a little overwhelmed by the media attention her new position has fostered. It is interesting to think about her shy, sweet and self deprecating persona during the interview and compare that to what she may have been like as an actual player. But why do we automatically believe that an athlete, even a female athlete cannot also be articulate, reserved, sweet, shy and self deprecating. I do not—not for a second. At Penn State we have many female participants in sports such as basketball, volley ball, softball and karate, as well as the acrobatics of our cheer squad and the leaps and turns of our Dance Team. Although some women athletes participate in more physically challenging activities I would not expect them to be any less “ladylike” than their non athletic sisters. But I do not think that some comparison is at all unusual. It is certainly a unique situation. The attention that Coach Randolph is receiving is because something has happened to her in the sports world that is nontraditional. The real question is how we will evaluate the Coach’s future success. Likely, it will be based upon the scoreboard and not the other possible more important ingredients of coaching such as building character, maturity and having fun. What will truly be newsworthy is when the first woman is named to coach a major college men’s team. I thought the Coach’s response to Campbell Brown’s question regarding “whether she had been treated differently as a female coach” was interesting. Randolph acknowledged that there was a difference and that she was treated differently, but “that the treatment was not pervasive or necessarily a problem.” I would think that Randolph is already used to being different. She ran track in college and then moved on to the Divas, a female tackle football team. As familiar as most of us are with women’s track, we are unfamiliar with organized women’s football. I have seen women boxing, skiing and active in most extreme sports. Why we have not seen more playing football is probably a result of women not having the opportunity to play in most secondary schools or college programs rather than their lack of interest. Responding to another of Campbell Brown’s questions about the obstacles she faced in achieving her coaching position it was interesting that Randolph’s response was that she “did not really face any—it just sort of fell into place.” Teaching seemed to be more of a challenge. It is always interesting when aspects of our world changes and individuals are given an opportunity to achieve something new. Many times the surprise is more that it took so long than that it has occurred. For the present there is a difference when a female plays a sport or coaches in a sport. It is a novelty because it was not that long ago that female athletes were hard to find. With more women now participating in more sports why shouldn’t we expect there to be more female coaches? Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:50:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63406822 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63406568 I think that rudeness is a two way street. The difference between rudeness initiated in a black/white situation is that a special type of rudeness is more likely to just go one way. There will always be sensitivity by blacks to certain comments that may be made by whites. It may pertain to a label, such as Negro or colored or it may trigger a stereotype that is insensitive or demeaning. Racial rudeness towards whites does not trigger that same degree of emotion. I think that rudeness outside of racial aspects should be thought of the same regardless of race. Making disparaging comments about someone’s clothing, religion, family or intellect is hurtful, regardless of color. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:49:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63406568 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62790429 I guess it is safe to say that I am glad I do not live in Itawamba County, Mississippi. With same sex marriage being discussed and accepted throughout much of “civilized” America, it is hard to accept that any part of this great country could be so backward that the fear of a gay woman wearing a tuxedo would be cause for the cancellation of a prom. The fact that a memo had already been circulated on same sex dating clearly indicates the paranoid nature of the school board’s perspective on the topic. Perhaps lesbians in Mississippi should follow the example of Martin Luther King and march to the steps of Itawamba County Agricultural High School in furtherance of their beliefs. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:48:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62790429