en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/757999 Comments by crm5184 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment69799755 I feel like the most frustrating part about being a woman is that appearance is the ONLY thing ever talked about! It's absolutely a big issue for women and so many of us have poor body image and low self esteem because of the unrealistic images that are thrown around on runways and in magazines, but we perpetuate the cycle by choosing to discuss it all the time and focus all of our discussions about women on their bodies and appearance and body image. When there are discussions about what it means to "be a woman" appearance is almost always the first thing brought up, but it is not the same at all with men. If we would focus more on other aspects of women- our roles in society, stereotypes, and our different ways of seeing the world we would paint so much of a deeper picture of women. But all the time we're just stuck on the superficial issues and what's on the outside. Even when people, articles, plays, etc are trying to send a positive message- that we're all beautiful no matter what, big or small, tall or shirt, white black or brown, they're still just focusing on outer appearance. There are so many more important aspects of ourselves that we could be focused on, it's a shame to waste so much time discussing appearances! Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:09:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment69799755 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment69798511 This was a really cool video to watch... I had no idea what was going on in the day to day lives of Haitians today so it was good to see a glimpse of that through this videos. It's incredible how resilient these people are. If a similar situation happened in America, I don't think you would see the same resilience. It's incredible that just a couple months after a life shattering earthquake they seem hopeful, have established makeshift cities and businesses, and are carrying on with life using what little they have. It's surprising that businesses like salons can still have any customers there! You'd think that people would not want to be spending their money on luxury services like manicures and pedicures, but it is great that they are because that at least gives some boost to the economy. If everyone was being stingy with their money, there 'd be no way up. But as well as they seem to be holding things together for now given the circumstances, I wonder how long that can last? The video said these people may be living in their tents for years?! At some point, everyone is going to be running their own business out of their tents, the competition will be even worse, and all the money is just going to be circulating within each tent "neighborhood"... I'm not really sure how long that kind of system can go on, but hopefully schools will be re-established soon enough and government jobs can be up and running again. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:59:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment69798511 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69795826 Wow, this was a pretty moving letter. It is very obvious as Sam said that this man is quite "evolved" and has come to a deep understanding of the things he has done in the past and who he is as a person. I'm sure not all criminals and certainly not all "lifers" have come or will ever come to that point, but it was awesome to hear words from someone who has. Ever since Sam and Laurie brought up visiting the lifers in class, I've wondered about it. As a criminal justice major, I hear in all my classes about the correctional system and prisoners, but you really only ever hear the negatives about them. Obviously they're locked up for a good reason, but you never get to read in textbooks about the mental and emotional processes these men (and women) go through. If they accept the fact that they will remain in prison for the rest of their lives and are open to the fact that they now have all this time ahead of them to simply come to a greater understanding of life, it only seems natural that they can undergo some great transformations. I truly believe that even the most hardened criminals don't ever lose their humanity. It may be buried pretty deeply but everyone has a heart and everyone feels (psychopaths aside) and it's an intrinsic part of all people. It's funny because how many of us would go over to someone we saw crying on campus and try to comfort them? I don't think I would. And i doubt many people would try to comfort an enemy who was having a bad day. But that this "lifer" says these things are so common within a prison is pretty cool. Everyone makes mistakes- some much graver and life changing than others- but I think it'd be damn near impossible to not be able to find at least one sliver of good in all people. I also thought it was interesting how he talked about being helpless while behind bars in the face of tragedies going on in the world. We take it for granted the little things we can do to help in the face of disaster- simply being able to text donations to the red cross, donating money to causes as we wait at a red light, or attending events to show our support for those affected. Some of us can even fly right to the sight of a disaster and dig in and get to work helping there. I can't imagine being in prison and literally being able to do nothing, feeling completely helpless and like you're not doing "your part." That's got to be rough, and it really reinforces that "us" and "them" mentality. It'd be a cool idea for programs to be set up that allow prisoners to help out in those types if situations. I'm not sure how it'd work, but prisoner, and even lifers, are still human and obviously some of them still want to help their fellow citizens and they should have that chance! Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:38:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69795826 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67785672 I agree with this post- I don't think it's the best idea to be diverting school resources to learning Mandarin Chinese... English is rather dominant in business and I don't see why this would be changing any time soon. I think it's a lot more important for American children to be learning Spanish. First of all, certainly not every kid is going to go into business. But no matter what field you go into, Spanish is going to be extremely useful because by the time the children today are adults and practicing their professions, the demographics of the United States are going to be very different. And by the time they're kids are grown up, it will be even more different. I think to be able to take four years of Spanish at least is going to be extremely necessary for the coming (and current) growth of the Hispanic population. Granted, much of the Hispanic population growth will probably be from people who are already in the United States today (and speaking English fluently) having children, who presumably they will also teach to speak English, but still I just think that it makes much more sense to be learning a language that you probably will face in daily life, rather than one you just might run into if you go off into international business. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:49:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67785672 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/revisioning-the-revisioning-stage__trashed/#IDComment66425972 I definitely can't relate to the questioners experience because I grew up in Chester County, Pa which is 90% white and attended school that were well over 90% white. Throughout all of elementary school, there was never a person of color in my entire grade which was about seventy people. And in high school, there were probably about five colored people in my class, which was a class of 350 people. I never really thought about how badly my life was lacking diversity, I was pretty much oblivious to it. And even in college, I still hang out with a lot of people from my high school and all the new friends I have are white and I'm in a sorority which is predominantly white. So really, racial equality and issues were just something I never had to think about because I didn't see them in my daily experiences. Therefore, I didn't really start moving through the stages at all until I got into SOC 119 and have started seeing that, yeah, there's still alot of inequality out there and it's been interesting especially for me to hear the opinion's of people of color. It's definitely been an eye opening class and I'm not afraid to talk openly about race anymore. I guess you could say I'm in the revisioning stage right now, even though "white guilt" isn't really something I've fully grasped but I definitely have a lot of new perspectives on things. Wed, 7 Apr 2010 17:27:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/revisioning-the-revisioning-stage__trashed/#IDComment66425972 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66423197 I love this question because I've thought about it a lot of times myself. I feel like racial and equality and societal issues are kind of like the whole abortion issue- people have STRONG opinions on it and no matter what you say to them, alot of times they're beliefs are just to deeply embedded to get them to change their opinions. I personally haven't had many major opinion changes by taking this class, but I think a huge thing for me has just been opening up my eyes to all of this stuff I didn't know existed and and was still going on today- like about the huge existence of modern day slaves, the study in which they found out a white person with a drug conviction is STILL more likely to get a job than a colored person with a clean record, and affirmative action doesn't just affect colored people but helps women as well. I think alot of these new insights and up and change the way I view the world around me but my basic beliefs remain the same. I didn;t come into this class as a racist person, and I won't leave it as one so there's not going to be a huge effect there from what Sam's talked about in class, but I can see inequality so much more clearly as a result of taking this class. And whether or not Sam's changing people's opinions and having a huge impact on people's lives isn't really important. I think the bigger thing is that he's up there talking about it and encouraging us to talk and think about it. It's been an awesome class and definitely more enlightening than any of the other classes I've taken. Wed, 7 Apr 2010 17:05:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66423197 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66419171 Wow. This is completely shocking and absolutely disgusting, and what is worse is that there are actually people sick enough out there to enjoy this game and probably get off to it. I think we've made a lot of progress in the United States in terms of women's rights and particularly in the treatment of rape victims. We have laws now that protect their identity form the public, prohibit lawyers from prying into their past sexual history in trials, and have resource centers set up to help them. But sadly, even though these games were made in Japan since that is probably the gaming capital of the world, I am sure that their play is not limited to Japan. They're probably being played all over the world, including in the United States. This is a huge step back for women. They compared these games to the pron industry, but I think they're far worse. At least in most pornographic movies, etc the women are acting as willing participants and enjoying themselves and whatever and that's their prerogative. I'm sure there are some exceptions to this, I can only imagine that there are some "rape fantasy" pornos out there but to have a whole line of video games with the sole purpose being to stalk, sexually assault, and rape women? That's just completely unacceptable. And I think the same argument applies to these games as to the violent, murder filled video games- rather than being an "outlet" for sick people to act on their urges in a way that is non- threatening and not hurting anyone, they are probably actually serving to just desensitize people to how horrible rape really is. Unlike in video games, real rape victims have to go on living everyday with the pain of what's happened to them. There are no "power off" or reset buttons in real life. And the injuries suffered by rape victims- both mentally and physically- and real wounds and not just some simulated bull shit. And even worse, for some people who truly want and feel the urge to rape women but haven't yet started to, these games probably make great practice for them- deciding exactly how they want to do it, helping them take everything into consideration in order to not get caught, and creating a sequence of events that they can just play out like they did in the video game. For that "gamer" in Britain to say she didn't have any problem with this game after playing it is insane. It's bad enough for anyone to feel that these types of games are okay, let alone for a woman to think that. Does she have no self respect? And I wonder, if she were to be raped tomorrow would she still be okay with this game? I highly doubt it. If any of the makers of these games- men or women- were raped tomorrow would they still be okay with this product they've created?? I don't think so. I think it's time for people to put themselves in others shoes and stop being asses and actually think about the stupid things that they're doing. Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:47:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66419171 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64758932 Well I think Sam definitely succeeded in getting people to start conversations about all sorts of things we don't usually talk about- I've never seen soo many people talking about menstruation haha but I agree with a lot of the previous posters. I don't think the big point to get across here is whether or not we should talk about "bleeding" but rather to question why some things are never talked about and why our cultural norms and rules of politeness are what they are. His method was a bit unconventional- asking all of the girls in class if they were currently bleeding- but the point was clear. Our society is completely ruled by these norms and rules and values that were made up by God only knows who and if we hadn't started talking about things that were unconventional, we would never make any progress in this country. People used to not address or deal with racial inequality, and if that didn't change we'd still be a segregated and messed up society. And, not too long ago, people didn't want to talk about homosexuality- it made them uncomfortable and it wasn't considered "polite" to discuss. But that has changed so much in the past couple decades and look at how much our country is changing because of it- laws now protect gay people from discrimination in jobs, housing, etc and we're even taking steps to completely legalize gay marriage. So pretty much without talking about the current state of things, we can never get anywhere and we'll be stuck in that past so I say keep it up Sam- keep making people uncomfortable, because at least your getting people to talk about shit. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:37:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64758932 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64757475 I definitely found this video disturbing- it's crazy that little kids who can barely talk have these ideas already in their heads. But I still don't really understand why this is? People in class answered with responses about the images we are bombarded with every day in the media of what it means to be pretty- the blonde, white, skinny, All- American girl stereotype. I get that, and I think it is a shame that even at three or four years old people are already made to feel inferior and less beautiful because of the color of their skin. But the one little girl in he video was asked another question- who is the mean doll and who is the nice doll? And she pointed to the black doll as being mean and the white doll as being nice. How are these ideas put into children's heads?? It got me thinking about one of the theories I learned in both a sociology and a criminology class- the Labeling Theory which pretty much says we label certain people as the typical "bad people" and therefore because of that stigma attached of being "bad" that person will end up turning bad and being deviant. Are we attaching that label to all people of color because of their over- representation in the prisons? And can a little kid already sense that? I don't know, but the video was sad because immediately following that question in which the little girl pointed to the black doll as being mean, she was asked which doll she was and painstakingly had to point to the black one. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:25:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64757475 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64750960 I completely agree with this post and what a lot of the other posts were saying- I think socioeconomic status is a much bigger determinate of how tings play in our lives in this country. So many of the discrepancies we say between different races in America, for example education levels, careers, and crime rates are much more influenced by SES than race, and it just so happens that minority races are over represented in the lower economic classes. I definitely think race is still completely related to all these factors, but sometimes it's just too easy to write off racial issues as the cause to everything and that is just not always the case. And I think because of the huge discrepancies between socioeconomic class, whites are never going to be seen as the "minorities" per se. Yes, there is definitely going to be more people of color than white people in the U.S. and that doesn't surprise me at all...I've been hearing about this coming change for years. But I think "minority" implies so much more than a number and that's why I don't really like using the word to much- I see it as going back to the whole "king of the mountain" concept where pretty much anyone at the top of the mountain is going to be seen as the majority because of the power they have. On a different note though, as I was reading all the statistics in this article, I have to admit I did have mixed feelings about it. I'm not worried about people of color "taking over" America or anything like that. If more people of color start gaining positions of power, I say all the more power to them and I think people of color definitely need a stronger voice in our society. It's just strange to me thinking about being the minority in terms of numbers. I've always lived in extremely predominantly white communities and before college I attended schools that were about 98% white. So as horrible as this sounds, Penn State is the most diverse community I've ever been a part of (I know this is sad, seeing as Penn State is something like 83% white). But anyway I just think it's definitely going to be strange for me to be in all sorts of situations where it's predominantly people of color. I don't think it will be bad, it will just be a huge change for me. But then again, I liked what a girl was saying in class a couple weeks ago- that being the minority in a situation for the first time (for her it was when she came, as a person of color, to Penn State) forces you to open your eyes and really become comfortable with who you are and where you come from. So it should be a pretty enlightening experience for me...and probably most other white people and I'm excited to see how it all plays out. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:25:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64750960 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63943506 So, I'm kinda mixing a few different stories into one here, but I've still been thinking about the whole texting in thing from last weeks class and about the different responses that were heard in the room when white people were texting insulting things versus when people of color were texting insulting things. And then we watched that video in class on Tuesday- I don't remember who the comedian was but he was a black man just completely ripping on white people and making fun of all the stereotypical things about white people. And everyone thought it was funny and we all had a good laugh. But if anyone else read the article Sam posted about how at the University of California San Diego many students had a "Compton Cookout" themed party, which is pretty much making fun of and stereotyping a subculture which is predominantly black, absolutely no one laughed at this. It was taken as very serious matter and UCSD is being portrayed as horribly racist because of that. So does this rudeness thing go both ways? NO, it doesn't. Should it? Absolutely. Either we all have to be held accountable for our actions and words against another race, or none of us can be. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:58:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63943506 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63942209 I agree, we all have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and I respect the rights of the Tea Party Movement to get out and protest when they disagree with something and to say and make signs that say whatever they want as long as they're not threatening to physically hurt an elected official (which I think they were with signs with the gun on them, and I believe threatening to assassinate someone is illegal?). But anyway, though I think it's great they're exercising that right, how about actually stick to the issues at hand?? I completely expected the signs about socialism and maybe a few good jokes about the "U.S.S.A" but where do the protesters get off dropping the N bomb and the F bomb? Could they be addressing anything less relevant to the issue at hand here?! Who cares if certain congressmen are gay or if our president and several congressman are black... how does that relate back to the health care reform bill? I personally do not support the bill at all and have several friends who were protesting on Capitol Hill this past weekend and have major respect for them because of that, but the Tea Party's protest is simply belittling people and not doing a thing to address the issue that they apparently care enough about to be out there protesting for... it just makes no sense. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:46:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63942209 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63942132 I agree, we all have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and I respect the rights of the Tea Party Movement to get out and protest when they disagree with something and to say and make signs that say whatever they want as long as they're not threatening to physically hurt an elected official (which I think they were with signs with the gun on them, and I believe threatening to assassinate someone is illegal?). But anyway, though I think it's great they're exercising that right, how about actually stick to the issues at hand?? I completely expected the signs about socialism and maybe a few good jokes about the "U.S.S.A" but where do the protesters get off dropping the N bomb and the F bomb? Could they be addressing anything less relevant to the issue at hand here?! Who cares if certain congressmen are gay or if our president and several congressmen are black... how does that relate back to the health care reform bill? I personally do not support the bill at all and have several friends who were protesting on Capitol Hill this past weekend and have major respect for them because of that, but the Tea Party's protest is simply belittling people and not doing a thing to address the issue that they apparently care enough about to be out there protesting for... it just makes no sense. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:45:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63942132 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63940437 I agree with this post completely- I don't believe "white guilt" has any reason to still exist today. We have absolutely no control over what has happened in the past. Not all white people have ancestors that owned slaves or supported slavery in any way... as a matter of fact, I'm sure a lot of white people have ancestors who were abolitionists. And for people who did have ancestors who owned slaves, you can't expect them to feel guilty for a person's actions whom they've never even met. I mean there are a ton of situations that you could apply this whole guilt thing to- do we expect everyone born in Germany to feel guilty about Hitler's actions over fifty years ago? No, that would be ridiculous. His actions were horrific, but people born since then had no involvement in it and no control over the situation. Do we expect the British to feel guilt for trying to oppress us in the American Revolution? No, we don't. And would we expect a child who's parent murdered someone to feel guilty for the actions of their parent? Definitely not. But for some reason, whenever the issue of "black and white" comes up, we're expected to feel shame and guilt for the cruel and just ways of a PAST group of people. It just doesn't make sense to me. I can certainly admit that it is completely unfair for inequality based on race to still be around today, but I also do not in any way partake in or condone that. So once again, it comes down to the fact that other people's actions are out of my hands, unless maybe they're racist actions are going on right in front of me and I have the ability to say or not to say something about it. But I've never been faced with that situation and I can't go walking through life carrying the burden of other people's guilt. I am not a representative of the white race, I am one individual, and don't want to have the weight of shame and guilt of all white people living and dead on my shoulders. But I really liked the part in the previous post that talked about if you do feel white guilt maybe it is because you subconsciously are harboring some kind of negative thought about other races/ ethnic groups. I'm not necessarily saying this is true, especially not in all cases, but it's an interesting point and it definitely got me thinking. Maybe this whole white guilt thing is party not because of the actions of people in the past, but rather thoughts people currently have that they don't want to address. From an early age, white people are taught not to address race and not to acknowledge differences between races and to pretty much just be- or pretend to be- completely colorblind. So if a white person is feeling a certain way about a different race, it's often not something they are going to address and therefore it'll probably just fester in their minds and grow because we're taught that there is no appropriate outlet for thoughts or even just questions about another race. I'm just saying, it's definitely something to think about... Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:30:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63940437 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62633864 Well , I can't seem I'm completely surprised in any way by the school having an issue with this student wanting to wear a tuxedo and bring another girl as her date to prom, but that's just because I saw this happen at my own high school. Under no conditions were students ever allowed to bring someone to a dance that was the same sex as them- whether it was someone they were in a relationship with or merely just a friend that they wanted to bring along. However, that was a Catholic school who essentially can make all their own rules and does not have to answer to the state- so I'm pretty surprised that a public school could get away with this. They had no basis for the decision they made- everyone has rights, whether they are a student or not, and it is not illegal to be a lesbian- it is however illegal to discriminate against a lesbian, which is exactly what this school did. I think with increasing acceptance in our world for the gay community, we probably will be seeing people coming out more at younger ages, particularly in high school, and this "issue" is not one that will go away. So hopefully, this school can get over their discrimination and learn to better deal with this, or the students there may not be having many proms in the future. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:34:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62633864 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment62632776 I agree in that I don't necessarily see the "Compton Cookout" as racist. Yes, I think it's totally immature and stereotypical and is reflecting a mindset that shouldn't be held by college- level students but I don't think it was intended to be racist in any way. Especially because I see it as directed at a specific subculture, not a race. In one of the early classes this semester we talked about how each and every one of us belongs to so many different subcultures, completely distinct from race. For example, Sam showed us pictures of Russians with "bling" and Asians wearing baggy pants, so I don't see this themed party as necessarily being racist. Also, I agree that there are obvious instances out there in the media where white people are clearly being stereotyped and made fun of, such as the "White Girls" movie as the above poster pointed out and the song we listened to in class yesterday "White and Nerdy"...yes that song was made by Weird Al (a white person) but they now believe that a black person had the idea for the Compton Party, so what's the difference?? However, I think the noose being hung is absolutely ridiculous and goes way beyond immaturity to just plain offensive and insensitive, regardless of the skin color of the person who hung it. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:26:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment62632776 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62629568 First of all, even though I love the idea of the texting in because it gets to seem real opinions that people otherwise may not speak up about in class and I find that really interesting, you can pretty much expect that there's going to be issues with it. Of course there will be the immature cowards who hide beyond anonymity to make rude and degrading comments...we're all in college- grow up! But anyway, I don't agree with the poster who said that the comments made about white people by people of color were less offensive than the comments made by white people about being white. More stereotypical, sure, but no less offensive. Though I am white, I was upset by both sets of comments because I have respect for everyone based on the fact that we're all human beings and I'm not really comfortable sitting there while people text in "having to deal with loud ass black girls in the computer lab", etc. But the comments made by people of color such as "ignorant", "stuck up", and "sorority sluts" made me just as uncomfortable and angry. And I don't see how people called "loud" is any worse than being called a slut. And I complete agree with the person who asked this question- it just seemed like when white people made rude comments, there were gasps of horror and shock, whereas when people of color did, everyone just sat here quietly and took it. I think as white people, we're conditioned to act this way- to feel guilty about injustices from the past and to always refrain from "calling out" a person of color for doing something wrong because we're afraid of being perceived as racist. We are pretty much just expected to take whatever is thrown at us. But that doesn't solve any problems- if we really want complete freedom from inequality one day, everyone has to be equally responsible for their words and actions. We all need to be unafraid to call each other out on false, stereotypical ideas we hold onto and we need to be looking more at the future rather than the past. It's completely unfair for someone to just sit back and wait for equality to come for their own race if they are still harboring resentments toward another race. It's definitely a two way street but I think it's never really treated as such. Being in section 33, I've missed out on seeing what goes on in the discussion groups, but I just hope that its not the same as what happened in class with the texting system. Everyone needs to be equally accountable and we all need to be unafraid to speak up because it is really the only way to learn from each other. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:59:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62629568 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59839067 While I do think Moose attributing some issues that are currently taking place in basketball such as "players on other professional teams carrying guns, attacking fans in the stands..." to the African American dominance in the NBA is ridiculous and racist, I don't think you can call him wanting to start a Caucasian basketball league racist because segregation is still popping its head up in so many ways today and if you want to denounce this basketball league as racist, you'd have to attach the same label to Black Entertainment TV, sororities and fraternities whose membership is based on race, etc. Personally, I think its all ridiculous and I don't understand how people can still get away with it today. We say that we're all the same, but we allow things to live on that show us as separate and inherently different. It's always frustrated me because if there was "White Entertainment TV" or white sororities and fraternities there would be a huge uproar about it. Attaching the label of racist has to go both ways, not just when white people come up with some stupid all white league idea. But I mean honestly, it's 2010 why does any of this stuff exist anymore anyway? Fri, 5 Mar 2010 04:57:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59839067 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment59837994 I agree completely with this post. I think it seems as though people aren't really caring or taking the point home with them because they just don't have any clue what to do about the situation. I personally feel like it's really hard to manage wanting to do something about the horrible situation the Native Americans have been put in versus the issue of "blame." I'll admit, I was actually completely ignorant to the true genocide that occurred here against the American Indians until we talked about it in class. I had no clue it was the largest genocide in human history?! And it's extremely frustrating to find all this out and to feel like there's nothing I can do about it...to just keep living the same everyday as when I didn't know about this mass killing and stealing of land. But at the same time, I think wanting to do something to help and fix the problem gets grouped in with taking the blame and admitting wrongs- which is not something I can do. I have never killed a Native American. I have never stolen their land. I've never enslaved them. And I don't think anyone in our generation should take the blame for something they weren't involved in, whether their ancestors were involved or not. We always preach that we're accountable for our OWN action alone, but when we're discussing tough issues between the races, everyone wants to group every person of the race together and hold them all accountable for the actions of other people of the same race. Why? I'm not a representative of my race, either the living or dead members and I don't want to take the blame for something they did. The only thing I have in common with the people who did what I am blamed for is skin color- I don't know them or anything about them. I have upmost respect for all people because we are all human beings and I don't look down on a single person on the basis of skin color. I don't see anyone as an inferior. And so I refuse to let myself feel guilty for the fact that white people killed Native Americans and white peole enslaved African Americans. These things are HORRIBLY wrong and its upsetting that they happened, but I didn't do it. When a parent commits murder, does anyone blame the murder on their child also? No, and it'd be ridiculous if they did! So why should we continue to blame people and be hostile toward them for things that their ancestors did long ago, or for a lot of us, for things that members of our race- not even related to us in any way did long ago? That being said though, I hope that knowing this genocide occurred does strike a nerve with everyone but its tragic. But again, I also wish that there was more outlets available for us to "do something" about it and try to help these people who have been treated so unfairly for way too long now. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 04:46:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment59837994 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59831142 I'd have to say that the vast majority of theme parties are not racist against any group of people. They're just a good time and are basically light hearted poking fun at people, but not one racial group in particular. I'm in a sorority and we've had all types of parties- anything but clothes, no pants, jersey shore, stages of life, golf pros and tennis pros, etc. I think the only party that could be misinterpreted as imitating a certain racial group would be "thugs and forties." But even that is not meant to be racist in any way- "thugs" can apply to people of every single race. I think it's a little sensitive to take these as racist, and it's not just white people having these parties. There are people of every race in my sorority and everyone loves getting dressed up and having a good time. I don't find these theme parties insulting at all, ridiculous maybe but definitely not racist. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 03:29:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59831142