en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/765281 Comments by dqb5081 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment71039414 I think that legalized immigrants should have the same rights to healthcare as everyone else. Though I do not know a lot about citizenship and certification, I am sure that there is a line that the government could set and decide that immigrants are legal, because it would obviously be a stretch to wait until these immigrants got their green cards or actual citizenship. I do not believe that there should be any difference in health care between immigrants who are certified to a certain degree and other U.S. residents as it does not seem that the immigrants would have lesser heath conditions initially, so there seems to be no reason. Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:27:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment71039414 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment71038614 I think that the South Park episode was a cry for attention from the South Park creators. I think that by calling out all of these religions, they expected that eventually they would offend a group enough to create a riff that they would be noted for. I believe that the episode also was trying to be a bit socially aware by making some connections between the celebrities and their respective religions that could be poked fun at, but I believe that they also failed in regard to that. Overall, I think that the Mohammed mention was just for attention and that overall it was a horrible episode. Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:20:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment71038614 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment71038585 Obviously people need money and hard work to succeed or even come to this country, and they need more to come across the border. To get a better life after coming over the border illegally, you need a lot more than one might think you would for startup money and continuation money when they get in to America, so I think that simply hard work is nowhere near enough. In fact, I would assume that it takes an extreme amount of luck in addition to simply just getting over the border. Overall, I think that it takes a lot of work either way, but unless you are well connected you are in for a very hard time. Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:20:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment71038585 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment71038503 I love the connection of compassion that occurs so simply between these two parties. The cycle of the man feeling appreciated because he was treated with respect and developed a special connection with the clerk is fantastic. I am extremely pleased to see that we can have these connections, no matter who the individual is, how often they are seen, or even if she plays such a small role in their life as a clerk in a store. I am truly pleased with this man’s efforts, as I recently have thought about situations similar to this in regard to people in general and Penn State students especially. I do not like or mean to come off as cocky or something similar, but I feel that I was raised with a certain sense of politeness and set of manners that are a strong part of my personality today. That said, I get disappointed at times in situations like this with Penn State students, because I feel that a lot of individuals that work or go to school around Penn State lack these manners or respect in everyday(and night) that tend to build these small but important relationships that can build such strong bonds. This man, on the other hand, seems to be an outstanding citizen and really a role model. The amount of compassion and emotion that he has present shows me that he is extremely caring as well as absolutely genuine. This generosity and authenticity are the qualities that I feel that have truly decreased within our population, so when this type of thing happens I am pleased. This man is admirable. When he explained that when he heard it was a match that he began to cry, I was overtaken with the amount of emotion that this man possessed. He was so overcome with happiness because he was that happy that he was able to assist this woman who he had never seen even outside of the grocery store. What is also hugely important in this transaction is the surprise that such a person who would play such a small role in the clerk’s life as her customer, and how he made such a huge difference for her and her family like it was as simple as a birthday gift. Also, the absence of hesitation, on his part, was incredible. Once he identified that he could donate this kidney safely, he decided immediately that this was the path that he was going to carry out. Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:19:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment71038503 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69476507 I believe that there are multiple reasons that we would treat these incidents differently. The first reason that we separate it is only because, as you said, we do not feel close enough to the incident that we need to mourn, and we are disconnected from it, as death occurs every day. The second reason that I believe that it does not make as big of a difference is that as the numbers of a death toll increase, the realization of the fact that each individual that is dying decreases. As Joseph Stalin himself once said, “the death of one man is a tragedy; the death of millions is a statistic.” Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:10:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69476507 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69476182 This letter was very touching. Having had friends in jail, though not for life, it is important to recognize this camaraderie as it is something that becomes very important to these individuals during their time in jail. Though the acts that they may or may not have committed make them seem as though they will automatically be bad people, the time that they spend and the connections that they make can prove otherwise. Though I do not believe that this is true with all inmates, it is disappointing to see that the ones who are truly rehabilitated will not receive a second chance. Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:09:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69476182 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67415881 I will begin by saying that the fact that second language teaching is decreasing is not good, as it has shown its benefits. Foreign language teaching has been helpful with increasing students’ abilities in many subjects as well as opening doors. From there, I believe that the idea of increasing the teaching of the Chinese language within schools has its benefits. As you mentioned, the learning of Chinese will be increasingly important in the economy to come, and as it is also one of the most complex of languages, it will be more challenging as well as more stimulating to these students’ minds. Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:05:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67415881 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment66626978 I believe that the problem that you mention is one to consider, but I believe that the idea of affirmative action is much more important within its context. Though I do not know that much about affirmative action, I am aware that it is on what is similar to a case by case basis. This makes it seem, to me, as if the problems that you outline are not as serious as you make them out to be. I say this because I believe that it is not as simple as a program as you make it out to be, and because the way people are qualified and the things that you seem to think that they are qualified for seem to be a lot different than what you have imagined. My idea of affirmative action breaks down into affirmative action within jobs and from there, within schools. I believe that they are very different, and I will begin with schooling, because I feel that this has more dimensions. Firstly, I believe that High School is relatively easy to pass, and that it really does not determine how smart an individual is because of various reasons and natural occurrences that happen during this time in every high school student’s life. This means that I think that almost in any case, every person who graduated is just as qualified as the next to go to college. I think that from there, when these individuals receive the same education in college as any other individual, and if they are able to graduate, they will be just as qualified as any other person with a medical degree or any other degree. Also, I believe that if they go to graduate school or some type of continuing education, the same will apply. In relation to professions, I believe that qualification and training is definitely considered, especially in fields of such importance. Furthermore, I am aware that there is intense training and medical schools for doctors, surgeons, and other high level employees at hospitals and other medical institutions, so I believe that if these individuals that you are addressing would come to have a job in a medical institution, they would most certainly play a lesser role, such as a nurse or possibly even lesser. I do not think that the idea that healthcare quality decreasing is a very realistic one, because in the cases that these people are accepted, these individuals are trained adequately for the position that they are receiving or assigned. From there, I believe that your concerns can be quelled so far as they can take into account that sometimes, jobs need to be filled, and at any moment, there may not be enough medical school students to fill them. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 18:18:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment66626978 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66626072 I understand your point that this game may be connected to a larger web of negativity that we seem to be spiraling toward, but I believe that this single instance is simply just an out of line misstep and something that will not be present if even accepted in the United States. I simply cannot see this being received as is it in Japan in the event that it becomes worldwide. Though I am not extremely familiar with the things that are popular in Japanese cultures, it seems that these games are reasonably accepted already so I do not believe that it is extremely groundbreaking in Japan. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 18:12:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66626072 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66625897 I do feel like the things that Sam says make me rethink my actions at times, and I believe that his messages and ideas do have the power to change people’s ideas and the ways that they think. One thing that stands out specifically to me that affected me and changed the way I thought was when he showed us that white people are less likely to help a black person pick something up, whereas a black person would be just as likely to help someone pick something up off the ground if they were white as if they were black. This made me much more aware with an extremely simple example. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 18:11:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66625897 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65669262 The first thing I suppose I should address in this post is my skin color. I am white. This is important, I believe, because it is supposed to dictate the way that I should think. As I write this post, though, I do not think that it would matter what skin color I am, what my age is, or any other similar demographic question. I do not believe that this notification is of importance. When I am faced with the fact that whites will be the minority in the near future, I truly have no emotion or feeling as a result. As Sam outlined in his post, I am one of those who wonders why this is being reported at all. I really feel that it is unimportant, and honestly, if I thought that there were another recent blog that I covered that I could have written 450 words about, I probably would have done so. That said, I will outline the two reasons why I suppose that this is important, and the one angle that I think will make the only two things that could be important about this unimportant. The first reason that I believe that this is important is that the word “minority” will lose its meaning in regard to its most common usage. This word is also used within other subjects, but I believe that its primary use is to define race. The second reason that I believe that this is important is that some people actually will care, and not just a little bit. I believe that the ones who care will be the ones who will care the most. This will be important because these people will have a very serious problem with something that is such a small issue of imbalance, but who will still be prone to take serious action and be extremely unhappy. Finally, I believe that the thing that Americans will have a hard time understanding is that this will change relatively nothing and will be simply a number. The power struggles, discrimination, and any other racial issues will remain unchanged by the minority becoming the majority, so the fact that this word will lose its technical meaning and the idea that many people will be mad do not matter. The word will still mean the same thing, relatively, and the individuals that will be displeased will be for no reason. So I guess what I’m trying to explain is the unimportance of anyone being notified of this. It will only cause controversy, and will be relatively useless for any other purpose. Overall I believe that this change will be completely insignificant, and will only have to be prominent if we make it so. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 00:27:12 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65669262 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment65090689 I feel that there is a noticeable difference between Asians and Asian Americans, but I do not believe that it is addressed or considered in the way that we look at other races and others biracial makeup. I also do not believe that Asians received enough attention as a race within this course. I think that you don’t need to be mashed into the “brown people” group if you don’t feel as though you fit in another spot, and I feel that this is a result of Asians not being brought up in class. I think that the distinction between these groups is considered evenly, but it needs to be. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:31:25 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment65090689 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment65090584 It is understandable that problems need to be talked out as much and as often as possible, but your comments in class do not warrant something that needs to be talked out. Furthermore, I understand that you believe that we should be free to talk about it and be open, but connecting this to race, for me, really holds no similarities. There are some things that should be kept private, and I believe that as men we do not need to be concerned or have to know about these things in the least, so I don’t think that this was really “barrier-breaking.” Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:30:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment65090584 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63543821 I see where this post is coming from and I can also understand why you have so much concern for this aggression and such intense statements. That being said, I believe that these are just as serious accusations as any that the other side could have mustered, and I think that they should not be treated any differently. Also, I wanted to touch on the legality of these statements and posters. I believe that your most important statement was that “people on the right and the left use the image when they think that it serves their cause.” I believe that this is important because the only reasons that we are afraid of these posters more than others is because they have images on them that are more aggressive. I believe that these are the same posters, and though a bit more extreme, contain the same low-level insults that a member of another party may use, but we associate them more negatively because of the “nasty words” or suggestive images used. I believe that it is a bit more aggressive and maybe to the point of unacceptable, but long as it is viewed as equal to other protests, it should be considered as such. Next, I think it is important that we look at how far this disrespect can be taken. You state, “The people holding these signs are threatening violence against elected officials. At what point is THAT a crime?” I think that this raises an interesting point, but I also believe that in actuality there is no point that this is considered a crime. The sign says, “Warning If Brown Can’t Stop It a Browning Can.” This statement, to me, seems to be carefully arranged as not to be perceived as a threat, rather as a suggestion or announcement. From this, I believe that the only way that you can be charged for a threat is if your statement is actually directly threatening, or expressed as a threat towards someone, and there is none of this within this message. This is free speech at its finest. Anti-gay and racist idealism is accepted in most other contexts, so long as it is not harassment or threatening, so I believe that there would be no stopping these individuals or their message so long as it fits within these confines. All that said, I now look at how massive of an impact this has made in the media today and see that this is in fact very important, and may be more than just a few bad apples. I think that this demonstration, especially the racial slurs, have become disconnected from politics. I believe that this has mushroomed into something that is so big that these people are not even concerned with the politics anymore, and they have just resorted to going at each others’ heads with any insult and in any direction that they possibly can. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:28:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63543821 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63416036 I believe that your question is a very thought provoking one, and one that also has many answers. My viewpoint, however, is that even if the history books were re-written, the events that cause whites to have such guilt would have to be included in the books because of their widespread effect that they had on all races. I believe that you outlined a good point, that the books display predominantly white history, and these books should definitely be reworked so that they include the history of other cultures and races. Overall, I believe that these books could be reworked, but we cannot omit the acts of certain groups of whites that we now find to be so atrocious. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:00:25 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63416036 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63414004 Seeing this video, for me, definitely sparks a lot of interesting ideas about the ways that we have been able to transcend gender in our society. I feel that this is a ground breaking step for women as well as being one for sports. I think that it is fine that she would be appointed to this position, and as long as she holds the responsibilities of a solid high school football coach, then there should be no problems. I appreciate her demeanor as well, as she is focused and is looking ahead to what she needs to be doing in regard to teaching the kids what they need to be taught. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:40:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63414004 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment63077557 I agree almost wholeheartedly with your post. There is no reason for such silly behavior, especially such that is not intended to do much harm and that is more a joke than anything else. Yes, a noose is serious, but at the University of San-Diego, I have strong doubts that there will actually be any racial violence associated with such items. Honestly, there must be someone behind the scenes attempting to accentuate what they see as tension without any actual intentions of making anything happen. I also agree that designating two people to speak in regard to the problem creates a dead end in regard to discussion. Whoever the news network chooses to speak about the problem, and what they say is going to be pretty uniform and predictable. Without even watching the interviews, (or “round table discussion,” whatever they want to call it) I am already almost positive that the President of the Black student union will be displeased about the latest “wrinkle” (as anyone would be), call for these actions to stop, and ask for the school to take action against these destructive happenings. The school leader, in return, will address the student, acknowledge that these actions are horrifying or some similar over-reacting adjective, and then say that the school is doing all that it can to combat the problem, when in actuality they are waiting for it to die down. I believe that this type of press happens far too often, as Sam said, accomplishes nothing, and may be even stifling to the conversation that could actually solve problems. That being said, what conversation, network interview, protest, rally or demonstration is going to find the one joker that thought it would be hilarious to plant a piece of rope tied a certain way in a university building? I would bet that the individual who did the above action is sitting back and loving the amount of controversy he has stirred up, and for what? Almost nothing. As I said previously, I do not believe that a student at the university stated is going to make a serious move in regard to race or in regard to increasing tensions at the school. For a campus with such diversity, I believe that this individual is very pleased with the publicity he his getting, and does not really want to take it any farther. From this, I believe that there is really no need for such an uprising, and I can say that it is definitely an overreaction. Past that, I will say and agree that I would most likely do the exact same thing, though I also acknowledge that this would definitely be the wrong decision. Overall, if I feel that if I have something that I feel needs to be of solved, I will solve it by myself or with the help of my extremely close friends who I consider to be as close as my brothers. I feel that the bystander effect, as discussed earlier in class, is a huge part of what goes on in these campus wide demonstrations, and that the aim of the demonstration truly needs to be re-evaluated by these students who really expect to make a difference. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:52:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment63077557 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-world-is-full-of-surprises__trashed/#IDComment63009659 I think that it is very admirable that these groups still respect their roots, cultural and religious. I believe that it is also respectable that they are able to still respect Jewish traditions and themes without completely adhering to the all the properties associated with Judaism. I further believe that the quote, "Christianity is my religion, and Judaism is my culture," truly helps to outline the position that there really are few barriers within cultures, and that cultures, religions, functions, and organizations should not be exclusive, because there are individuals who want to celebrate their ancestry to different degrees than others. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:58:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-world-is-full-of-surprises__trashed/#IDComment63009659 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63009354 While I understand that such happenings may cause “distractions,” as stated, I believe that a complete cancellation of a high school prom simply because of one couples actions is extreme, to say the least. While the school should still reserve the right previously stated, to have anyone removed who is making any other feel uncomfortable, there is no reason for a complete cancellation of the prom. Additionally, though I do not believe that they cancelled the prom as an insult or backlash directed at her, the cancellation definitely seems as though it was a response from a group that truly had no idea what their next move would be. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:55:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63009354 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59974406 I think it is very interesting that you point out the common skin color of all the participants, and it is definitely something to be noticed. From there, I think that the population of the participants is directly related to the shows demographic in relation to the popularity. I believe that when they make the selection process for the shows, they consider the viewing audience and who is interested in watching the shows, and make a selection from there. I feel that these shows have a predominantly white audience, and I feel that they producers think that they will receive the largest audience with a white population. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 02:28:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59974406