en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/759497 Comments by gonewiththewnd https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment70901128 I have a five year old cousin and a three year old cousin who are sisters. I love hanging out with them; not just because they are cute or funny but because they are still so innocent. They are unbiased, unracist and just see life in simple manners. I was I could be more like them. Every day we are bombarded with media that tells us to act this was, think this way… do this thing. When the hell did it become okay for people to not even use their own minds when making decisions!?!? Then there are people like the man who donated his kidney…. We should all be more like him. I don’t even think I can name one cashier at my grocery store… let alone ever think to donate a vital organ to one of them. I am pleasantly amazed that people like this man still exist in today’s fucked up selfish world. I don’t believe in God or angels or any of that but this man is truly a saint. I wish I were more like him too. I think we should all try to be more like him. In regards to the adorable little boy, I say to him “don’t loose your innocence”. I think that’s what the problem is these days…. Everyone know everything about everyone. Do you want to know who you ex is hooking up with? Just check Facebook. Or if you want to know what Brittany ate for lunch? Just check Twitter. Its ridiculous how much information we can get on the internet…. Its not natural. We are not supposed to know every tiny detail of everyone’s lives. Its like humans are getting closer and closer to being God like…I don’t mean that in a good way. Im rambling. What I am trying to get at is that society, technology and media have really fucked us up. There are not many people like the man in the video left in the world and that is quite a shame. We need more people like him. We should all work to actually get to know people… don’t allow the Internet to be your connection to someone…. Talk to them in person! We could all learn a lot from children too. We should aspire to be more like them… don’t take life too seriously. Its like Sam says “we are all going to die anyway” so you better do something fucking amazing like this guy did and act more like this little boy did because if not, no one will ever remember you. Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:51:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment70901128 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70723852 I regret to say that hard work is no longer the only requirement to get what you want or, in many cases, need. In today’s society everything is run by money. In the case of illegal immigrants and the inability to pay to legally immigrate, I am not sure that asking people to only legally immigrate is realistic. People will always want to immigrate to the United States… it’s the land of opportunity (or at least is it supposed to be) and they will do what ever it takes to get here. A green piece of paper is not going to stop them. Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:56:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70723852 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70722042 We were just discussing this topic in my religion class the other day. I had not heard about this incident and was in no way surprised that the writers for South Park had chosen to write an episode making fun of Muhammad. This show has made fun of everyone under the sun, including Jesus. It seems to me that the issue here is that the perpetrators may not be able to handle a joke like everyone else that has been made fun of by South park has been able to. I can understand why this may be upsetting but it is in no means a just reason to threaten someone’s life. Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:41:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70722042 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69819042 I think it was a really great idea for Sam and Laurie to have one of the “lifers” they know write the class a letter. This letter really opened up my eyes to how much we associate prisoners with only negative characteristics. I was refreshing to realize how normal these people are. At the same time, from this letter, it seems that this man is not ordinary…. But much more than ordinary. He seems to have a knowledge and understanding of his life that not many people can claim to have. This experience that he described was also very refreshing. It’s not that I thought prisoners were un-human but I never really considered them in this light… that sounds really bad. This is why I really like Sam’s class, it makes me think about things that I have never even considered; things that I knew existed but, I guess, forgot about… or they just never crossed my mind. While describing his experience of watching the two men, I didn’t even realize he was describing an experience in a prison yard. Its like besides the fact that the men are in prison, this experience was completely normal…something that could happen to anyone. I really think that we, as a society, need to really work hard to break down the walls of discrimination and preconceived notions. We should all get to read letters from “lifers”. I think that the newspapers would really entertain and benefit their readers if they included letters like this in their publications. Media representation is the only way for people to have access to important documents like this one. This is the only way that we have a chance to become informed rather than ignorant to what is actually happening in our worlds… our prisons. It really bows me away how this man didn’t even graduate from high school and yet here he is writing letters to a college level sociology class and probably (like in my case) blowing peoples minds. The only issue I can see that would stop people from reading letters like this one, if they were represented in the media, is fear. Fear that what we know to me “true” is actually a lie. Its really hard for people to be able to consider this… its like trying to fit your left show on your right foot… down right uncomfortable and not something you want to do. But I implore people to have the courage to question everything they believe to be true… it’s the only way to actually become informed. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:28:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69819042 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69815049 I think that this question is really a case of the answer “being in the eye of the beholder”. I don’t really think that here is a definitive and correct answer to this issue. I can completely understand both side of the argument though. I can understand how a person can go to another country and see people less fortunate than themselves and reflect of the fact that they have access to so many more resources. On the other hand, I would definitely be offended if I was one of those less fortunate persons. Its truly disheartening to realize that the world has become a place where your success is based of resources rather than talent or loyalty or morality. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:02:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69815049 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment69812456 I have never heard this man speak before but I really like his way of thinking and feel like I have very similar opinions. I can understand why people would be so freaked out by him, his ideas question he very nature of how our society is set up, but I think that people need to just open their eyes and be brave... and accept the fact that our system is fuc*ed up. The only way we are ever going ot repair our system, is to admit that it is flawed…. Something that some people (I don’t know how) honestly believe to not be true. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:48:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment69812456 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68283114 I think that this lecture was a huge eye opener for me. It not that i never thought about the whole war but i never really understood it. Little did i know such a simple explanation was right in from of my eyes. It makes total sense to me as to why the people in the middle east are fighting back against troops. I would do it too if I was in their situation! With regards to the whole chrisitan invasion… it seems kind of crazy. Im not sure if I believe it or not. I suppose its possible but it just seems so strange. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:38:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68283114 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68113772 This is a really tough question to answer but I am going to attempt. I don’t really think any one person can claim they have the grand knowledge of what the end result of learning about or practicing race relations should be. I honestly don’t think its even possible to claim an end goal. To me if there were an end to race relations, those of us fighting to make a difference would have lost the battle. I think that as long as there are people in the world we will have differences and opposing opinions… if not, then the government has probably changed us all into robots. I think that ideally (but not realistically) every person would accept the differences we have with each other and find them to be a blessing instead of a reason for death, torture and discrimination. This is never going to happen. I know I sound like a huge pessimist but its true. People will always find themselves better, smarter, more attractive or more deserving than others. And as long as they do, there will be discrimination, death and torture because of those differences. So, what are we to do if there is not end result? What is the point of continuing the fight for race equality? The point is, that we can at least lessen the pan of those who experience discrimination. We can teach people to embrace our differences. We can teach people to understand and not be ashamed of how they feel about race but rather to accept that they need to make an effort to understand race relations and accept each other. This task may seem daunting to some people but I think that’s where Sam’s class comes in. His class has really facilitated these thoughts and feelings in me and in many other people as well. All I think we can really do is one; spread the word about Sam’s class. Two; we can continue to make steps towards our goal by continuing our race relations experience past Sam’s class and into talks and other activities. Lastly we can make the conscious effort to not let Sam’s words go in one ear and out the other but rather really take them to heart. Ponder them. Then act on them. That to me, is the most important step, action. If you see some injustice or misunderstanding, don’t just sit there, do something. Help the world become informed about race relations. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:24:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68113772 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment67850676 I think that there is definitely a second step in fighting slaver and I think that maybe Sam didn’t talk about it because it may just be too hard for students to be expected to take this step. I think that after realizing that slavery exists the next step is to participate in anti-slavery activities and buy anti-slavery products. This step can be really hard for college students because eating anti-slavery foods is nearly impossible in the dining commons and anti-slavery products tend to cost more… a big turn off for students. Although its really tough to live an anti-slavery life we should all do our part. Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:45:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment67850676 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66287983 These games are really disturbing but I wasn’t really surprised that they were occurring in the Japanese culture. My friend who grew up in Japan was explaining to me how this kind of culture is actually quite common in Japan because of the “oppressed culture”. She was saying how if anyone has any kind of though that differs from the norm (in this example raping for fun) they, socially, cannot express this so “sub cultures become saturated with sex and freakiness”. Well said. The fact that the videogame gives players the option to grope, rape and humiliate a young woman (she didn’t even look like she was 18) is disgusting. I think the youthfulness of the female in the games is an issue (if not the completely banning theses games) because it promotes sexual actions with under age women. Even if the game simulates women of age, I don’t think it has any place in the media. People may claim that it is there own personal choice as to the subject of their gaming, and I agree, but I don’t think rape should one of those choices. If people want to play games where they go to far away lands or have mystical pets, that fine but any game where you cause harm to another person, I think, is not a good idea. A huge percentage of gamers are young children. Games that promote violence or rape have no place in the minds of our youth. With regards to who should regulate the game contents/themes, I am not entirely sure. In some ways, it would be good if the government regulated the games because there could be a high standard set by law. I feel like if there was a law that regulated the games there would be a better chance of success. On the other hand, if the gaming industry regulated the game contents, there could be some temptation to not uphold the law. Why would the gaming industry want to bad a product that has a demand and therefore, would make them money? It seems unlikely this would be successful. These games have no place in any society and they should be banned without exception. Those who defend the games saying it’s a persons right to the contents of their gaming choice, I say that the risk of the youth getting their hands on this content it too high to ignore. Tue, 6 Apr 2010 22:54:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66287983 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66283198 I think that Sam's class definitely get students thinking, and in the case of the guy in the video saying he has learned absolutely nothing, i really find that hard to believe. It was mentioned by someone that they found the beginning of the class more interesting,; I tend to agree. It seems we have been discussing the same 6 stages of race acceptance for the past few weeks... what happened to all the funny stories and disturbing media examples (the doll video)??? I wouldn’t say that Sam’s class has changed my life but I have definitely discovered more things about myself. I realized that although I don’t like to admit it, I still have a lot of work to do before I can claim to be completely not racist. I think Sam’s class gives students the tools to (if they wish, unlike the closed minded person who made this video) really learn about race and how it effects us every day. Tue, 6 Apr 2010 22:17:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66283198 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment66083381 The first thing that popped into my mind when i watched this video was why does having minority workers lower the quality of a product or service (in this case)? I was angry and upset that this comment had been made. Then i took a moment to calm down and realized what i took his comment as, probably was not the intent of the person who asked the question. I can see how this issue could be in question. The concern being that instead of highly qualified persons being selected for a job or student placement, a person is chosen based on their race not their smarts or sat scores. I can also understand the other side of this issue, saying that racism still exists and affirmative action is a good way to make sure race doesn’t effect opportunities. Mon, 5 Apr 2010 18:41:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment66083381 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65568638 I kind of have the same problem. My mother is Mexican and my father is for the united states. I grew up here in the united states in a really small, really white town. I always felt that I was not the same as the rest of the other kids because of the culture that my mother brought into my life. I never considered myself just "white" i always wanted to be and claimed to be something more. It makes me so angry when my white (and usually partly racist) white people that i know try to act like they are black like its for fun. They throw around the n word and try to act like the stereotype they them selves made up. That just stupid its like hey, we have oppressed these people for hundreds of years and now we are going to make it cool to act like those people. That disgusts me. Any way, back to the issue of how to identify yourself. I think that everyone has the right to identify them selves in whichever way they feel most comfortable. No one knows themselves better than themselves, so who are we to try and stick a label on someone we may not even know that well? We have no right to do that to each other. I don’t even think that racial and ethnic labels are that important. Why can I just be “me” and you just be “you” and he just be “he” and so on? Therefore we all get the recognition of being the diverse individuals that we are. The only really true reason I can see for racial and ethnic identities is so that people can associate themselves with people that are similar, but that’s not going to help the human race become more united. If all we want to do is sit in our huddle with people who think that same as we do, we will never learn anything. There will never be differing opinions and therefore never be any understanding or each other and our uniqueness. SO, to answer your question, be who ever you want. If you want to be Puerto Rican be Puerto Rican. If you want to be white, be white. If you want to be both , be both. Its doesn’t matter what other people think because honestly, most of the time other people are wrong. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 15:55:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65568638 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65560501 I think that no matter how hard the government tries to make an all inclusive census, they will never be able to. There are too many people whit differing opinions and preferences on what they would like their race to be identified as. We will never be able to pin point one title for each race... hell, how can we even pin point races. Everyone is a mix by now. The census should probably explain the difference between race and ethnicity because i know, before Sam's class i was not quite sure if i could answer that question. With regards to teh word negro being on the census, i dont think people should get offended, the government is just trying to be inclusive of all terms people associate with, even the really old ones. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 14:47:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65560501 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/revisioning-the-revisioning-stage__trashed/#IDComment65558753 I grew up in quite the opposite situation: a small rural town in PA where 95% of the population was white. But for some reason i always felt like i didn't quite fit in with everyone else. When i was younger, there was racism everywhere and i just didn't really realize because i didn't really know what racism was. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that even my family was at times, lets say, more critical of people of culture. I am not proud of that. Since i was little, i have never understood why skin color can make such a difference in how you perceive a person. I think i was always past the first stage and this class kind of flung me into the revisioning stage after many years of begin right on the tip of it. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 14:32:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/revisioning-the-revisioning-stage__trashed/#IDComment65558753 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64128223 I don’t really find it necessary to make a huge deal out of female bleeding… or menstruation or what ever you would prefer to call it. It is a natural occurrence that is honestly a blessing. If this even didn’t happen every 28 days… I would be horrified… I wouldn’t be able to have children. I think that those who react in an “ewwww gross” manner are immature. They can’t accept a bodily function that women can’t even control. I think that this aversion to a very normal occurrence is a result of the type of society that we live in. Unfortunately, like Sam said in lecture today, we live in a man’s world. If we didn’t, we would see a lot more acceptance of the menstrual cycle. With regards to the statement about tampons being free if men menstruated, I totally agree. It seems to me that although we claim equality for all people even women, the creators of all men, are being discriminated against. Why shouldn’t tampons and pads be free??? Toilet paper is free. Both are just aids in bodily functions… the only difference is that men don’t use tampons or pads…interesting. I definitely think that there are tons of easy and affordable improvements that our society could make to be more equal towards women and our menstrual cycles. With regards to how/ what people would like to call this function, I say to each his (or in this case her) own. Call it what ever you want… its your blood! I don’t know why our society always wants to create a politically correct label for almost everything. We are not robots! Why should we all speak the same way and say the same words. It’s a loss of individualism. The whole issue of menstruation and social acceptance is never something I really thought about… even as a women. But once it was brought up in class I started thinking about it and it really made sense to me. I had really had my eyes closed when it came to how society feels about female menstruation. I didn’t really realize how much adversity there really is. So I think that everyone needs to stop making a huge deal about menstruation and accept the face that it is part of the lives of all females and is not going away. Society needs to embrace this occurrence and recognize it for the miracle it is. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 01:48:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64128223 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/native-hawaiians-ever-think-of-them__trashed/#IDComment63759587 I had never really considered the natives of Hawaii in consideration of race relations. It seems that the Native Hawaiians should receive the exact same rights and support as tribes in Alaska and US territory. It seems strange that it took so long for this idea to catch on. I support the idea of some one the Hawaiian land being given back to the Native people but what would they do with it? Would the land become like a reservation? There will definitely have to be some compromises and agreements between the Natives and non-natives who live in Hawaii, it would be ludicrous and hypocritical to kick out non natives. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:52:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/native-hawaiians-ever-think-of-them__trashed/#IDComment63759587 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63759490 I think that the fact that protestors are being to vulgar is quite immature. If people want to protest, that’s their prerogative. To me, it is not important what they are protesting about but the way they are protesting. Like the Congressman said, it is unfortunate that in the 21st century people are acting so barbaric. I can understand why some people could be upset by the healthcare reform, we all have our own opinions, but I think there are much stronger ways to make a point than to spit on someone. I you want some change, you have to be nice to people (think of the saying ‘attract more bees with honey than vinegar”) not be barbaric and offensive. That just makes people madder and they are less willing to listen to you. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:51:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63759490 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment62685167 The shows like the bachelor and bachelorette are just so ridiculous. I don’t think that white people are the only people willing to humiliate themselves (flavor of love was much trashier than the bachelor) but I do think that there is racial discrimination in the choice of contestants. I'm not sure how the contestants are chosen but if it is nothing more than ABC picking them then there needs to be come changes in the variety of contestants. It would be nice to see at least 5 of the 25 contestants be of non Caucasian race. If the contestants of color win or are successful is solely up to their relationship with the bachelor or bachelorette (not biased because of race). Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:19:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment62685167 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62647235 I am really glad someone finally brought up this issue. I think it’s something that has been floating around the race relations table but people are afraid to talk about this topic. I might get shit for this but, I don’t really understand the thought process of African Americans when they ask for equality, and just want to be treated like everyone else, and yet if they are insulted, just like everyone else, it is considered an outrage but they retain the ability to insult other races without consequence. That just seems illogical… you want to be equal and yet you can insult others but others cant insult you. That’s doesn’t really seem like equality. To me it’s like wanting the benefits of something but when it comes to the responsibilities, there is no attempt to uphold that side of the issue. I think that if we ever really want to achieve equality, then people need to really not expect special treatment because of the color of their skin… that’s not equality. Everyone need to stop walking on egg shells around each other and just act normal… that’s the only way we will ever get rid of this sense of difference. I think that people of color also need to accept the fact that the fight for race equality is something that they need to work at as well. Some people may try to deny it but the racism in the country flows both ways and sometimes it seems like people of color get away with it more because there is this sense of guilt on the part of white people and a sense of deserving superior treatment (to make up for the past?) on part of people with color. I am not saying I disagree with equality or any of those things. I think they are vitally important to our future but I do have an issue with where the fight for race equality seems to be going. Like I said before equality doesn’t just encompass positive factors but negative as well. If you want people to stop insulting you based on your color then you need to stop insulting people based on their color, if not, we will always be stuck in a vicious cycle of inequality. If anyone could explain the other side of this argument I would really be interested because I honestly just don’t understand. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:23:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62647235