ilovesoc

ilovesoc

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13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Christian Invaders - t... · 0 replies · +1 points

I agree with the above post that the solution to most religious problems would be better and more efficient communication. People automatically write off other people's religions because they are close minded or ethnocentric. Ironically however, a lot of religions have the same foundations. I think that is pretty funny because people assume they are so different and that their's is the only "right one". I myself am Christian but even certain Christians claim to be better than the other which is bizarre. That is actually the main reason my mom converted from Catholism to being a Presbyterian when she married my dad. She just felt like certain aspects of the church were a little on the corrupt side and she did not want to be a part of it anymore. I think I consider myself pretty tolerant of other's religions. I do not really judge a person based on what his or her religion is.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Women · 0 replies · +1 points

The play that was performed last class was very eye opening for me. They portrayed the flipside of the "big chest" obsession and made it seem bizarre to us. When Sam's wife explained that after the play, you should have had a ethnocentric wake up call, I really understood it better. Once we see a situation from another point of view, it is easier for us to recognize how different our cultures really are.
Although, when talking about the media and how they portray women, the answer is pretty similar across the board. The ideal look for women on television today (in order to look "sexy") is: blonde hair, tall, thin, big boobs, flawless skin, and perfect teeth. Is that really what most women look like in our country? No, of course not. Women that actually resemble that description only make up a tiny percentage of our country, yet it is what we see most often on television and the big screen.
We also see this look repeatedly on the covers of magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, Allure, Vogue, and more. The women featured on these covers each month maybe differ in one area every once in a while- their hair color. Most of the time, it is celebrities on the covers of these magazines. Celebrities obviously feel the pressure from Hollywood to look perfect and will basically go to any and every measure to achieve that perfection. However, it is sending the wrong message to fans and readers. Beauty should be based on what is on the inside, rather than how much you can flaunt on the outside.
That is why I really enjoy and respect advertisements like Dove. They use real women in their ads both in magazines and on television. They use women that are older, saggier, heavier, and natural. While those adjectives may sound very unappealing to you, take them out of context for one second. Older than the 23 year old sticks you see on covers; saggier than the plastic, perked up models; heavier than the 100 lb, 5 foot 11 mannequin; and natural as in not enhanced, air brushed, or completely made up. Now these ladies seem more attractive already, once you have compared them to an air brushed goddess.
I think it is said that a lot of women have these unrealistic expectations of how their bodies "should" look based upon what they see in the media. But I also do not think the media is completely to blame, because everyone has their own free will as well. Different body shapes, hair styles, and clothes have been popular over time. Now more than ever though, we are seeing the "need" to be more thin. It is very scary because a lot of bad can come from that "need". Many women and girls have developed an array of eating disorders over the years in an attempt to achieve their unrealistic view of beauty.
Again, I believe this play was very eye opening and important for people to see because it showed how ridiculous the expectations to look "sexy" are.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - I really want to know ... · 1 reply · +1 points

And although he tried to explain himself during the next class, the damage was already done. Yet, even after all that, I can still see his underlying point (which was distorted by so many other graphic statements, haha). He meant that both women and men should be able to talk about things that happen to them without being embarrassed or without feeling that they will be judged. I think very little topics should be considered "off limits", especially after taking this class. Everything and anything is worth taking about because you can learn a lot by just listening to someone else and his or her experiences. It is very eye opening. So, yes, I have learned to change some of my opinions by taking this class.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - I really want to know ... · 1 reply · +1 points

I would never mean it in a cruel way at all, but a lot of my friends and people I know just use words like "nigger" , "spick", "bitch", or "faggot" as a general term to say hello to someone. I now understand a little better that this is not okay and that it actually offends a lot of people, directly and indirectly. Although my opinions have changed in some respects because of what Sam says in this class, I can agree that a lot of what he says is for pure shock factor. I do not really believe every word that comes out of his mouth because a lot of his statements are absolutely ridiculous, but most of them make you think which is what he wants. Some of the things he says are pretty offensive though, like when he started talking about his wife's period. That was a little weird.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - I really want to know ... · 0 replies · +1 points

I lot of my friends have taken this class before so I was told that it is a class that will definitely make you think. And it does. A lot of the issues we discuss seem to be common sense (like avoiding stereotypes, watching our slang usage, and discussing lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders). However, the way we act as a society shows us that we act completely differently than what we write down on paper during a survey or talk about in class. We judge people and that is just a fact of life. I am sure Sam would like us all to change our actions and alter our views on certain issues, his point really is just to make us think. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot from just the few months I have been in this class. And to respond the blogger, I have changed my opinions on a lot of things. I will admit that I used to throw certain slang words around that disrespect other races or cultures without even thinking about it.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - How Can We Ever "Win"? · 1 reply · +1 points

It is natural for humans to mentally seperate those of color and stereotype. I do not think it right, but it is definitely a hard thing to change in someone. I do not know if I will ever get to the stage that Sam is in, but I am sure it would be a peaceful place. But as long as tensions between our races and cultures still exist due to wars, poverty, and inequality, the majority of people will be stuck in the first few stages of development.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - How Can We Ever "Win"? · 0 replies · +1 points

I agree with the post before me that if you did get offended by these photos, you are still stuck in the Immersion stage. I do not necessarily think that the Immersion stage is bad, it is actually healthy. But after a while, you need to realize that people are not always trying to offend others. If anything, it is the exact opposite. Sam is obviously past the Immersion stage and probably in the early phases of the Humanitarian phase at this point. People like him are rare though. It is almost impossible to go through life without having your perception of color alert and always thinking.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - How Can We Ever "Win"? · 0 replies · +1 points

However, I do know some black families that dress in a "preppier" way, as shown in the L.L. Bean catalogues and they would not be offended by the pictures shown in class. It really just depends what area of the country you are from too. I, personally, did not take any offense to the pictures shown in class because it did not seem strange to me. I see people dressed like that at home, black and white, so it did not phase me.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - How Can We Ever "Win"? · 0 replies · +1 points

But in doing so, sometimes other races can actually get offended because they feel like they are being "whitewashed". So where is the happy medium then? When we do not include blacks, we get ridiculed. When we do include blacks (or other races for that matter), we get ridiculed. No one really wins. But then again I guess it all goes back to the different stages for different races that we learned about it class. People cannot really fully understand "equality" until the very last stages of their lives. I am not even sure what stage I would consider myself to be in because I see common views in a few.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - How Can We Ever "Win"? · 2 replies · +1 points

If it were up to me, I think it would be ideal for everyone to be in the Humanitarian stage. That way people do not see color, they just see people. Or at least that is what I got out of the description of the Humanitarian stage. However, I can definitely see why some black people who are in the Immersion stage laugh at some of the images in catalogues like L.L. Bean. They're funny. If you are black, you know you do not really dress that way, so why pretend like they do? Well that is one way in which advertisers try to appeal to all ethnic and racial groups- by included all of them.