First of all I just want to say that both those videos actually made me want to cry. But as far as the first video goes, it is so nice to hear that there are still people out there who will do such extreme favors for others because they care. Sometimes it feels like people in this world just are too busy to even hold the door open for someone else but it is stories like these that remind us that when it comes down to it people are willing to help others. It also makes the story even a bigger deal when you think about who these people are and how they come from completely different spectrums. The woman can barely speak any English and this man is a working, middle class man who just happens to see her when he goes to the grocery store. Their lives are completely different and they could easily just pass each other when they see each other and not create a friendship but because they are caring people this was the result. It is amazing that this man gave up his kidney for this woman. He changed her life drastically for someone who he was not even related to which is truly amazing. It is sad that there are not more people in the world like this because although it is a big favor to ask to do something this extreme, it would really make the world a better place if people were this kind. If people made friends with the cashier who rings them up at the grocery store even if it is just to be nice it would really make people happier in general. It is a shame people can’t be more accepting the way this man is and willing to do things for other people the way he does. As far as the second video goes, I was confused at first because I was not really sure what the direction was that this video was taking but then I understood when it got to the end. It actually is true when you think about how less judgmental children are then adults. Kids barely know the differences between people and when they’re too young to know the differences, they are actually more accepting then most adults. It is the environment that turns people against each other. Kids aren’t born to be racist or to hate other groups, they learn it from their parents or from the people who’s example they follow. This video sort of does tie in with the first video. If people could be more accepting of each other and “color blind” maybe people would be more willing to do these acts of kindness for each other and our world would just be a better place.

I don’t think that being racist and saying that you have more potential in this society then someone in an underdeveloped country is the same thing. To be racist is to say that you just do not like a certain group because of who they are and what they believe in and what they look like etc. To say that having more potential to be successful in our society then someone who lives in an underdeveloped country relates more to resources and opportunities. Just because I am fortunate enough to come from the United States and I live in a country that has money and more opportunities then other third world countries does not mean I am racist. That does not mean that I think I’m any more of a human being then that group. Maybe there are certain people who could be racist against people from third world countries but that is not the same as just thinking that I may have more opportunities then people from other third world countries. It is unfortunate though that we have to generalize like this and just assume that all these people living in these countries have no hope. For example, that woman in a blog from earlier this semester who was from a third world country but who was a genius when it came to finances and business may have had more of an opportunity to succeed had she come from the United States. I personally think that because she comes from a country with poor resources and poor opportunities means that she won’t be as successful in comparison to if she was from the United States where she maybe would have more of a successful life. But I’m not a racist person. I have nothing against any ethnicity or culture. I’m not racist against this woman just because I think that she would be more successful if she lived in a country where her knowledge and intelligence would be useful. To be racist is attributed more to personal differences between people while not having potential in our society is related more to situational differences. If it is just related to the situation of where you come from that makes the difference between two people’s lives, that does not mean your racist. In addition, I think to be racist would mean you have to actually verbally say that you dislike or hate a culture, group, or ethnicity. I do not think that anyone actually would say I hate people in third world countries because they come from a poor place that does not offer them opportunities. If people were to say that then yes I would say they are racist. But just to say that I am different from someone in a third world country because I am offered more opportunities does not mean I think I am more of a person then any of them.

It is actually very surprising to me that Chinese is becoming such a wide language to teach in schools. I’m very surprised because growing up we would learn only languages that used pretty much the same letters as English, such as Spanish, French, German and Italian. It must be extremely challenging to teach and learn Chinese considering the fact that they’re letters are completely unrecognizable symbols and that they read in a completely different way than Americans do. I definitely think though this is a positive step forward for our society. There are definitely occupations where it would be extremely beneficial to know Chinese. Maybe if the next generation that is growing up right now learns Chinese it could even help our relations with them. I know that it seems like Americans think the world revolves around them but this just proves that sometimes that’s not the case. Implementing Chinese lessons is being done so that we can learn more about other cultures and benefit from it, so I don’t see how this isn’t a win win situation. However I do see a problem in this though. I’ve been taking Spanish since 7th grade and to this day I don’t think I could have a conversation in Spanish. I can barely form a logical sentence and this is with 8 years of learning a language that not only is pretty easy but uses almost all the same letters as English. It is great that we want to expand our horizons and learn more languages to improve relations, however, in order to learn Chinese and be actually fluent is going to take a lot more than just a few classes a week throughout your four years of high school. Maybe I’m just bad at Spanish because I know it does come easier to some then others, but I can’t imagine that a language as difficult as Chinese can come easily to anyone. If we are actually interested in teaching Chinese in order to provide better relations and help out future kids with their careers in business or marketing, it can’t just be like a Spanish or French class in high school, it has to be taken a lot more seriously and it has to be a lot more intense. For me to actually be fluent in Spanish would take years of practice and that is talking about a language that is fairly easy. If there will be a future for the Chinese language to be a success for students, it should be taught early on. I think it is really great for America to be starting new things like this. It is always nice to hear that our society is attempting something new in order to expand our horizons and be in touch with the rest of the world.

I’m actually speechless. I can’t even begin to imagine how a game like that can even be allowed anywhere I just don’t get it. I do understand where people are coming from when it comes to video game violence and killing people. To promote children to shoot people I do agree is not appropriate but games like that have been around for so long so it’s just whatever. But this takes it to a whole new level. I could not possibly think of one reason this game benefits anyone. It makes something as horrible as rape and assault seem like not a big deal because now if it’s in a video game it has a new “fun” spin on it which is just completely disgusting. How can someone ever play a game that degrades women so much where the objective of the game is to rape a woman? I actually cannot begin to understand how these people could think promoting rape as a form of entertainment is okay. Like Sam said in his post, how can they create or play a game like this and then sit at the dinner table with their mother and sister? The government is clearly not doing enough to prevent this from happening. There are tons of games out there right now that are just sending a terrible message and the government needs to put an end to it immediately. Not only are all these Japanese civilians playing it, but of course with technology these days these things spread so quickly so like we saw on YouTube, so many people have access to it which is not a good thing. I was really shocked also by the British girl who the newscaster was skyping with. I understand that she is a big video gamer but how could any girl in the entire world think that something like this is ok regardless of how many video games you play? I do understand how certain forms of entertainment can be an outlet for people but this is not one of them. There is absolutely no justification for a game like this and to hear a GIRL say that she doesn’t think it’s a big deal is just absolutely mind boggling to me. As a girl, it’s extremely offensive that something like this is out in public and that people actually think its ok. Rape is never a subject that should be taken lightly and it certainly is not something that should be simulated in a video game. It’s sad that there are people out there who actually are willing to create a game as degrading as this and that they think it’s ok to have other people play it. The government needs to put an end to it immediately.

This article completely took me by surprise. To be honest, I’m not very familiar with minorities or majorities or even who is the second biggest majority after whites. Most of the statistics we talk of in class are the first time I’m learning about anything like that, so this article was a big shock to me. I had no idea that in two years whites will no longer be in the majority. I didn’t even know that something like that was even approaching any time soon let alone two years. If you had asked me before this when I thought whites would no longer be in the majority I honestly would have said that maybe in 50 years.

But now that I read about this article, the whole concept once I reflected on it doesn’t seem that surprising. There are many people from many different countries who have settled here bringing new races in. It was bound to happen eventually where the minority is big enough that they would eventually become the majority. The article did bring up an interesting point though. The article said “Will America’s older, largely white population — through the ballot box and collective self-interest — support young people who are now much different culturally from themselves and their own children? Will they vote, for example, to raise taxes for schools that serve young people of ethnic backgrounds different from theirs?” This part actually grabbed my attention most. The generation that our grandparents have come from is probably more racist then we are. Our generation and even our parents’ generation are more open to others whether its someone of color, someone who’s gay or so on, then the older generation. So depending on America’s older, largely white population is will determine on who and what the support. In the next two years it may be difficult to get the oldest generation right now to support people of different cultures and ethnicities because this generation is the most close minded. However, if when our generation (kids who are in college and high school right now for example) are older, I think we would be more open to supporting those who have different backgrounds because we are the ones who have experienced the most diversity.

I would hope that with times changing and the whites now become the minority racism will come to an end. Of course it’s easier said than done, but maybe now people will actually realize that we are on a more equal field then we ever were before. If the minorities now become the majorities, more voices will be heard and more people will be able to speak their opinions and feelings. Hopefully this change in our society will bring upon more unity among all groups no matter what culture, ethnicity or skin color they have.

I actually was appalled when I read this article. I understand we have freedom of speech and that’s what makes our country what it is, but this is behavior is disgusting and it’s a shame this is what it has come to. These signs that these protestors are holding are absolutely ridiculous as well. To hear James Clyburn say that “he had not witnessed such treatment since he was leading civil rights protests in South Carolina in the 1960s” is even more shocking. To hear him say that in the middle of the CIVIL RIGHTS PROTESTS during the one of the most hostile and chaotic periods of time in American history doesn’t even compare to this is absolutely horrendous.

It makes me upset to hear things like this when our country has come so far. I understand there will always be political disagreements and protests which is great that our country allows it, but there is more reasons to be unified and that’s what people need to remember. It was absolutely unheard of years ago to have a women or a black man running for president and only last year did we succeed and now we have a black president. Changes like these need to be made because we constantly need to make progress in order to become a better country, which includes implementing new health care. It’s understandable why people would disagree and claim that there are other solutions, but that does not mean they need to shout racial slurs and make threatening posters. As a democrat, it’s really frustrating to hear Republicans act like this. They claim that liberals are so crazy and out of control about their views but look at the Republicans’ behavior right now. Which side is out of control now? I’m pretty sure it’s the Republicans. I don’t want to generalize about all Republicans because clearly not all Republicans are this radical, but it’s not fair to always claim that Democrats are the ones who need to be more controlled when the Republicans are acting in extremely outlandish and disrespectful ways.

In addition, I understand health reform is an extremely, touchy and debated upon topic. But it’s something that needs to be changed. The cost of health care is extremely high and it’s really sad to hear that families can’t even provide their own children with health care any longer. I understand there are both sides to this issue but right now Obama is the President and if he wants to implement a new system that’s what he’s going to. These people can protest all they want but they just look worse by being racist bigots and using terrible slurs about the president and his administration. It’s really sad that these people feel the need to take freedom of speech to a whole new level by saying these nasty, hateful remarks. It’s actually embarrassing to have these people associated with United States citizens

I think this is a really inspiring, exciting story. Football is always associated with men but she certainly defies those standards. Now in addition to playing on her own football team, now she gets to coach which is truly amazing. As a female, it’s exciting to hear when things progress like this in our society. It may not seem like that big of a deal that one high school is allowing this woman to be a coach but everything starts somewhere. It would have absolutely been unheard of years ago to have a female black coach coaching a football team. It’s little events like these that happen around the world that all contribute to our changing world and make it a better place.

Although I’m sure her interview didn’t convey her entire personality, from what I saw she does actually seem a little shy and sweet which is also somewhat surprising. If I had heard about a female coach coaching football I would assume some big manly woman who’s mean and scary. Not only is it surprising to see a female coaching a football team, but it’s nice to see someone with a personality you wouldn’t expect to be coaching a football team.

However, I think she’s going to face some criticism when the football season begins, maybe more then she expects. Right now people are being very supportive of her which they should be, but because of gender stereotypes in our society, people’s attitudes may change once the season begins. If the team starts losing, it’s unfortunate but I don’t think it would be completely crazy to think that some of the fathers or other family members may jump to conclusions and blame the female coach rather than their own son’s performance in the game. I don’t think it would be completely far-fetched to think that maybe some people would say the reason the team is doing badly is because it’s a female coach who is less adequate as a coach then a man. And if the team does do well, of course they’ll attribute some of the success to the coach, but the community may be more likely to attribute the success to the team more so then they will if the team does badly.

Regardless though, this woman is still taking on this job and she seems more then capable of handling it. She seems strong and determined to face whatever adversity comes her way whether it’s the parents, the team, the community or other rival teams. Despite any hardships she may face, this is still a great step in our society. Maybe now that she finally broke down these barriers and was hired as a football coach, more high schools around the country will be willing to follow.

I was a little bit puzzled after reading this and after reading some of the other comments people had responded. Of course this man comes off as a racist bigot starting a team ONLY for white men. But it’s hard to tell what this man’s true intentions are. Is he starting this team because he just wants a team that doesn’t have any black people? Or is he starting up this team because in recent years basketball teams have been predominantly black, making it more difficult for white players to make to the NBA, so is he trying to help the amateur white players how never got a chance to make it to the top? Then again, he never stated that he was doing it to help out white players who haven’t had a chance to make it to the NBA, that’s just something that I sort of would have assumed had I not heard him give any reasoning for doing this. It’s just hard to say because the way he talks about this team makes him seem someone who’s racist who won’t admit it because obviously no one will sit there and admit that they made an all-white basketball team because they are racist.

The president of the Atlanta Chapter of the NAACP made a good point though regarding his behavior. He said that if it looks like, quacks like and acts like a duck, then it’s a duck. So if this man is starting up a team that excludes black players, it seems like he’s doing something that’s pretty racist. And it doesn’t really make sense when he says the reason for this is for marketing. His reasoning for doing this in the first place isn’t very convincing and it doesn’t seem like he has any intellectual reasoning for doing this, which makes it seem like he’s doing this as a racist. And what does it mean that he’s doing this because there are a lot of people who would want to pay money to watch an all-white team play? Is he implying that people would prefer to watch white basketball players rather then black basketball players?

The one quote that he said that made me finally realize that he just is a racist man who is absolutely ridiculous is when he said, “With players on other professional teams carrying guns, attacking fans in the stands, and going through the motions of playing the game, fundamentally sound [W]hite players are a vanishing species…Fans have spoken to the AABA asking to restore on court sanity to the game of basketball. Their pleas are our mission. Only players that are natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league.” I think it’s really offensive that he would say that the white people are going to restore sanity to the game. Does that mean that the black players are just out of control animals? He’s just digging himself into a hole and it’s pretty disgusting that he claims that’s the reason for wanting to make an all-white team.

It’s inspiring stories like these that not only leave me in complete awe of this incredible woman but also leave feeling a little bit sad. This woman is truly remarkable. She is so knowledgeable and bright and knows more about finance then most people which is extremely impressive considering the conditions she was brought up in. It is truly amazing that she has a FIFTH GRADE education level and knows more about loans and money transactions then many adults even do. I definitely agree with Sam’s statement that had she been born in a different body in America with her intelligence she would have quickly rose to the top. This story just goes to show how much we underestimate the intelligence of the citizens in third world countries. It’s unfortunate that so many of them are so smart and have so much potential but we just assume they aren’t capable of anything that Americans are because they live in a society that is so poor. However, Yvrose is probably one of many people who is probably smarter than many people but she’ll never have the opportunity to have a huge mansion and millions of dollars because of where she lives right now.

I definitely agree with Sam about how incredible this story is and that I’m sure there are plenty of people who could not compete with this woman and even would admit to it. Even I’ll admit it. I attend Penn State, I’ve taken econ and I’m a pretty good student, and I honestly don’t know the first thing about finances the way this woman does and I’m sure many other people feel the same way. However I just have to admit that I don’t one hundred percent agree with Sam’s statement that many people will six figure salaries and not necessarily because of their own abilities. Sure, there are many many people out there who go to college, get good grades but have everything handed to them when it comes to money and work because of their rich families. I’m certainly not denying that because we all know those people exist and we all know we hate them. However, you ALWAYS hear stories of people rising to the top based on their own abilities and intelligence.

My best friend from home lives in a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood with parents who are fairly wealthy. Most people would probably just assume this family didn’t have to work to get this money or be as successful as they are now, however people who think that couldn’t be more wrong. My best friend’s mom had an absent father, an alcoholic mother, a shack for a house and had been working since the day she turned 13. Her father grew up in a tiny house with parents who made little money and he also had been working since he was a teenager. Both of these people made a living ON THEIR OWN by setting goals for themselves to be successful and then finally they met these goals. I know for a fact that this is not the only family who has risen to the top coming from nothing. It’s not fair to say that people are successful and wealthy just because it’s handed to them. Like I said, there are definitely people who do have everything handed to them and never had to work a day in their life to be where they are now, but then again there are people who work their whole lives to build the life they have now.

Yvrose’s story is truly inspiring and it’s such a shame that if she were in a more developed country she would have infinite opportunities to be successful and live an amazing life. These stories always put things into perspective for Americans who do have so much opportunity to have success, and we should always remember how lucky we are to live in a country like this that provides so much for us.

You bring up a really interesting point. I had the same exact first reason to this blog. I was just in complete and utter shock about how outrageous this sex doll is. It still boggles my mind how unbelievable technology is these days. Every time something new comes out I usually don’t even know what it is or how to use it, I’m starting to feel like my parents. To build a lifelike doll that can actually perform sexual interactions, flex into a ton of different positions and even snore is just mind boggling. So after I read this article I’m just sitting here thinking about how odd it is that a man would actually be interested in having sex with a doll. To think that someone would spend $7,000 on a fake person to have sexual relations just seems so crazy to me. And it does seem a little bit creepy that the targeted audience is for “shy, awkward or older men who have trouble meeting girls.” The whole concept of this just seems creepy to me in general. This article if anything absolutely emphasizes the difference in female and male sexual needs. I honestly could not imagine a woman ever owning a “Rocky”, because just think women would prefer to be with an actual man and not invest their time in something fake like that. But then again who knows? Some women do prefer to use some sex toys while maybe some men prefer to use an actual live doll, and of course some men and women prefer nothing at all. Everyone is different in their preferences and it varies so much that it’s hard to measure just generally how people differ in their sexual needs.

But back to your point that really intrigued me. I completely agree that this could be potentially very bad for our society. This definitely becomes a scapegoat for men who are more shy and unable to have social interactions. If they have an object who they know can’t talk to them like a real human being or won’t judge them like a real human being, they’ll become more attached to the object and less likely to try and get out in the world to form real relationships. In the end, it seems like that person isn’t benefitting at all. Not only does it seem creepy and weird to be having sex with an inanimate object, but it will just make the person more shy and reserved and seem that much creepier. When I picture his customer base that he describes, I picture this shy, awkward, weird older man who seems creepy to the point that he’s almost scary because he has such a fascination with this doll who can get into any position and satisfy him. It actually sounds like something out of a horror movie.

Another point you brought up that I never thought about was how this can affect sexual predators and pedophiles. Men who have these drives within them to seek out sex with random people may be drawn to something like this. They could use this product to just practice different things that they plan to do to later victims. It is true that they are unstable and they do have this need to be in control and have power, and this product seems to just egg them on that much more. If they do purchase something like this, it will drive them to just become more sexually crazy and it just seems like worse things can happen when they have access to something like this. I just think that this product is extreme and unnecessary and it doesn’t really seem to benefit anyone.