en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2494110 Comments by jed5176 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/how-have-you-acted-when-involved-in-racist-or-discriminating-events-119-blog/#IDComment137603464 So when I hear or am near a racist or discriminating event, I do not like it, and it makes me feel like we as people have not learned from the events of the past. “How do I act when being involved in racist or discriminating events?” I take a stand, and make sure that the people who are being abused are defended, and that the people who are being racist or discriminating, I make sure that they know that they are wrong for doing what they are doing. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:40:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/how-have-you-acted-when-involved-in-racist-or-discriminating-events-119-blog/#IDComment137603464 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/how-have-you-acted-when-involved-in-racist-or-discriminating-events-119-blog/#IDComment137603451 I told them to stop but they kept going, and started getting more hostile. They started pushing him around and they were ready to get more violent, at that point then I stepped in front of my friend and told them to back off and that they were morons and assholes for treating my friend that way because of his skin. Well the one kid who was kind of like the leader of their group pushed me and I pushed him back then we got into a fight. I was beating him and then he backed off and pulled out a knife. Well at this point all his friends stepped away and left him there so that they would not be part of it, well he stabbed me in the leg. I pulled him off of me, and removed the knife from my leg and threw it away so he could not get it, then I started hitting him a bit more and told him to “get out of here, and never to even look at my friend wrong again!” Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:40:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/how-have-you-acted-when-involved-in-racist-or-discriminating-events-119-blog/#IDComment137603451 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/how-have-you-acted-when-involved-in-racist-or-discriminating-events-119-blog/#IDComment137603393 “How have I acted when being involved in racist or discriminating events?” is probably on the extreme end of the scale for most people. Now what I mean by extreme is not extreme for my scale, and this is not because I am a violent person or anything like that, because I was raised to defend those who cannot defend themselves, and stand up against people who intentionally hurt other people, no matter what the color of their skin was or what they believed. What happened in my situation is not what I would recommend to other people either. But what I did and how I handle the situation was right in my eyes and by my beliefs. This event happened around when I was about 14 or 15 years old. What happened was that I was walking around the town I grew up in with my friend, and we decided to go to a part of town we did not normally go to, to check out some fishing spots, well some other kids around our age came up to us and started messing with my friend, just because he was black. They started calling him derogatory and racist names. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:39:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/how-have-you-acted-when-involved-in-racist-or-discriminating-events-119-blog/#IDComment137603393 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134318748 To answer the second question of "What would make this guy LESS white?" we would also need to refer to the white stereotype. So to make this guy LESS white we would need to let him speak about this product for himself, not a company. Let him dress in what ever he wants and talk however he wants to talk. But what specific dress and speech patterns would make him LESS white? Well to make him LESS white and MORE black, he should dress in baggy clothes that already do not fit him, and he wears them in, I suppose the best way to put this is "hip-hop" style. Then we could have him talk with certain mannerisms that are not associated with the white stereotype such as how Black people talk with each other(like in hip-hop), or how Asian people talk with each other, or how other cultures talk to people within that culture. But maybe that is how this man is when he does not have to represent his company. Perhaps this man was raised in an area where he would not be seen as being within the bounds of the white stereotype, and the only reason we see him as part of the white stereotype is because he is representing a company and he has to be professional. Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:07:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134318748 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134318688 However, why is this man so white? Well what is the purpose of this video? The purpose of this video is a description of a product and how it works. So keeping that this is a description of a product (the holster) it is safe to assume that this man is either employed by the company making the product (the holster), or he is employed by a distributer of the product (the holster). Either way, this man must look professional, and sound professional so that people considering this product (the holster). So the fact that this video is not done by a random person who does not represent anyone but themselves weighs heavily. He has to dress cleanly and represent the company he represents so that people trust his judgment of the product (the holster). Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:07:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134318688 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134318560 There are two questions that are attached to this video, one is "What makes this guy seem white?" and "What would make this guy LESS white?" To answer the first question we must first define the "White" stereotype. The white stereotype is defined, i believe, as basically being "nerdy" by having a strong vocabulary, wearing clothes right(pants on the hip, clothes that fit correctly, things that are not ripped up or beat up), and being a "goody goody." So by examining the way the man in the video, just by his looks, one can assume that he is extremely white. And then if we watch the video, the way he speaks with correct terminology for the subject he is speaking about (in this case fire arms and fire arm accessories). Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:06:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134318560 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130735248 But people who I would be more likely to help would be people who truly not at fault for their situation. But people who blow their money on their addictions like drinking, drugs, or gambling, I believe do not deserve help for their financial situation. But these people do need help with their problems because they need to “get on their feet” with their addictions, and once they get their addictions controlled, they will get their financial situation straightened out. So for me when people need help, I do not see their race, or ethnicity, or political, I just see that people need help, and I will help them to the best of my abilities. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:04:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130735248 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130735224 Those people get lumped in with the people who are actually trying to better themselves and give the people are actually trying a bad name.I am more likely to help all people. This is the “Disney” answer, but I believe that people who are down on their luck need help no matter what their skin color is or what their ethnicity is. I was raised very religiously, not seeing colors but just people. So I can say that for me, if I see a person who needs help, whether they are Black, White, Asian, Latino, Indian, or Native America I will help them. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:04:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130735224 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130734672 I think that the poor white community has become the multi-racial joke of America, meaning that any race can make fun of the poor white community. But for some reason poor white Americans, more commonly labeled as “red necks”, seem to take pride in that they live off so little and are accepting of people making fun of them. Now I am not saying that they want people to make fun of them, but they seem to be able to turn it around and identify with being a red neck. I mean look at arguably one of the highest earning comedy tours ever, “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour” it is practically one red neck joke after another after another. Jeff Foxworthy, the leader of the tour, has made his career on his joke series “You might be a red neck if…” many of the things he says describe the way the yard looked in the video we saw in class. Now I do feel bad for poor white Americans, but only for those who are truly trying to do as best as they can. For the poor white Americans who are just being lazy, and are taking advantage of system tools like welfare, I have no sympathy. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:59:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment130734672 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/do-we-have-a-responsibility-to-fix-inequality-119-blog/#IDComment127438968 PART 3 So I believe that the best way to solve inequality is for people to stop having ideas about people just because of what seems to be what they are like and actually get to know each other, and have respect for each other and possibly work together. In addition to learning about people, and not judging them without knowing them, people should work hard and set examples for future generations that if they want some they need to work hard for it. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:32:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/do-we-have-a-responsibility-to-fix-inequality-119-blog/#IDComment127438968 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/do-we-have-a-responsibility-to-fix-inequality-119-blog/#IDComment127438950 PART 2 We should also push children to do their best and always give their best so that they build confidence and are able to say to themselves when they fall on hard times when they grow up that they can come back, and work hard to get back on top, even if being on top is just breaking even. I believe that inequality is a complicated mix of people not working hard enough, and society having issues with people, whether they are black, white, red, asian, poor, or even gay. The policies that are in place to help people when they fall on hard times like welfare, are good, but like anything that is designed to help people, people get addicted to it and abuse it, or just abuse it in general when they do not need it. So I think that the people that are on these programs, if they want to stay on them, they need to show that they are working to get off of them so that one day they are supporting themselves and their family by working hard. And children in families that see that their parents are working hard to get a head, and do it by themselves will work just as hard if not harder to make a good life for themselves and their future families. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:32:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/do-we-have-a-responsibility-to-fix-inequality-119-blog/#IDComment127438950 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/do-we-have-a-responsibility-to-fix-inequality-119-blog/#IDComment127438894 PART 1 I think that our generation has the best chance to fix, if not completely eradicate the inequality that does exist in our world. Inequality in today’s society is an outdated ideal that should not exist. The ultimate root of inequality is racism, one could make the case that inequality is actually the “politically correct” racism.If we were to get rid inequality, I believe that racism would be soon to follow. The best way to remove inequality I think would be education, and encouraging kids to stay in school so that they can make a better life for themselves. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:31:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/10/do-we-have-a-responsibility-to-fix-inequality-119-blog/#IDComment127438894 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033450 Another issue that needs to be considered is that with the new world media and internet, today’s news isn’t just local news it is news from all over the world. Forty years ago we would have never known about the serial killer in Hawaii just by clicking a button. This is another reason why “bad news travels fast” is actually our reality. It would be pleasant to go backward in tie or “filter out” some of the horrible things people do in this world but that would in and of itself become a Constitutional issue as well as a “Big Brother” type of issue. We have to choose for ourselves, as individuals, what we want to hear, watch, see, and permit into our own minds and the minds of our children. The bad news unfortunately gets more glamour than then good news whether we like it or not. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 00:33:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033450 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033303 I am not saying that people WANT to hear about all the bad things happening in the world to fill some sadistic pleasure, but that it intrigues people. Just like sex-appeal sells more than turtleneck sweaters, negative news gets more viewers hence news stations get more viewers. More viewers equal more ratings, more ratings bring more interest to the station, and interest in the station (or in the newspaper as discussed earlier) brings more interest in people wanting to advertise their products. Advertisers will tend to be more willing to spend money on an ad in a paper that has 1,000’s of subscribers than it would in one that has 100’s of subscribers. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 00:33:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033303 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033169 Another perfect example of this behavior is the ratings that are drawn to the local town magazine like the Pocono Record. The magazine has few subscribers and generally discusses who won the local bridge tournament, who sang at the Methodist Church Social, where the pot luck dinner is being held, and of course what the rain date is for flea markets. The Star and magazines like that discuss larger, well known events and people. Their stories are of a more interesting nature, even if they are fabricated, because there are about divorces, affairs, fights, and other items that peek the human interest in a way that bridge games and church socials do not. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 00:33:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033169 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033022 I do not believe that Americans do not like positive new. The concept I am more comfortable with is that negative news captures the attention of more people. For example, if Miss Smith’s Prize Daisies win first prize at the county fair there is not much excitement in the community with the exception of Miss Smith and maybe her family, hardly front page news. However, if you take the example of a car accident the reaction is quite different. First you have curiosity that does not befall a Prize Daisy. People who hear the crash leave their homes to find out where it is and who is involved. They look to see how bad the accident is and then stand around with their neighbors and discuss the accident. There are also the good Samaritans who direct traffic and call 9-1-1 in order to get the proper authorities there to help with the accident scene. On a highway if there is a car accident people by nature can’t help but slow down and look and see if anyone is seriously hurt, or in unfortunate cases dead. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 00:32:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/why-dont-we-like-positive-news-119-blog/#IDComment126033022