en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/762978 Comments by jfp5023 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68421952 Ok, so first and foremost, I have to say that whoever made that video that was put on the Christian Invaders post did a very nice job. It came off as a pretty intense video and that’s exactly what kind of lecture it was – intense. Now, this just happened to be the second time that I experienced the “Christian Invaders” lecture. My friends took this course last semester and had urged me to sit in on it which I did. It’s amazing how quickly our thoughts can change when the tables are turned and we are looking at a situation in the perspective of the other. I loved his examples of what the Iraqi people were seeing us being portrayed as within their news and media. We sounded racist, ignorant, and above all, ethnocentric. I also loved all the videos/evidence he showed about how the war in Iraq really was a war completely based on oil. It’s actually quite embarrassing that we as a country cannot and refuse to admit it. Thank God, since the time of Obama’s election, the Iraq war as a whole is on the decline and our focus is being aimed a country that has SOMETHING to do with the events that took place on September 11, 2001. After the class I did feel a sense of remorse for how our country had and has been handling the situation. And just for the record, all the people who keep saying that Sam is attacking Christian need to realize he’s not attacking them at all. He’s showing, with PLENTY of examples, that there seems to be a certain group of people who were and are the driving force to the war in Iraq. Christians just happened to be a group of people at the time who decided to enter in this country and take it upon themselves to try to convert these’s Iraqi citizens into Christianity. Of course the small group that did convert probably did so because they were motivated by fear of the Americans. At the end of the class, unless you are anti-patriotic, every single person in that class should’ve been raising their hands when Sam asked, “Who would now, after hearing all of this information, choose to join the insurgency?” The only thing I really had a problem with wasn’t from the lecture this semester but was from the one last semester. At the end of the class when Sam asks the class whether or not they would join the insurgency, he targeted a specific person in class. This person just happened to be a young woman in the class who was wearing her ROTC military uniform. When he put her on the spot and asked her whether or not she would join the insurgency she said, “No.” Now, this girl obviously cares a great deal for her country because she chose to be in the ROTC. Since she is that patriotic for her own country then why would she answer “no” to the question? I’m guessing she said “no” because she probably felt that by saying “yes” she would be going against all the reasons for joining the ROTC. So because she was put on the spot, she said “no”. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:16:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68421952 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment64241133 Okay, first of all, stuff like this makes me sick to my stomach. I honestly didn’t think that the people of this country were still just as barbaric as they were doing the civil rights movements in the 60s and 70s. At least, I thought that we had moved past the majority of it all, but apparently I am totally wrong. These Tea Party protesters are most visibly ruthless. Shouting “n**ger” and “fa**ot” at the faces of the representatives? How low are they willing to go in order to get what they want, which is clearly a crock of bull? And it’s so true how it really isn’t about health care anymore to them. I’m not sure if it ever was. It’s amazing how many times liberals are called insane and completely out of touch with reality when in fact conservatives are the ones acting in completely inappropriate ways. All they’re worried about is just making sure they put ideas and people in place for them in the future. I don’t think, for the most part, that they’re concerned with the fundamental human rights of every single individual, homeless or housed or black or white or gay or straight, that lives and breathes under the Constitution that founded this very country. That’s the part that makes me sick! Can we ever stop being so selfish? People have become so caught up with themselves in this country and have completely forgotten what it is to just be lucky enough to live in this country. How can you deny someone the right to have their life saved? I feel that if you can deny a human being this then you, yourself, have lost the message on what it really means to be human/humane. Bricks getting thrown through windows still? Grow up! A brick through a window isn’t going to make someone quit their job these days. People aren’t as weak as they used to be. Although I’m completely in favor of protesting and expressing an opinion, I’m completely in disagreement with the particular signs in the pictures above. The fact that there are guns blatantly plastered on these signs is the equivalent of a civil threat. Although I feel this distinct way, I do have to acknowledge that there are some groups of these Tea Party protesters that have legitimate reasons for not wanting this bill; maybe there the small group of people that won’t be gaining anything from it. They could possibly be losing a good amount from it. I, personally am not completely educated with what this new health care bill entails but let’s be honest, does anyone besides the people who made it really know what it entails? That’s scary as well. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:53:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment64241133 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63690128 Okay, so we talked about this for the majority of our last discussion group class and it turned out to be very comforting to hear all the things my other classmates had to say. We covered a lot of things The immediate question brought up was whether or not a woman can teach or coach a predominantly male sport. We discussed how she should be able to since she has experienced the game of football herself. However, it also comes down other factors. IT also depends on how much respect she gets from not only her group of football players but also her group of football coaching staff. According to what she said in her interview with CNN, at the end of the day everyone was very encouraging and on the same page as her. Even though this might not be entirely true because of people not really being honest with how they feel, it still is comforting. Also, in high school sports parents are extremely involved, especially in my high school. If parents don’t like how something is run they are not the least bit afraid to be dramatic and make an ordeal about it. If some parents at this school are prejudice and don’t agree with a woman coaching their son’s sport then I wouldn’t be surprised if multiple students change schools for the sake of not having a woman coach. Dramatic? Yes. Typical of high school parents? Yes. Another thing that our group brought up was whether or not publicity was involved with the decision to hire this coach that would be the first female coach in charge of a boy’s football team. We discussed how there’s the possibility that by doing this the school knew it would make national news. This could lead to a higher enrollment of students in their high school leading to more funding. However, we dismissed the majority of this idea because the consequences seemed to be greater and worse than the immediate gain. We also discussed what makes a coach a coach and what makes players listen to their coaches. A similar answer between everyone was intimidation. Could this woman intimidate her players? Who knows – maybe she has a voice that is intimidating because I personally don’t think she looks the part. I say this because I feel that with a male coach guys can look at them more as a role model which would then lead to more of a commitment of them believing this person to be their coach. With this woman now, the question is raised whether or not that connection diminishes or morphs into something parallel. I personally wouldn’t be surprised if the latter happens, and I fully hope it does. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:41:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63690128 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/a-long-long-way-indeed__trashed/#IDComment59811526 I love questions like this because it really is amazing if you really think about it. What would slave owners do? Frankly, who cares what they would do because they were a disgusting waste of a human body. But, I’m sure they would freak out and I don’t know, maybe pass out, or have a heart attack, or seizure or something. Since being in my Sociology 119 course and even before it, I always would think about how far African Americans have come since the slave days. I constantly think about the Tupac song “Changes”. In the song there’s a lyrics where he says, “And although it seems heaven sent, We ain’t ready to see a black president.” He wrote that song in 1998. 11 years later, our country saw its first black president. I’m white and yet I couldn’t be more proud of our country for electing a black president, even though we’ve discussed his race in class and technically he’s half African and not half black. Black people have come so far in this country since slavery and when you really think about it, it’s overwhelmingly emotional, at least to me and I’m not even black. Pop culture is where the African American race first exploded onto. Some of my favorite music of today features artist who are black. This would mean that they are some of the wealthiest people in this country. Why or how? I mean, come on, we all know how much money flows into the entertainment industry these days. The Senate and the House of Representatives is even filled with a good amount of black people these days which is great! It’s showing that this country is actually moving toward having real integrity by actually following what the Constitution states. Also, something else even blows my mind. Barack Obama’s biggest democratic opponent was Hilary Clinton. A woman! Isn’t that incredible? Even during slavery, African American women were still not even thought of as equal when compared to African American men. The fact that we had a woman and a half-African man running for democratic ticket to become president of the United States of America is absolutely astonishing, in a good way of course! The Senate and the House of Representatives is also loaded with women these days; another step in reaching our Constitutional integrity. But back to the fact that the two candidates were a woman and a black man. Now that is something that slave owners would get a heart attack from. Actually, any man in general from the slavery days or even 30 years ago would fall over and die from seeing that. All of this gives me for our future in that maybe even 20 or 30 years from now we’ll all be treated equally, even the LGBT community. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:16:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/a-long-long-way-indeed__trashed/#IDComment59811526 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58875987 Okay, so after listening to that audio clip I've decided I am one of the laziest people on this planet compared to this magnificent woman. She is basically a powerhouse of hard work, determination, and achievement. Of course she would be me on a level playing field, unless agility was involved ha ha okay just kidding. It's weird that you posted this Sam because over the past week things have happened and I've randomly thought multiple times how unbelievably lucky I am to be where I am. I'm a junior at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. I have my own room in my apartment that has air conditioning, heat, water, electric, etc. I have a closet full of clothes and shoes. I have drawers full of clothes. I have a washing machine and dryer in my apartment. I only work in the summers and I'm taking an LSAT Kaplan course to get ready for law school. All of this with the obvious help from my parents. I know right - so spoiled compared to this woman and the life she lives. She busts her ass every single day, from the moment she opens her eyes in the morning until the moment she shuts them before bed. She's basically an unsung hero in my eyes. She is a direct reflection of all the things, even the tiniest most simplest that we take for granted every single day of our lives. I think about these things more and more and I become shocked and amazed at everything I have in my life and I do have to admit that it puts me in a better mood. Not in a selfish or bad way but in the same way something you really appreciate makes you happy. If I had this woman's willpower and determination, I would be so much farther ahead in life and more responsible. But it's so hard for someone like an American to match the willpower of someone from Haiti. Both an American and a Haitian have to fight in different way to stay alive , but Haitians have it so much harder and have to fight so much harder to live, thus instilling them with a greater willpower. It's Nature vs. Nuture in a way. Anyway, I just am sitting here typing this blog on my laptop realizing something right in front of me this whole time is one of the biggest things I take advantage of in my life. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my laptop. More importantly, I freak out when I lose my cell phone. It's like I lost a child of mine. But it's not like I can't live without them. We as Americans don't fully appreciate how things like a laptop and cell phone make life much simpler. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:40:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58875987 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-five__trashed/#IDComment58873329 It's mainly because of religion. I've grown up in an Italian, Roman Catholic family and it blows my mind how people really believe that God wrote the Bible. He didn't. Humans wrote the Bible, sinners, but people still worship every last ounce of it. If one were to really examine the Bible they would find loads upon loads of hypocrisy. Picking and choosing of what rules to keep and what rules to change. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." That's listed in Matthew in the Bible. Any Christian who doesn't look at everyone as being equal is a total hypocrite! It's just crazy, but I mean, I guess I'm still catholic because I agree with their larger beliefs. It's just interesting to contemplate because when kids are growing up they usually have a religion thrusted upon them. They abide by this religion for a good time because it's just always been in their life and they automatically assume that it's what everyone else thinks. And because people have heard through these religions from the get-go that things like homosexuality are abominations, and they believe it just because. If you REALLY look into the Bible you will most definitely find a lot of homosexual activities taking place so again, hypocrisy. But why is it so hard to accept that the Bible hypocritical? I mean, How many different people have written in that thing over how long a period of time? Of COURSE people are going to contradict each others beliefs, time's change. All you would have to do to get over this extremely ignorant belief is actually meet someone who is gay and talk to them. Ask them if they chose to be gay and I'm sure you'll get some pretty emotional and heart wrenching stories in return; all of which asking you in return, "If you had the choice to be gay or straight, what would you choose?" The clear answer here is obviously straight for these reasons. Look at our society today that we live in. It's really hard to be a homosexual because it's looked at so much as such a disgusting thing. Why would anyone choose to live in fear and insecurity? To not be able to hold hands with the person they love while walking down the street because people stare and harass them? To not be able to conceive a child and then on top of that have to be put through Hell to just adopt a poor orphaned baby? I mean just look at that - it's ludicrous and completely unequal. And what really makes me angry is when Sam had the LBGTA lecture and was making some amazing points I looked around the room and 1/4 of the 800 people there weren't even paying attention. Why? Because it doesn't affect their lives at all and they probably couldn't care less and that's the society we live in today. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:17:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-five__trashed/#IDComment58873329 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56540071 Sam, I completely agree with your post and thoughts on this matter. It's so interesting to think about a language dying off and never to be heard again. And how that specific language at some point in time is what brought a people together, a community, a culture. The idea of language is just so fascinating. To think how dance, in Africa specifically, was such a huge part of how people communicated ideas and feelings with each other just exposes how powerful language is. Speaking a certain language is living in a specific type of world. My roommate and I have actually have found ourselves having conversations like this with each other; sometimes after and nice "chill session" if you know what I mean. Just thinking back to the simple sounds of language that the cavemen used gives me this idea of how language has always had to exist in some way, shape or form. And I would guess that from that moment on a number of languages grew exponentially because of the different areas and cultures that these cavemen (humans) were surrounded with. It got to be over 7,000 different languages today? I mean, that's nuts! I feel that a lot of these languages are bound to die off because of how small their communities are already. Also, if you think about it, our world as a whole is starting to make things (anything and everything) more universal. You see it's easier as an entire globe to move forward in thinking by making tools and mediums universal. Because of this, it leads me to be that the rate these languages die off will not be declining anytime soon. You're right though, Sam, it's such an interesting thing to ponder and to think how you feel about it. To never hear this specific language, this thing that has lived within a certain people, is very sad in a way; maybe not as huge as the dinosaurs going extinct, but it's just so weird to think how many languages 100 years from now won't exist anymore. The only traces left of these languages will be in documents and writings and art. They'll be in film and poetry and music. They'll be left in a lot of forms of "artifacts" and that's how they'll be seen even though a language is so much more than that. But I guess that that's just life, right? I mean, The only way to preserve a language is to practice it and I could probably only name enough languages on my two hands that the world as a whole would be willing to try and practice for the sanctity of keeping a language, a culture alive and breathing. Even then, I don't think it could be done because I know that this planet is bound to become completely universal faster than we expect. Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:23:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56540071 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55542976 First of all, I've seen this movie. I, for one, thought it was pretty amazing and pretty epic. So I definitely recommend that you see it Sam. Next, I didn't really get the whole "white people saving the brown/black people" underlying meaning. I got something else, though. I feel that there were multiple ideas going on here. For one, I feel that our military/government was criticized in the film. Specifically, I think it represented the way we entered the Iraq War, but I could be totally wrong and I wouldn't be surprised if I am. I just think that it's showing how this military couldn't care less about destroying a civilization, destroying a culture, destroying lives. The movies emphasizes so much how beautiful Pandora (The world they live in) is. Everything is so simple and pure and amazing. I personally would give anything to live there if it really existed. And I know that sounds extreme but the manner in which the movie lets you experience Pandora is pretty breathtaking. I would provide examples of things in the movie that back this up but I don't wanna ruin it for you Sam or anyone else who hasn't had the chance to see it yet. Another point of view I got from the movie was that they were maybe trying to make a parallelization between the huge bulldozers that were clearing out their forests and how our very own rain forests are being destroyed constantly. It's so disappointing to hear that football field sized portions of the rain forest are being destroyed and cleared out every day. There are so many wonderful things that we have discovered and even that we have yet to discover about our planet's rain forests. There are cures for so many fatal diseases that have been found in rain forests. Animals are going extinct left and right and will never be seen again. That is just so very, very sad to think about. My last point of view that I got from the movie was the idea/reality that we, as a human race, have lost respect and value in almost everything. Sam gave us a perfect example in class the other day. He was talking about how hardly any of us really try to find out where the meat we eat comes from. And even the people, including myself, who say we are disgusted with these horrible factories still probably won't bother to actually look up whether or not the meat we buy is from these factories. We leads to the idea that we've become lazier, and in my own personal opinion, we have. Yes, I know, it's just a movie, but movies have been catalysts in our society to get the ball rolling and believe me the ball is rolling now. Fri, 5 Feb 2010 23:27:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55542976 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54582676 This video was very sad. But it was evening more revealing and completely eye-opening. I will admit to how ignorant I was of this racism going on in the world. I personally don't even know or could possibly imagine how to be handling that situation. I give them so much credit for focusing on the game but the joy they get out of it overcomes that hate. But there's always going to be a breaking point and I don't blame these players for leaving the game. They have to be just so hurt and have to get away from all the negative noise. I'm so happy with Seth's view on future FIFA games and the consequences of unethical behavior. He's so right when he says, "If in this World Cup, with all the educational work we are doing now and we still have that, then something is wrong in our society and I don't know where we have to go." Amazing. I couldn't have said it better myself, with or without the accent. The ultimate penalty? Loss of 3 points to the team that players are from who exhibit racism? What will that solve? Nothing. Like he said in the video, people don't know what's going to happen. There could be fans purposely trying to ruin the enjoyment of the sport. I think the penalty should be greater and more drastic. I think that if any racism is seen at these games, the games should be ended immediately. End of story. In my opinion, I think that will definitely help ignorant people open their eyes because they'll have to if they would like to continue experiencing the joy of going to a World Cup soccer game. Also, I obviously believe that huge fines should be placed under certain team's associations who exhibit racist behavior. I mean, COME ON! The World Cup is one of the very few things that bring's our whole planet together. Why do people consistently push for negative objectives? I also thing it's just going to have to come will time. And I know that's obvious in a way but it's true. How people were raised is also a huge part of it as well because when you're growing up and you've got racist parents you get it embedded in your mind that it's "okay" to act racist. Everything always take SOME time, but after seeing that video I feel that Europe is completely headed in the wrong direction if the racism continues to be handled with a lackluster effort. Andy Warhol said it best: "I think that everyone should like everyone." It's ambitious, yes extremely ambitious, but I just enjoy the thought because it would lead to such fewer problems, i know it! Okay, I don't really know but i have a good feeling? ha ha Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:23:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54582676 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-p-or-q__trashed/#IDComment54132969 yalz. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:44:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-p-or-q__trashed/#IDComment54132969 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment53508313 I completely agree with Sam on this post. To start, religion is someone's personal choice and shouldn't be forced upon anyone else. I think it's absolutely ludicrous for Pat Robertson to be saying something like that on national television. First of all he sounded like extremely ignorant when trying to explain the reasoning behind what he was saying. And i quote, "You know, Napoleon III and whatever." Right here he is showing how completely uneducated he is with the entire situation. If you're on national television trying to make a valid point and you use information that you yourself are not even sure about then you're obviously going to look like a completely idiot; and he clearly does. I'm so sick of conservatives on television trying to justify things they do or say that make absolutely no sense. You're right Sam, it's like how in the hell is Pat Robertson supposed to know what exactly went down over two centuries ago? Exactly, he doesn't know. No one knows because how would there be ANY evidence to support it? This is why conservative television needs to get a huge reality check. I have no problem with Keith Oberman and if you think he gets "vicious" with his remarks toward Pat Robertson. I LOVE when Keith Oberman goes on his rants because they're totally valid in my eyes - at least when being compared to horrible news networks; one comes to mind: Fox News, or as I like to call them Faux News. Haiti is going through what they're going through because of where they happen to live on this planet. Earthquakes are a matter or geology and science - NOT religion! Regardless of whether Haiti made a pact with the devil or not everything that has happened to their country would have happened anyway due to their location above certain rock plates. If Italy and Haiti switched spots on the map when this happened do you think Pat Robertson would've made a comment like that? Hell no! Listen I'm Catholic, even leaning towards just being a non denominational Christian and even I can say that Mr. Robinson was definitely out of line with what he said. I might share the same beliefs as him but in no way does that mean I'm an old ignorant person like him. A natural disaster is a natural disaster, nothing more nothing less. For him to say that their ancestors made a pact with the devil is insane because if you really want to blame Haiti then he should also put blame on himself and his ancestors for things like slavery to exist. We buy clothes from Walmart that are made in sweat shops by children under ten years old. We are no better than Haiti. They just happened to draw the wrong straw. Maybe what Mr. Robertson should do is get on the bandwagon and focus on helping these poor Haitians out. Excuse my hippie talk, but we all have to survive on this planet together and we all go through some pretty horrible things. I think that filling the air with negative energy isn't helping a single person survive. Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:56:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment53508313