en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/756980 Comments by jim5049 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment69973146 I think that everyone who is a citizen of our country deserves health care. So my answer would in part be yes. However, illegal immigrants who do not pay taxes which would fund health care, do not deserve to be protected by health care that is funded by taxpayers. If we let illegal immigrants do this (get free health care without paying taxes) it would be an absolute drain on our economy. In reality, this does happen though. Immigrants get over the border every day, and they end up in the United States. Then, they get sick, and they need health care. It’s a cycle that drains on the economy. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:39:12 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment69973146 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69972643 I think that hard work can be enough. No matter how little you have, you can always savor whatever that is and work your ass off to get more. Being a college student, I’ve learned how to live pretty cheaply. It’s not hard to not have a lot of money, and especially if you have no money to spend, I don’t think it’s impossible to get by. There are so many ways in the world to make a quick buck. Maybe the opportunities don’t pose themselves for certain people, and for others, they’re more prevalent. But still, I think that there is always a way to make a dollar or two – doing odd jobs, among other things. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:35:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69972643 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69970384 I think that South Park is a great show in terms of entertainment. It definitely pushes some people’s buttons on several occasions. Maybe not even just on several occasions – probably every single episode. The show is pretty much based on and was founded upon mockery of people and laughing at people, including celebrities’ misfortunes and fortunes. To address the video post, I guess it’s pretty interesting that a Muslim group actually is angry with South Park at this point, because in the past South Park has mocked radical Muslim groups as being upset about them showing Mohammed. Now, it’s actually happened. Pretty ironic I think. I’m not Muslim, I’m Christian, so I guess I don’t see the whole significance around showing Mohammed, nor do I even know if Muslim groups are actually against Mohammed being showed. In my eyes, it could just be all made up by South Park as another thing that they could work with, but I really don’t know. I honestly don’t think that anyone should be offended by South Park’s mockery, for a few reasons. First of all, South Park picks on almost everyone. They don’t really discriminate, and when they make fun of people, I think it’s mostly as a joke. I mean, they even had a few episodes about our President, Barack Obama when he became the President. Secondly, I think that the whole mockery of anyone in South Park is not to be taken seriously. When they make fun of people and stuff, it’s normally just some kind of metaphor or something. Lastly, it’s just a television show, and not even a real television show – it’s a cartoon. It kind of makes me laugh, how much ruckus and controversy a cartoon can cause. Everyone is going to receive criticism in their life, so everyone is going to have to learn how to deal with it and know how to accept and work with that criticism. I understand that celebrities get it a lot – in the magazines, tabloids, on the news – and South Park is yet another thing that tacks on some more criticism. I’m not a celebrity, so I don’t know what it’s like, but like I said, you’re going to receive some criticism, so you should learn how to deal with it. On a final note, I would have to say that South Park does go too far sometimes. Most recently, I remember the episode that picked on Sarah Jessica Parker pretty badly. I almost felt bad for her, because every line was just, “She’s so ugly” or “She’s hideous and gross”. Not to mention how her character in the show was pretty gross looking. So sometimes I do feel like South Park goes overboard. Oh well though. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:19:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69970384 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68387385 I think that the answer to this question, and the pressure felt by a guy from society on how to dress, is based on the perception and mindset of the guy, and can vary greatly from one guy to another. There are guys like me and most of my friends who don’t seem to feel a lot of pressure. Then, there are guys like one of my roommates who I think feels a lot of pressure. He takes a while to get ready, wears a lot of button downs, etc. Also there are guys like kids in my fraternity who wear button downs all the time, gel their hair, and do all kinds of things that I think are unnecessary. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:37:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68387385 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68304515 I think that girls feel the pressure more from society on how to dress. Girls take much longer to get ready and go out than guys do, and therefore I think that they feel the pressure more. Guys can pretty much just throw on a shirt and jeans and be accepted. Girls, however, have the issue of doing their hair, doing their nails/toenails, what shoes to wear (heels/not heels), whether to wear a dress, pants, or a skirt, and the list goes on. Honestly, I feel bad for girls because of all of this, but I definitely appreciate being a guy and how easy it is for me to get ready to go out at night. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:08:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68304515 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68263668 Well, I’m a guy so I feel like this is a pretty good question for me to answer. To start, I think my answer would have to be no, I don’t feel that guys feel the same need to conform to society’s pressures as women do. A lot of people say that our society is dominated by men, and my guess would be that that has something to do with it. From class, a few of the girls who spoke gave me the impression that they did feel the need to dress in certain ways so that they were accepted by men, women, and society. I think that there are some of the same types of pressures for men in a way. However, I think that these pressures kind of apply differently to men. For instance, I’ll start by saying that guys do think about what they’re wearing when they go out. They don’t just throw on the first thing they see and accept it – however, guys probably don’t feel the need to think about what they are wearing quite as much as girls do. I myself only think about two or three things when I’m dressing to go out at night. The first thing is, what kind of pants will I wear? And the second thing is what kind of shirt will I wear? Occasionally I will think about whether to wear a hat, or what kind of shoes I’m wearing, but not normally. That being said, I feel that it is much easier for guys to dress in the first place. Girls, as I was able to (I think) tell from class, feel like they are very pressured when it comes to what to wear. Apparently girls worry about what their friends will think about their outfit, as well as taking in to consideration what guys will think of their outfit. From a guy’s perspective, I only take into consideration what I think about my outfit really. I feel like I can be the sole judge of the clothing on my body and that I can judge it well enough to not feel self conscious when I go out. Normally my friends won’t even comment on my outfit, so I don’t have to worry about what they think. And I think another real key point to this issue is the idea that girls don’t even really care what clothes guys have on. Some guys put too much thought into what they wear (I think) and wear Ed Hardy shirts, button downs on a nightly basis, etc. I’m not into dressing up like that, and I don’t think society requires it. However, some guys do feel that way, so I guess my real answer is that I think the pressure guys feel on how to dress from society varies from guy to guy. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:47:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68263668 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66831180 So this whole ordeal kind of troubles me. No one can deny how messed up it is to play a video game in order to satisfy such urges as raping a girl. I think that video games based on killing people (the current most popular one probably being Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) are not quite as inappropriate. These types of video games are based on actual events that take place in the real world. Wars are fought and people are killed. Therefore, the act of playing such video games solely represents a desire to put oneself in the shoes (hypothetically of course) of people who are conducting legal actions. This is where the line is drawn between violent video games where killing is done, and violent video games where raping is done. Clearly, the latter video game portrays things that are illegal in a moral society, whereas the former depicts events that unfold as a result of a dispute between nations. Such acts in the former are not outlawed, as they are a representation of war. To me, it's pretty despicable that people are entertained by playing a video game where they rape people. No one can deny how messed up it is to play a video game in order to satisfy such urges as raping a girl. I think that video games based on killing people (the current most popular one probably being Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) are not quite as inappropriate. These types of video games are based on actual events that take place in the real world. Wars are fought and people are killed. Therefore, the act of playing such video games solely represents a desire to put oneself in the shoes (hypothetically of course) of people who are conducting legal actions. I guess you can’t just pinpoint this problem on Japanese people though. My guess is that there are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands or more Americans playing these messed up (in my opinion) games. The problem does not just lie with the creators or the game, but also with those who buy, condone, and play the game. Honestly, anyone can make a video game where the character does something that is generally accepted as being morally wrong. Look at the Grand Theft Auto series, for example. The character in that game does all kinds of despicable things. The player cannot make the character rape girls, but he sure can kill a whole lot of people. It’s just too bad some video games have to take it father than others and, in the end, they cross the line. However, like I said before, people can make video games, but people don’t have to play them. I think a large part of the problem is the people who buy and play these games. Giving money into the hands of the games’ creators. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 21:34:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66831180 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66875656 So what type of people would buy these games? My first guess (and my girlfriend’s first guess) is a pedophile. Probably some type of heterosexual middle aged man who has no wife, has not been intimate with a girl in multiple years, and lives alone. I feel like this type of person would get pleasure out of seeing a girl being raped because he would know that he himself cannot get a girl to have sex with him without the use of coercion. Therefore, the sight (and the ability to manipulate through playing the video game) of a girl being raped, would likely turn on such an individual. Gross. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 21:16:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66875656 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66841593 So, for this post, I’m going to voice some opinions of others. I’m asking my girlfriend what she thinks, and her response was the following. “That’s disgusting, fucked up, and I can’t believe something like that actually exists. Do people even buy video games like that? They must be messed up in the head.” I agree. She also touched on the issue of war games, and on the issue of Grand Theft Auto, how such games are “vulgar.” I wonder if such games would be more popular if they were made in America rather than in Japan. Would more people buy them? Who knows. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 17:47:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66841593 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66838180 So this whole ordeal kind of troubles me. No one can deny how messed up it is to play a video game in order to satisfy such urges as raping a girl. I think that video games based on killing people (the current most popular one probably being Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) are not quite as inappropriate. These types of video games are based on actual events that take place in the real world. Wars are fought and people are killed. Therefore, the act of playing such video games solely represents a desire to put oneself in the shoes (hypothetically of course) of people who are conducting legal actions. This is where the line is drawn between violent video games where killing is done, and violent video games where raping is done. Clearly, the latter video game portrays things that are illegal in a moral society, whereas the former depicts events that unfold as a result of a dispute between nations. Such acts in the former are not outlawed, as they are a representation of war. To me, it's pretty despicable that people are entertained by playing a video game where they rape people. No one can deny how messed up it is to play a video game in order to satisfy such urges as raping a girl. I think that video games based on killing people (the current most popular one probably being Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) are not quite as inappropriate. These types of video games are based on actual events that take place in the real world. Wars are fought and people are killed. Therefore, the act of playing such video games solely represents a desire to put oneself in the shoes (hypothetically of course) of people who are conducting legal actions. I guess you can’t just pinpoint this problem on Japanese people though. My guess is that there are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands or more Americans playing these messed up (in my opinion) games. The problem does not just lie with the creators or the game, but also with those who buy, condone, and play the game. Honestly, anyone can make a video game where the character does something that is generally accepted as being morally wrong. Look at the Grand Theft Auto series, for example. The character in that game does all kinds of despicable things. The player cannot make the character rape girls, but he sure can kill a whole lot of people. It’s just too bad some video games have to take it father than others and, in the end, they cross the line. However, like I said before, people can make video games, but people don’t have to play them. I think a large part of the problem is the people who buy and play these games. Giving money into the hands of the games’ creators. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 17:34:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66838180 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64204775 So for this post, I’ll continue to continue my original post, because once again, I don’t give a fuck; at all. So girls just don’t want to talk about their period. It’s awkward. It’s their personal business and they don’t feel comfortable sharing it with other people. Girls having their period is kind of like how when guys get random boner – they don’t want to talk about it at all. It’s embarrassing, and it’s no one’s business but their own. Right now I’m wondering if my balls smell like sweat, or my girlfriend’s saliva. Smelling my hand confirms saliva. I take that back – Definitely sweat. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:48:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64204775 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64204258 Anyway, I’ll continue what I was saying before about the girls not talking about their periods. So, to bring one thing up, one of my roommates’ girlfriends just came out of my roommates’ room. I told her what I was writing about (my teacher asking girls which ones of them are having their periods). She thought that it was gross and awkward, and she thinks that Sam is nuts. Actually, she just said that she thinks Sam is the man. And now she’s talking about how Sam walked up to his job application/interview in bare feet and with dreadlocks, and he got the job on the spot. Personally I would not have given a guy like this a job, but I guess Penn State is pretty liberal. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:43:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64204258 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64203457 Sam, I think you have some serious incorrections here. Honestly, in class, I think you made a lot of people uncomfortable. I might be totally incorrect, but I’m just voicing my opinion. And this is probably one of the best places to do it. Anyway, in class you talk about “girls bleeding” and how they should be able to talk about it. However, I completely disagree. I agree with the 14% that said that you were totally off the mark. I don’t think girls having their period are up to talk about it. And, according to you, the next thing that you would ask is, “Why??” Well, during class I wanted to say something, and pretty much tell you to shut up, but I didn’t. I think the answer to the “Why??” is pretty simple. However, since I have to make this post add up to 450 words, I’m going to have to embellish, iterate, and exaggerate. Also, I’ll have to go on and on about the same points (kind of like you do, Sam) in order to fill up the word box. Honestly I think these posts are retarded, and hopefully no one reads this anyway. So Sam, in class you continue to ask the girls in class which ones of them are bleeding. I think that you doing this is completely inappropriate. What are we learning from you doing that? Sure, maybe we’re learning a little bit about sociology, and thanks to you, the boundaries that some wacked out people can cross (seriously, you told us you used a lot of drugs. The effects don’t always stop when the using stops. I know some people who this applies to, and now I think you’re one of them). So, this may be (and probably is, no it definitely is) my opinion, but I think that you asking which girls are having their period during class is just rude, intrusive and unnecessary. The reason that I think that you asking this of girls is inappropriate is the following. Girls don’t want to talk about their periods; for a lot of reasons. For instance, let’s use the example of when one is hooking up with a girl, and the hooking up gets intense enough to where vaginal sex is a possibility. At this point, the girl normally wants to mention that she is on her period. Even with the boy that the girl feels comfortable getting naked and hooking up with, they are not comfortable with telling them that it is that time of the month. Normally (in my experience), the girl will say something that hints at the fact that she is on her period. She probably won’t say it right out. So now that this post is over 450 words, I’m going to continue what I’m saying in my next post, because I don’t care about these posts, and I think that they are fucking retarded and useless. No one reads them. And if you do read this, take two steps back, and literally, fuck your own face. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:35:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64203457 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59782624 I want to use this post to agree with the African American girl whose question I am responding to. I can understand how black people who do not dress “ghetto” or “gangster” would be offended by white people dressing up “ghetto” and “gangster” and saying that they are dressing black. As a black person who does not dress such as this and whom the stereotype does not apply to, I can see why these themed parties could be offensive. It’s like basing the entire stereotype of a population on a small proportion of that population. It just really isn’t right to think that part of a population is representative of that entire population. In this light, I can agree with the girl who made the post. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 20:07:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59782624 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59782588 My guess is that this girl who made this post has never really been to a themed party that is based on the stereotype of black people. If she had, I think she would realize that the partiers are just trying to do something original. It’s not an effort to attack black people and make fun of them. However, the stereotype that is shown on tv of black people is the gangter, ghetto type of thing. There really is no stereotype of white people that would be fun to dress up as and have a party solely based on that. It just doesn’t appeal to people. That’s why people have those parties. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 20:07:16 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59782588 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59781195 Well, firstly, I want to kind of disagree with the comment made by the African American girl. My roommate thinks that black people portray themselves in the media in a way that is, to white people, very comical. I sort of agree with his comment, but in a way I more think that white people are not in fact making fun of black people by having themed parties where we dress, “ghetto”. I guess I do consider myself a pretty big partier. I’m a brother in a fraternity here at Penn State University, and I have been ever since freshman year. We have lots of parties, socials, get togethers, and other things. Sometimes it gets kind of boring to just keep showing up in normal clothes, looking the same night after night, and just being repetitive. I think that’s the idea behind themed parties and socials in the first place. It’s just because we, as partiers, get bored of the same old thing. When it comes to themed parties, there are only so many ideas. In my experience here at Penn State University in my fraternity, there have been a lot of themed parties. For instance, we have this week called “greek week” in mid to late April where we pair up with a sorority. During this week, we have socials with the same sorority every night, Monday through Saturday, and in order to keep it interesting, we have themed socials. Some of the more popular ideas are the following: Beach socials, where everyone comes to the party in sandals, Hawaiian shirts, bathing suits, you know, stuff like that. Also, there will probably be some sand sprinkled on the ground. After you’re done with that theme, you go on the next one. Maybe guidos and skanks would be the next one. This is kind of like the show, Jersey Shore. This is where people will spike their hair, where tight shirts, chains, go tanning, cut their facial hair in some sort of fashion such as a chin strap, etc. On that note, neither of these pretty popular themes are making fun of black people at all. That’s why I have to disagree with the girl who posted that comment. Finally, there are a lot of themed socials such as blunts and forties – this one is probably based off of the stereotype that black people drink a lot of forties and smoke blunts. I don’t think it’s making fun of black people, per se, it’s really just having fun doing something different. The goal here is not to make fun of anyone. Another social that is based on black people is the one where you wear basketball jerseys, bandanas and flat brim hats and stuff. I think that we as white people are just basing this off of what we see on tv. Again, the goal is not to make fun of the people we are impersonating. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 19:54:12 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59781195 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58733348 I think it is horrible what we did to the Native Americans. In class this Tuesday we listened to the Dave Matthews Band song, Don’t Drink The Water. I had never realized what this song even meant of what it was talking about until we listened to and analyzed the lyrics. It really shines light on how much in the wrong we were as white people to just come from Europe and kick the Natives out of their land. I feel bad, but I guess I am a descendant of the white people who came here and did that kicking out of the Native Americans. It’s a pretty weird thing to think about. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:17:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58733348 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58733091 I’m going to write two contradicting arguments. First, I think that it’s great that Native Americans can host gambling on their lands. Good for them. That’s a great source of income. I mean, the house always wins. And if the Native Americans own the house, then the win. Good for them, because we totally screwed them about six hundred years back. For some reason, Native Americans are able to have casinos that can legally let in 18 year olds to gamble. This doesn’t really make sense to me, but whatever. We kind of screwed them over a long time ago by slamming all of the Native Americans who decided not to join our culture into some reservations. That kind of sucks. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:14:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58733091 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58731281 R2 D2. Anyway, this article, about the woman from Haiti, definitely gets me a thinking. There are so many people in this world that are capable of a lot of things, but their circumstances don’t allow them to achieve their full potential. Yes, she lives in Haiti, so she doesn’t have a lot of opportunities to do things that we would be able to do in the United States of America. It’s a pretty disappointing reality that this is the reality – if you catch my drift. Driftwood, that is. You know, like the stuff that you find on the beach when you’re on the Jersey shore (which was a horrible, but yet entertaining, stupid freakin show). So this woman in Haiti has a pretty hard time even making a living, despite how educated (self educated that is) she is. There’s not too much someone like me can do about it at this point. However, I am studying to go to law school, and I want to study international law, probably at temple, where I can get an international degree called an L.L.M. This degree will be very beneficial to me because honestly, I want to help people like this woman who live in an underprivileged country. I really want the world to be a flat, level playing field so that everyone can get what they deserve. On another note, I agree with Sam when he said that in the United States of America, companies’ managements hire people because they are the best people that can find for the job. Now I’m going to talk from a different point of view. Fuck Haiti man this is AMERICA My roommate wrote that. Anyway, I feel pretty bad for the people of Haiti. They are very unfortunate – I think that I’ve heard that they are one of (if not the) poorest country in the entire world. Honestly, I think that it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If you are in a bad situation where you cannot find a job that utilizes your skills, abilities, and knowledge, you really have no way of finding a job that utilizes all of these things. I don’t have prejudice towards anyone (unlike my roommate obviously), because I think that every single person on this earth can be just as smart as the next person, or just as smart as someone on the other side of the globe who is in a completely different situation. The unfortunate truth is that everyone is not in the same situation. A lot of people who are in third world countries could easily have been born into families in the United States or other countries that have fantastic job opportunities, and they could have done well. It’s really a shame, but I guess that’s luck, fate, destiny, inevitability, etc. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:56:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58731281 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57636858 I’ll tell you why. It’s because you live in a society dominated by men who are heterosexual. So that’s kind of a two pronged spear right there. Heterosexual men look down upon gay men. That part is pretty simple, and that’s why gay men are not generally accepted. As for homosexual women, I think heterosexual men just think it’s attractive in some ways. Think about it – if you think girls are attractive, you probably enjoy seeing them during sexual acts. Throw two girls into the mix, and you’ve got double what one girl can give you. I’m a guy, and I think watching girls make out is great. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:46:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57636858