en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1113179 Comments by jjlayton https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85434584 Due 7/7 My mother worked as the lunch service manager in my school when I was in 3rd to 8th grade. Everyone presumed I got advantages because she worked in the school. However, I didn’t really receive anything from her working in the school that I know of. I was a good student and never got into trouble so there wasn’t much that I needed her to help with. Most kids wouldn’t want their mother to be working in the school they attend but I was OK with it. The only advantage I had was having her around in case I needed advice or support for something, but that’s what mothers do. My mother followed me to High School too, it wasn’t planned she just received a job as a Teacher’s Aide in my High School the year I graduated. I know what a coincident (haha). I only had a week of freedom before she followed me. Again, I was a good student in High School, I didn’t receive one detention in my four years there (haha). I was a goody good I guess. The only advantage I ever had was that my mom would be there when I needed her to sign me out of school if I was sick. I also ate lunch with her and some teachers once in a while; I was very mature for my age (lol man I’m coming off as a big kiss up and innocent geek). Some people thought I received good grades because of my mother which was never the case. I earned all my grades because I studied and worked hard. My mother never spoke to my teachers because she never really had to. When I was ready to graduate I applied to a bunch of colleges, none of them knew my mother worked for the Board of Education and I was accepted into every college I applied to. It could have been for Affirmative Action, since I’m half Hispanic, but I highly doubt it since most people who benefit from AA are White females. I could have gone to Cornel University if I wanted to because my aunt works for the University but I didn’t apply because I wanted to earn my spot in college. I earned a full scholarship to Duquesne University but I didn’t accept and decided to go to Seton Hall University, which is a great school, because it was closer. Maybe I should have accepted my aunts proposal and attended Cornel, it’s a great school and would have looked great on my transcript, but I wanted to earn my place in the University and didn’t want people to think I got in just because of nepotism. I guess things worked out, I did a semester in Seton Hall and proved to myself that I could do well on my own, got a 3.8 GPA there, but decided to transfer to Penn State, which was another good idea. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 03:21:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85434584 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85431068 Due 7/7 I agree it shouldn’t matter who your family is everyone should have to work toward a certain goal and not be handed it on a silver platter. However, that’s not how the world is sadly. I’ve had to work hard for everything I have and I’m still working hard, being in college, to achieve the goals I set for myself. I’ve seen other people around me stride through life always getting what they want and never having to work for anything. In a way I feel bad for them because they have no idea what hard work is about and they don’t appreciate anything in life and take advantage of everything and everyone. At least I appreciate the things I have and by working hard my whole life I understand the struggle many people have and I appreciate them and my family for making love and family the most important thing. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 02:51:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-8-lesson-14-affirmative-action__trashed/#IDComment85431068 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84675248 Due 6/4 She definitely was ignorant and doesn’t understand the world. She is old and has old ways of thinking. She also sounded southern; it would be an old southerner with that train of thought. I’m Hispanic so I would have felt like ripping that sign off her house but as it is her right to have it up I couldn’t because unlike her I respect other people and their freedom to live in this country. People like that do still exist, as I know way too clearly. It’s unbelievable to think that there are so many narrow minded people in this world and that doesn’t just go for immigration. They still exist though but hopefully there will be less of them but there will always be those chosen few who will be ignorant and idiotic. Sun, 4 Jul 2010 07:26:12 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84675248 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84674504 Due 6/4 Why do people have to treat immigrants so poorly? I don’t understand this because we are all immigrants, except Native Americans. Today, as we were driving home we saw a Muslim woman totally covered except her eyes in her religious garments. It was 90 degrees out and my aunt commented on her clothes and how the lady could dress like that in this weather and that she should dress like an American since she’s in America. Even though I understand where her comment is coming from being that it was hot, I do not believe it is her business what anyone wears due to their religious beliefs because we have a right to them. I appreciate and admire people who stick to their religious beliefs so greatly and don’t allow anything to come in between their faith and practices. Also, I don’t even know what dressing like an American is. How do you dress like an American? The guy in the YouTube videos is completely insane! I went to his YouTube channel and he has 686 videos ranting and raving about things. He actually gets a lot of views and more people than not like his videos, maybe because only racist crazy people would actually give this guy the time of day. This guy must have serious high blood pressure. The whole time I was watching him I wanted to jump out of my chair and smack him through my laptop screen! He really has issues because everything he says is complete insanity and who would want to listen to someone who’s constantly yelling at them. I’m half Hispanic and I love my culture and I would be upset if I had to throw it away just because we are in America. I’m proud that my grandparents came to this country and held on to their culture and language because it’s extremely important to me. Knowing that I have that culture and tradition in my life makes me feel a part of a community. If immigrants came to this country and shed their culture, language and traditions we wouldn’t have all the things we have today. We eat so many different types of foods and I know I love different ethnic foods as much as so called American foods. We wouldn’t have all the different types of foods we have if we all disregarded our culture. That would be sad for me since I love to cook …and eat haha. Different language is a benefit to us so I don’t understand why so many people look down at people who speak Spanish. Most Hispanics/Latinos are bilingual and in this industry now that is something that will benefit them. Sun, 4 Jul 2010 07:15:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-13-immigration__trashed/#IDComment84674504 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83655354 Due 6/30 I believe that homosexuals do not choose to be gay they are born that way. Why do we condemn people for something they cannot change? I do not know why we do or why so many people feel that it’s their obligation to belittle and restrict them. Maybe heterosexuals who are against homosexuality are scared that if the laws change and make homosexuals equal then everyone will turn homosexual. Obviously that is an absurd notice but I find it quite funny that heterosexuals against homosexuality are so against it when it has nothing to do with them. It does not affect them in any way because they are not homosexual. People who are heterosexual are not going to be changed or “change teams” just because they are around homosexuals or if the laws change because you can’t change something you are born with. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 04:18:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83655354 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83653435 Due 6/30/10 I have a lot of gay and bi sexual friends who I am close with. I’m a Christian but I accept everyone and their free will to be who they are and do the things that they wish to do. I don’t expect anyone to change their sexuality because just like I can’t change mine, they can’t change theirs. I do believe homosexuals are born homosexual and it isn’t a choice, it’s not a lifestyle. I don’t even like saying orientation because it’s more than that. All my LGBT friends are open with their sexuality and if they didn’t tell you they were gay you wouldn’t know, unless they were dressing in drag that day. I was mistaken for a lesbian when I was in High School because I was sporty and didn’t really care about looking girly. I’m straight but I didn’t really care what anyone else thought because I knew what my sexuality was. I have always been secure with my sexuality and I guess that’s why I am so accepting of others. When I hear other people making fun of or degrading LGBT people I always believe it’s because they aren’t secure with themselves or their sexuality. It has nothing to do with the homosexual but with the discriminator themselves. I always have arguments with family members who don’t accept homosexuals and believe it’s a sin. I understand their religious beliefs but I do not condone discrimination or name calling. You can have your beliefs but that does not mean you have to be a bigot. I guess I’m a very open minded Christian because I don’t believe in a lot of things that old fashioned, to the book, Christians believe in. I’m very open to other religious beliefs also. I find them interesting and I like to learn about them. I might not believe in their faith but I understand them and appreciate different cultures and their beliefs. When I hear people criticizing other religions because they don’t agree or because it goes against their religious practices it upsets me in a way. I have always loved Egyptian culture and religious beliefs. It has always interest me and I have always gotten flack for it from my family who are more old school Christians. I don’t care though and I still study different cultures and religions. I also love Buddhist beliefs and I also get grief for that as well. I stand up for my beliefs but I also understand others who have the right to believe in what they wish. People have the right to love whoever they want and sex shouldn’t be a factor. If I fell in love with a woman, for whatever reason, and I truly loved her I couldn’t let a simple thing like sex get in the way of that. If you love someone it doesn’t matter what sex they are because unconditional love in just that, unconditional. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 04:11:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt__trashed/#IDComment83653435 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81605015 Due 6/23 I grew up with two very different families, one White and one Hispanic. I was accepted for who I was by my Hispanic side and the issue about skin color was never brought up. It wasn’t a big deal to them. They embraced their Brownness I guess you can say. My White family wasn’t so accepting. I always felt like an outsider even though I’m pretty light skinned. You can tell I’m mixed now but when I was younger I was tanner. I felt like I didn’t belong and quickly noticed I was different. To this day I still feel awkward around them. Like I said, I’m lighter skinned but when I tan naturally in the summer time I get dark and they always have comments to say such as “Wow you got dark, don’t you think you should wear more sunscreen?” I do where sunscreen but I just naturally tan quickly without getting sunburn because I have more melanin in my skin already. I don’t care what they say I love my skin color and I love people who are proud of whom they are and their skin color, from pale white to dark brown. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:56:16 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81605015 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81601908 Due 6/23 I went to a mostly all Hispanic High School and I had a 3.8 GPA. I wasn’t the most popular person in the school but I knew many people and many people liked me. I was friends with everyone; the so called popular kids, the band geeks, the punk/emo kids, the jocks and cheerleaders, just about everyone. I guess I just got along with a lot of people because I didn’t judge them and it helped that I gave them advice that they could trust and trust me to keep it quiet. So in my experience my popularity didn’t really go down when my GPA went up. It pretty much stayed the same. It might have to do with all of us being Hispanic and knowing each other for so long, from elementary school and onward. When I saw the “A girl like me” clip I cried. It was very emotional to see little girls and boys actually thinking that way. I’m not Black, I’m half Hispanic but I’m relatively light skinned, but it hurts to see that parents teach their children to dislike their skin color that much. I’ve seen women, mostly, who do all types of things to lighten their skin color and also do it to their children at very young ages. That teaches these children to hate themselves and that they will never be good enough if they aren’t light skinned. I think everyone should embrace who they are and that includes their skin color. White girls tan because they want to be darker and Black girls are using bleachers to get lighter, this doesn’t make sense to me. Are we all trying to be the same color? Is a medium brown skin color the ideal color nowadays? This is ridiculous and insane. This type of thinking is hurting their children psychologically as the video clearly shows. It’s not the right message to send small children. I have an aunt who lives in Georgia, about 25 minutes from Atlanta. I have visited her a few times and I liked it very much. I found that where she lives to be very diverse. I admit when you get to Atlanta there are more Blacks around but you still see other races too and I didn’t run into any type of racism. My aunt is Hispanic and so is her sister, my grandmother, and we were treated very nicely. Most of the people we encountered were Christians and very cordial and nice. Everyone said god bless you, have a good day, nice to meet you etc. I guess my experience was different there but I don’t deny that there could be racism in Georgia. There is racism everywhere I just didn’t encounter it or was faced with any type of racism while I was there. My aunt has lived there for about 10 years and she has never encountered any racism either. Maybe it might be different for Whites but I’m half White and again I enjoyed my visits there. I guess it depends on your individual experiences. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:45:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4__trashed/#IDComment81601908 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment81138110 For me personally, I wasn't "comfortable" with it really. I was baptized as a Catholic because my father's family is Catholic but my grandmother was a Christian. I never went to church or followed the Catholic faith at all when I was younger. I would hear my grandmother speaking about Christianity but I never really payed attention. Before I chose to be religious and the religion I wish to have I did research and read about many different religions just to find myself and what fit with my moral beliefs and that was Christianity in the end. I'm not a "normal" Christian though, I'm pretty free and believe in equal rights for everyone, including homosexuals. I'm also pro choice so there are things I don't agree with about Christianity but I do believe in the root moral disciplines and the true meaning of what it is to be a Christian not all these radical Christian beliefs that are out there. Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:33:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment81138110 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80476193 Due 6/16 My grandmother also has Alzheimer's disease. She is just like your grandmother was before she passed away. She can't do anything for herself and can only walk slowly. she refuses to take showers and my aunt, her daughter, must force her to take a shower once in a while. She has fits of anger and will get aggressive with people. She doesn't remember me until someone says who I am and she pretends to know me and makes up an excuse to why she didn't recognize me. It's extremely sad and it's hard to watch someone going through this. Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:34:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80476193 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80219821 Due 6/20 I guess since I’m half White and half Hispanic and live in a sort of diverse area, I live close to NYC; that I haven’t been very closed off to race and I speak openly about it with friends and other individuals. I don’t have a problem saying my Black, Hispanic, Asian or White friend by those references, especially when differentiating between them to my grandmother who never remembers names lol. I’ve never really thought about it in a different way before. People are people and we have different cultures and ethnicities and I think accepting that and embracing it is a good thing. I do have an advantage by being half Hispanic though, I realize that. I can talk to people of different races and have an understanding there that White people might not have. PS I wanted to slap that girl too. Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:27:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80219821 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80218482 Due 6/20 I found the wash cloth conversation funny because for some reason a lot of White people do have wash clothes in their closets and put them on display but never use them. I’m half White and I do have wash cloths but we never use them in the shower. We use them to dry our hands after we wash them but we are not allowed to use the “special” towels because those are for when company comes. I’ve noticed that a lot of people have these wash cloths that are not to be used because they are for “special” occasions and even when there is a “special” occasion you can’t use them, you can only look at them. My mother also has these “special” kitchen towels that she hangs up that I am not to use because they are just for display and to look nice. I use them anyways but don’t tell her that (haha). Watching that White Nationalist Girl Singers video and I was completely shocked. I hope one day they grow up and realized that they need to think for themselves and stop believing in the beliefs of their ignorant parents. It’s a shame that racism is passed down to children who don’t know any better and who are conditioned to believe in such things. I guess people can argue the same thing about Christianity. I’m a Christian but I made that decision for myself. My family is Christian and of course they wanted me to be one also but I waited until I was old enough to make the choice by myself in my own time and in my own right. I was 17 when I made my choice after reading about other religions and faiths and I just found comfort in Christianity. I’m a Christian because I want to be one not because others forced it on me or because I was born or conditioned to be one. These girls shouldn’t have been forced into a practice that should be made by adults. Children are not capable of making such a decision that will shape the rest of their lives. But I guess there wouldn’t be many White supremacy members if parents didn’t involve their children in it. I guess they’re afraid if they don’t reproduce and force their children into it they would become extinct. My father is the type of person who brings up race when he says something about someone or is telling a story. He also says stereotypical things and I am always trying to make him stop but of course it doesn’t work. He’s White and he’s with my mother whose Hispanic and had me and my brother with her so I don’t understand why he feels the need to bring up race when telling a story. I also noticed that his mother does the same thing. I guess he picked it up from her and my brother picked it up from him. I guess I’m too strong minded to follow anyone’s path, I have always been me, I’m the black sheep of the family and I love it. Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:11:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-white-people-stages-3-4__trashed/#IDComment80218482 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80198176 Due 6/16 I guess being half White and half Hispanic I don’t really have to worry about being politically correct. I never really thought about it before or worry about it much when I talk about race and cultures. I think we need to start talking about it more often and we defiantly need to break down the stereotypes. I’m the type of person to speak up when I hear people in my family, friends or strangers become racist, discriminatory or stereotypical against another person or group while in my presence. I do laugh when comics use race and stereotypes as the butt of their jokes but I think laughter is a good way to show how ridiculous some stereotypes are. Smart comics are usually correct in some of their jokes if you really think about them. Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:00:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80198176 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80195274 Due 6/16 I can relate to the professor’s story about the paralyzed person. My mom works in the High School in my town that I graduated from and a girl who’s paralyzed from the waist down started going to school there. This girl needs her diaper changed and catheter bag emptied every day in school by the nurse and by an aide. My mother had to do this for a few months and she didn’t know how to do it at first because she had never dealt with a paralyzed person before. After the first few times she got the hang of it and is now very close with the girl. I went in one day to visit my mother in school and the nurse was absent and my mom needed someone to help her out so she asked me to help. I was nervous at first because I never did anything like that before and it pretty awkward to do especially when you just met the person. So I helped my mom and it was weird at first but then I felt good about myself because I helped the girl and that’s all that really matters. Since I’m half White and half Hispanic, for me personally, I have always realized that I was part White because of how I was treated, my family differences and the realization that I was different than my friends. I have always, for as long as I could remember, identified myself as White and Hispanic just because that was what I was told. My Hispanic side told me I had White blood and my White side never said anything but they did treat me differently. Some of my White cousins would actually speak slower when they spoke to me and would ask me if I understood certain words that they had said. This confused me since I was in Honor English classes all my life and they would struggle with normal sentence structure. For some reason I was never taken seriously by my White side as an intelligent individual even though I don’t have much to compete with when it comes to my White cousins. I don’t know, my White and Hispanic families are opposites in my opinion, in the way they treat me and the way they act around me. My White family doesn’t think they could understand me or my culture and they don’t really try either. They are oblivious to cultures around them and ignore that they are there. They are very closed minded about race relations and never speak about race ever, that I have heard of anyways. They might speak about when I’m not around since I’m half brown and I might make them uncomfortable to talk about it. However, in my Hispanic family we talk about our race/ethnicity and culture a lot and also about other cultures and races/ethnicities. I guess you can categorize my White family into the pre-awakening identity stage. Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:28:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-5-lesson-7-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment80195274 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79429892 Well I am against capital punishment all together because I don't believe we have the right to say who lives or dies. It's not a freedom we should have. The people who kill make that choice but they are not free to do so because there will be consequences. In my opinion the consequences should be life in prison. If we put these murders to death shouldn't we be punished as well? How is it our right to put someone to death when we tell and make it law that it is illegal and morally wrong to kill others? That's what I do not understand. It's interesting that people are against murder but not against murdering the murderer, how ironic. Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:53:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79429892 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79387936 I have never thought I was free in the sense that I can do whatever I please and get away with it. We have rules and regulations for a reason, I know this, but this is another set practice that in essence makes us not free. We are not free to murder someone and not have consequences; we are free to the murder but not free to expect we will get away with it. So really we are not free because we act in a way not to get caught if we would murder someone. We would try to cover up the crime, make an alibi, and lie on the witness stand, etc. in order to get away with the murder. This is not a free act, we are not free in our minds. Free would be murdering a person and walking away with no fears of being caught, prosecuted, charged and sentenced because there is no law saying it is wrong to murder. We as a society make judgments as to what is wrong, right, moral and immoral and we set our laws in accordance to this. Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:39:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79387936 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79386949 I’m the first in the Hispanic side of my family graduate high school and go to college in the U.S. I’m proud of that and so is my family but I know that it was a struggle to do this. My family had to make a lot of sacrifices and do without in order for their children to have more. This is a hard thing to do, as the lecture explained. The king of the mountain perspective is hard to deny and overcome. I’m half Hispanic and half White so I can see life on both sides. I did see my White cousins having more and having more opportunities then me and I always had to fight harder for everything I received. I was treated differently but I’m ok with that because I know I worked for everything I have and I earned it. I can’t say that about some of my White cousins, who were handed everything. Not all Whites have things handed to them, I know this, but in my family it was this way. I had cousins who were bought cars, laptops, and expensive gifts throughout the years but I was never given anything. When I was little I didn’t like it and I felt left out and was jealous of my cousins as a child would be. As an adult I now realize that my mother didn’t accept gifts, money or anything else from the family that she didn’t think we needed, deserved, or earned. She wanted us to know what it meant to work for what we received and not take advantage of it, to appreciate what we have. I appreciate that my mother did this and made me earn what I get, its why I am so independent and responsible. I can’t say that for my cousins. I’m not sure if it has to do with them being White but they think the world owes them something. Their parents did spoil them and gave them whatever they wanted, they never had to work or earn anything they got. I find this sort of sad because now that they are older they are what I would call losers. They don’t have jobs, they don’t go to school, they drink, smoke marijuana all day and are not doing anything with their lives. This does have to do with their parents and them not having discipline when they were younger. Sometimes I wonder if they were a minority or new immigrants would they act the same way or have parents who handed them everything in life, I doubt it. I look at my Hispanic side and my White side and the differences are large, especially in the way they look at the world and the way they raise their children. You just don’t expect a Hispanic mother to just give you whatever you want because you think you’re owed it. This is just my experience and by no way do I think this is the way all Whites or Hispanics are. Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:29:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/06/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality__trashed/#IDComment79386949 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78139833 WOW! This was a really good lecture and I took a lot out of it. I’m by no means come from a wealthy family. My mom is a single mother and makes way below the poverty line amount a year. She has always stressed the importance of education and not to worry about working while in High School so I can concentrate on my education. My father has always been a part of my life even though he was not with my mother but when I was in High School he started having a lot of health issues. He had to stop working and has had many operations and procedures. I was also faced with a lot of obstacles that wished to stop me from getting ahead. I did not allow them to stop me. I went to a High School that resembles Harper High School a lot. I thought I was looking at my old exercise room when I saw there’s. My High School was extremely overcrowded and you had to push your way through the hallways to get to your next class. We didn’t even have heat or air conditioner. I remember sticking to the chairs and the textbook pages in the summer because it was so hot and having to wear winter coats and accessories in the classrooms. I always knew I had to work hard to make something of myself and that’s what I tried to do. I admit it was hard with all the distractions in my life and everything trying to bring me down but I did graduate with a 3.8 GPA along with other achievements. I got into college but I had to withdraw from Seton Hall University after my first semester there, which I receive a 3.8 GPA for, because my father was going into surgery for his back and kidneys and I was just diagnosed with an ovarian disorder and I couldn’t afford the tuition. I told myself that I would only take off 1 semester and start college in the Fall at a local community college because I would receive free tuition. That didn’t happen and I ended up taking 3 semesters off instead of my planned 1. I found out about Penn State World Campus and a light went off in my head. I was so excited because I could do school at home and take care of my father and work a part time job. I just turned 23 and this isn’t my dream college life experience by any means but it works for me and my family. I couldn’t choose the option of going to college and leaving my parents here to struggle and die from stress. It wasn’t the way I was raised and it’s not the way I wish to live my life. If that means I won’t be extremely wealthy I’m ok with that as long as I can provide for my family and be there for them like they were there for me. That Oprah episode really hit home with me and I did cry. I know what it’s like to be a student at a school like Harper and have to deal with all those obstacles while watching others just glide by life. I remember my first semester at Seton Hall; I had to take 3 trains to get there and wake up at 6am to be at class by 10am. It wasn’t easy but I did it every day. I would get to the campus, out of breath because I had to walk up a long hill for 15 blocks to get to the campus, and see all these White girls walking from their dorms with lattes just easy going. They had their Mercedes and BMW’s and I was just happy to get to campus on time. I remember one guy I knew told me he was upset because his Porsche was in the shop and his dad had to drive him to school in his BMW. I know that not all the White students there had money but a lot of them did. I sometimes wish I had money but then I realize that I don’t think I would be the person I am today if I did since I had to work for everything I got and earned. I’m proud of who I am and where I came from and how hard I had to work to get here. Wed, 2 Jun 2010 02:17:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality__trashed/#IDComment78139833 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment77982178 I think that more people should be like the weaver bird. We think we are so much better than other mammals and that we are so much higher on the food chain. We might have technology and intelligence but we are so greedy. We want and want and destroy and destroy. We are our own prey. We will end our own existence because of our greed and hatred for our own species, divided by our so called differences. There’s a bird making a nest on my windowsill and it makes so much noise but I can’t bring myself to throw the nest off. I don’t believe there are any eggs in it yet but I still can’t do it. I looked out m y window and looked at the nest thinking about it but I saw the detail put into it and the work and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I will live with the noise at 5am because I know that bird put a lot of effort into making that nest and who am I to destroy another fellow animal’s livelihood and shelter. Tue, 1 Jun 2010 04:17:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment77982178 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment77979138 I admit I eat packaged processed meat but if I had a choice I would buy my meat from a local farm that treats the animals ethically. Since I live in the city and there are no farms anywhere near me I have to buy packaged meat. I could become a vegetarian if I chose to but I like meat so that wouldn’t really work. I am moving this summer/fall because I need out of the city and I will have lots of land and will be able to buy my meat from local butchers and farmers who are not cruel to their animals, before they kill them that is. I support the Native American approach to hunting. They hunt and use every part of the animal and do not waste. This is, in my opinion, the best way to hunt and not take advantage of the earth. I believe if you kill an animal you should do so to provide sustenance for your family and maybe even use their fur or skin for other uses, not fashion. My grandfather was an Inca Indian from Peru and he lived like one and survived like one. He would hunt and kill his own meals and use every part of the animals he hunted. According to my mother he ate monkey brains, supposedly it was a delicacy. I’m a Christian and seeing all that footage really upset me, I was brought to tears at one point. I knew that there are radical Christians out there but I couldn’t believe some of the things they were saying. It’s unbelievable what people believe Christianity is. I have never once seen it written in the bible that we must convert everybody into Christians or up rise and start an army of super children Christians willing to do anything for their faith. I’m confused about what book they’ve been reading because it’s not the same one I have. What I go by is free will and forgiveness. Even if you’re not Christian you can believe in that. We all have choices in life, some are bad and some are good. We will have to pay for the bad ones here on earth or if you believe in an afterlife, in heaven or hell. What these people are doing is unfathomable. It’s so ridiculous I don’t even have words for it. I’m a firm believer in accepting everyone and not judging anyone for their choices because that is not my job or my place. However, I’m not a traditional Christian. I believe in evolution with the guiding hand of God and I don’t wish to denounce or judge homosexuals, some of my closest friends are of the LGBT community. Maybe I’m just a more modern easy going Christian, I don’t know. I just know that what these radical Christians got in their heads is wrong and it is not what all Christianity stands for. They truly do give Christianity a bad name to say the least. Tue, 1 Jun 2010 03:41:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/05/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism__trashed/#IDComment77979138