en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/765407 Comments by jontroy88 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69968000 There are still questions that I have that I would like to know how he got there in jail in the first place. Yes, he was convicted of first degree murder, but what was the situation? Was it out of revenge or just a violent act that you had to do? I see that he is a changed man, but I would like to know what kind of a man he was before he got into jail. This is just part of his story on how he has all of these feelings now and how he is donating. I would definitely like to meet him and talk about his story. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:59:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69968000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69967258 She brings up an intriguing point in how if it affected us personally, we would help out or try to do something to relieve the pain. 300,000 people are a lot of people and this is something that needs to be taken in by everyone. If I had family over there, I would be more in touch with this tragedy than I am right now. I knew it was something big when I saw the devastation and the amount of people affected by this earthquake. After this lecture, this Haiti tragedy really hit me and made me think that no matter how distant something like this happens, anything that you can do to help out, you should do it. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:53:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69967258 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69966151 This letter right here blew my mind. I never talked to a person who was in prison, and all I know from people in prison are how they are depicted in movies and on television. While I was reading this I was amazed to read how two men who hated each other can come together and have one of them give some sort of relief and comfort to the other. I greatly appreciated this letter, which was written brilliantly and I would have had no idea he did not graduate high school, because it gave me some insight on the truth of life behind bars. This guy told it like it is while addressing the fact that people who are on the outside have these assumptions on prisoners to be “beasts” and “uncaring violent predators.” Hearing that these men have compassion and are not full of hate towards everyone else was refreshing. Before reading this letter and what I learned from the media, my perspective about criminals, especially those who murdered someone, were that they were mentally instable and very angry people and that there was something wrong not all there in their head and that they were naturally a violent person. However, from just reading this letter gave me a new perspective. This guy actually donates blood and donates money to people who are less fortunate. That alone right there just made me think differently about prisoners. That this man who committed first degree murder and has no option to get parole, is also a man who has compassion and has still the mindset of thinking everything in a positive way. If there was a story like this, I think I would laugh about it and how prisoners and murderers are trying to give back out of the goodness of their heart. However, from this guy’s letter, I can definitely tell by the tone of the letter that this guy is truly sorry for what he did and has thought about what he has done to the highest degree. I really want to learn more about this guy and actually get a chance to talk to him face to face. I think for me it would give me greater insight to his life in prison and his life before his murder. In this class we learn to look past that people are on the outside and the perception that the media portrays certain groups. This right here is no different. I came in believing that all, not most, but all of the prisoners in jail were bad people and should be in jail for the act that they committed. I still believe that people should be punished for acts that they do against the law, but he gave me a better perspective that these people in jail are still people and they still have feelings and act like anyone else who are not in jail. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:43:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69966151 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68393870 I think this lecture blew my mind. I do not think that Sam is actually saying that Christians are invading everywhere so that they can rule the entire world one day, but I feel that Sam is trying to get us to think about the other point of view. We live in the United States and we hear and see the news from our perspective. What he was trying to do in this lecture was to open our minds and for me at least he definitely did. I never put myself as an Arab Muslim living in Iraq. The videos that he posted, I never saw them before in my life until that class. Putting yourself in another person’s shoes definitely gives you some perspective into that setting that they are living in. If I were an Arab Muslim and I saw the videos about George Bush and John McCain talking about how it’s their oil to take from me, I would think that Americans are crazy and should mind their own business. And from their local news, there was one video on how American military destroyed a car with wood on top of it just because they were “stealing” it. I would be like are you kidding me? That wood will provide those people with warmth and ability to cook with. Those people are poor and Americans should just have left them. And the one video where an American tank pushed a car to the side of the road, now that was just plain mean. So if I were an Arab Muslim I would have very negative feelings about the Americans. This is why some Arab Muslims hate us. I mean we do these kinds of things and that’s all you see. I mean if this happened in the United States, we would only see the negative stuff from the Arab Muslims unless we find something on youtube that is different. All the videos that were being played, it just seemed like all the Americans want to do in Iraq is get the oil. Oil? Really? I definitely would be pissed if someone came in my apartment and take my beer from my refrigerator. I know understand that. This lecture was definitely a good one to attend. At the end of the lecture, Sam basically put up a slide that said that Muslims and Christians are very similar and I believe that. In this world, we are all not so different as we perceive it to be. We may look different, talk different languages, have some different morals and values, but we are similar as well. However, there are the extremists out there who take it a little too far. But both the Americans and Arab Muslims have these kinds of people who take their views a little too far. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:32:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68393870 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68393772 I think this lecture blew my mind. I do not think that Sam is actually saying that Christians are invading everywhere so that they can rule the entire world one day, but I feel that Sam is trying to get us to think about the other point of view. We live in the United States and we hear and see the news from our perspective. What he was trying to do in this lecture was to open our minds and for me at least he definitely did. I never put myself as an Arab Muslim living in Iraq. The videos that he posted, I never saw them before in my life until that class. Putting yourself in another person’s shoes definitely gives you some perspective into that setting that they are living in. If I were an Arab Muslim and I saw the videos about George Bush and John McCain talking about how its their oil to take from me, I would think that Americans are crazy and should mind their own business. And from their local news, there was one video on how American military destroyed a car with wood on top of it just because they were “stealing” it. I would be like are you kidding me? That wood will provide those people with warmth and ability to cook with. Those people are poor and Americans should just have left them. And the one video where an American tank pushed a car to the side of the road, now that was just plain mean. So if I were an Arab Muslim I would have very negative feelings about the Americans. This is why some Arab Muslims hate us. I mean we do these kinds of things and that’s all you see. I mean if this happened in the United States, we would only see the negative stuff from the Arab Muslims unless we find something on youtube that is different. All the videos that were being played, it just seemed like all the Americans want to do in Iraq is get the oil. Oil? Really? I definitely would be pissed if someone came in my apartment and take my beer from my refrigerator. I know understand that. This lecture was definitely a good one to attend. At the end of the lecture, Sam basically put up a slide that said that Muslims and Christians are very similar and I believe that. In this world, we are all not so different as we perceive it to be. We may look different, talk different languages, have some different morals and values, but we are similar as well. However, there are the extremists out there who take it a little too far. But both the Americans and Arab Muslims have these kinds of people who take their views a little too far. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:31:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68393772 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68395337 This lecture opened up my eyes to how much oil is involved in this war, however not only oil but also religion escalated this war to a whole new level. You have extremists like Jihad that believe that their God wants America destroyed and then you have Christian extremists who are actually going over to Iraq to try to convert Muslims into Christians. I just feel that when it comes to religion, people need to back off. They need to realize that people believe in different things and that is fine with me, but the whole thing about converting people, which needs to stop. There is no reason to preach views and beliefs to someone who believes in something different. People put in their minds that their God said something to them to destroy someone else or to take someone else’s natural resource and I think that is bullshit. There is no way that the Muslim God said to destroy America nor is there any way that the Christian God said that it is your task to take their oil away from them. It is just extremists need to start thinking and be apart of this groupthink that they are apart of. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:43:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68395337 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68394589 What I walked away contemplating is how much religion is behind all of this. I know Sarah Palin was talking about how it is the task of God or something along those lines that the United States should be there or how George Bush said that it was a crusade. I feel like all of the extremists on both sides need to calm down with the religious stuff. Now I am not bad mouthing religion, but I feel that people need to realize that other people have different views and beliefs and that they should not push their views and beliefs on others. I mean if they do not believe in YOUR God then let them be. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:37:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68394589 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68393973 I think this lecture blew my mind. I do not think that Sam is actually saying that Christians are invading everywhere so that they can rule the entire world one day, but I feel that Sam is trying to get us to think about the other point of view. We live in the United States and we hear and see the news from our perspective. What he was trying to do in this lecture was to open our minds and for me at least he definitely did. I never put myself as an Arab Muslim living in Iraq. The videos that he posted, I never saw them before in my life until that class. Putting yourself in another person’s shoes definitely gives you some perspective into that setting that they are living in. If I were an Arab Muslim and I saw the videos about George Bush and John McCain talking about how it’s their oil to take from me, I would think that Americans are crazy and should mind their own business. And from their local news, there was one video on how American military destroyed a car with wood on top of it just because they were “stealing” it. I would be like are you kidding me? That wood will provide those people with warmth and ability to cook with. Those people are poor and Americans should just have left them. And the one video where an American tank pushed a car to the side of the road, now that was just plain mean. So if I were an Arab Muslim I would have very negative feelings about the Americans. This is why some Arab Muslims hate us. I mean we do these kinds of things and that’s all you see. I mean if this happened in the United States, we would only see the negative stuff from the Arab Muslims unless we find something on youtube that is different. All the videos that were being played, it just seemed like all the Americans want to do in Iraq is get the oil. Oil? Really? I definitely would be pissed if someone came in my apartment and take my beer from my refrigerator. I know understand that. This lecture was definitely a good one to attend. At the end of the lecture, Sam basically put up a slide that said that Muslims and Christians are very similar and I believe that. In this world, we are all not so different as we perceive it to be. We may look different, talk different languages, have some different morals and values, but we are similar as well. However, there are the extremists out there who take it a little too far. But both the Americans and Arab Muslims have these kinds of people who take their views a little too far. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:32:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68393973 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66862473 The things that Sam has said in class, I felt like I already knew or were just plain common sense in my mind. However, a good example of Sam opening up my eyes to see things that are happening in the world today and not in “my” world was last class with the cocoa slavery. I mean we learned and read about how there was modern day slavery, but after seeing that video, it really opened up my eyes to see that this is ACTUALLY happening today. I feel like I am learning about race issues not only in the United States, but in other countries and cultures. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 19:51:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66862473 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66862068 This game is absolutely ridiculous, but at the same time I am not that shocked about seeing this being sold in Japan. The Japanese, from my perspective, have been very controversial on the types of things they sell especially when it comes to technology. They are one of the first countries to have new technology and try to push the button on what is being sold to the public. This type of video game like most other video games depict real life events. Now some people may disagree about this, but think about it. Grand Theft Auto is a video game where you go on a bunch of missions killing people. Think about what you can do within the game as a whole. You can carjack a car, which people are known to do in real life, you can also kill people with various weapons or objects, which you and I may not be exposed to, but it does happen. Now in the most recent Grand Theft Auto game, you can swim, jump and go skydiving. Video games more and more today are depicting real life events and moments. So having this type of game where guys can go up to a woman and rape them in the game is not so much of a surprise to me, but people should be questioning this game that is being sold in stores in Japan. Like why are the Japanese allowing this game to be sold in their own store or is it something that they see as just for play and do not think about the action that the game is showing to gamers. Is their culture so different than ours that this game is allowed to be in stores and more and more of this “type” of game where they show rape and that is the object of the game is being sold? I cannot understand how or why this game is even allowed on the shelves. Personally, being an avid video game player and a male, I would never want to play one of these games even if I was drunk. This game to me is something that I would not find pleasurable. Yes I do play the violent games, but I would still not shoot people in real life. I feel like the Japanese need to start regulated what can and cannot be put into stores and what can and cannot be made. I think that the government needs to start researching the type of effects that these video games have on their citizens. Because if the research shows evidence that more and more woman are being raped, then there is a much bigger problem with Japanese society. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 19:48:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66862068 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66858687 After seeing this video I was not shocked about this game genre. I have actually seen these kinds of games all over the Internet. Like most video games, these games show real life events. Whether you or I like it or not, things like rape, shooting people, stealing cars, etc. they happen every day although we may not be exposed to it. I have played Grand Theft Auto and some of the events that happen throughout the game are realistic. People get carjacked and killed in those types of places every day. However, there is something that does need to be talked about especially with the hentai video games that is being sold in Japan. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 19:25:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66858687 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/how-can-we-ever-win__trashed/#IDComment65577552 I do not think this is a win or lose situation. Jesse Jackson is doing what he is supposed to do helping people no matter what race they are. I think that was good of him to reach out to the poor white community because we need more of that. We have a lot of people who are helping out their own race, which is great, but I think they would be doing a lot more good if they were helping out people of other races. This class is meant to allow people to speak their minds on these issues and get us to think about things that we would not necessary have thought about before. Like looking at the LL Bean photos, yeah sure they may not be the stereotypical black people, but I think LL Bean was just trying to incorporate them to market towards the black community. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 17:10:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/how-can-we-ever-win__trashed/#IDComment65577552 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65576734 As a person of color, I feel that it is a good thing. I feel that having more diversity in this country is good. Growing up in a very diverse community, I learned a lot about different cultures and it really opened me up to different things that I would never have been exposed to if it were not for the different types of people I had encountered. I think it is good for America because this way people can learn about and from each other. There will be a wide range of ideas and hopefully will lead us to a better country. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 17:03:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65576734 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65576242 Seeing this video in class made me very disturbed, but I was not surprised to see the kids choose the white doll. In today’s world, as much as we want to think that all races are beautiful, the media portrays the white race more beautiful than the rest. Through celebrities that we see, the “most beautiful” women are usually white. So when you see this on TV and when kids are exposed to this type of visual, they start to create their own definitely of what looks good and what looks bad. Also, through the media today, we see a lot of black and brown people who get into trouble more often than white people. Through the news and especially through movies and television shows, black and brown people are portrayed as a criminal or someone who is up to no good. Growing up as a part of the black and brown people, I can see why the kids chose the white doll as the “better” doll. At a young age I was exposed to white society and seeing that the white person was somehow always superior and that you have to look like them. I know many celebrities try to straighten their hair instead of having their naturally kinked hair. Two celebrities that come to mind are Halle Berry and Beyonce. They are two of the most beautiful black women in show business and why are they considered that? Maybe it is because that they straighten their hair so that they look more like a white woman and less like the typical black woman. Going back to the growing up in white society, you see that people are more attracted to white people than they are of you and your own race. You get the sense that you need to be more like them and less like yourself to become attractive. From wearing the same clothes to acting and talking more like them to “fit in” to their society. Also, being exposed to media where the white person is the hero and the black and brown person is the evil person, you start figuring out that you want to be more like the white person and feel a sense of security with them rather than the black or brown person. I know a few girls in class were talking about how they would get the white Barbie doll instead of the black or brown Barbie doll because the white Barbie doll was more attractive than the other kinds. I never played with any Barbies, but I had action figures and they were mostly of the white race, besides the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When you are that young and you see an attractive object being white, your mind automatically perceive anything of that color to be better than another one. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 16:59:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65576242 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64268320 Going towards the question at hand, I feel that I can definitely distinguish from those international students who are Asian and Asian Americans. If you just go to the HUB during lunch hours, you can see who is who. The international students usually stay in a pack and their demeanor is a giveaway. Asian Americans, from what I have experienced, have different types of people that they hang out with and from their clothing and the way they walk and talk are giveaways to let you know that they are Asian Americans. Asian Americans are very American and you can compare them to any of your white friends on how they act. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:32:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64268320 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64267987 If you asked anyone of my friends, they would tell you that I do not fall into the stereotypical Asian guy. They see me as another dude from New Jersey. So when someone comes up to me and say a stereotypical Asian joke, I just laugh and go about my own way. I do not know if it is just me, but I am used to making fun of myself so I do not feel anything when there is an Asian joke directed toward me. A lot of people, even my friends, are shocked of how well I take it, but it does not bother me, since I know who I am and I do not play into their games. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:28:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64267987 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64267552 Personally as an Asian American, I feel that white people have trouble distinguishing from Asians who are from Asia and Asian Americans. I have heard it all, from they all look alike to they all are really smart at math. I feel like it most of these stereotypes have to do with how the media portrays Asians. In most movies, TV shows and in commercials, if there is an Asian person, they are usually the smartest one and are very nerdy. I feel like this portrayal from the media gives people this sense that all Asians are like this and leads to the trouble of distinguishing from Asians and Asian Americans. In my personal experience, I have usually been the “token Asian guy” in my group of friends or one of the few Asian people in my group of friends. I do not mind this at all, since I grew up in a very diverse community where I had white friends, black friends, and Indian friends. So we all had different views and different culture backgrounds to bring to the table. I knew about race and all that stuff just because I was exposed to different types of races and cultures from my community. So I was very comfortable with joking around and talking about different racial stereotypes between my friends. As a group of friends, I would say that we got past what we looked like. Sure, we would make fun of each other and the races that we belong to, but that is because we were so comfortable with each other and our background. When hanging out in the end, we never saw each other as different or inferior to each other. We were just people. Coming to Penn State was kind of a culture shock for me to see the lack of diversity that I was used to. When I formed a group of friends, I became the “token Asian guy” with no other races but White people in my group. It definitely took time to get used to and to “watch” what I say about different races. Since I was so comfortable talking about race and my own race in particular, people were shock about the things I would say about Asian people. I feel that you cannot make fun of someone else before you can make fun of yourself. Eventually, my friends got to know me and understood the types of things I would say. But being here at a majority white school, such as Penn State, I have to watch what I say around people who do not know me that well since people come from different places and may not know anything about Asian culture or any other culture but their own. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:24:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64267552 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63027494 At the time I was not a big fan of prom. I hated school dances and all of those things, but now that I look back at it, I am so glad that I went to my senior prom. I had a great time with my friends and it was one of those times where you remember for the rest of your life. Taking something that is so memorable to people away, is not right. And they are canceling the prom because of ONE girl’s lifestyle of being a lesbian. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Saying that they are canceling prom because of “distractions to the educational process.” That right there tells me that they are full of it and are closed minded. It just pisses me off when I hear stories about this because people are not harming anyone and are being who they are. What is wrong with that? She has a girlfriend and what should you do when anyone has a girlfriend or boyfriend when you are a senior in high school? Yes, that is right bring them to prom. This school has no idea what they are doing for their student body. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:08:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63027494 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63026860 Having a school cancel a prom because one of the students wants to bring her girlfriend to it is ridiculous. This is 2010, not 1910. People need to open their eyes and start being aware that it does not matter who they are and should not cancel a prom for their views, especially if this girl, who is a lesbian, brings her girlfriend to the prom. Prom represents the end of senior year of high school and it represents the last big event of high school. Canceling it because of THIS, its not fair to the rest of the student body and this girl. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:03:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63026860 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63025950 Hearing about this story about Natalie Randolph and watching the interview, I was surprised about this story. This is truly a great story and shows how far we have come in sports that a woman can coach football. At first by looking at her she just looked like any other woman. I was picturing a very muscular and butch woman in my head but I was surprised to see that she was not any of those things. Then when they showed some of her pictures from her playing days, it was eye opening to me to see this woman play this game. From playing high school sports and being coached by only men, I want to know how much of an impact she will have on the team. There is definitely a difference to coaching high school boys to coaching high school girls. Being on a boy’s basketball team in high school, there were a lot of yelling and scolding to the team in practice and during the games. This method was used mostly because as teenagers we tended to not pay attention and just flat out not listen. I had a few questions that ran through my mind after watching this video. Will all of this press about being the first woman’s football coach be a distraction to the team or will the pressure of being the first woman’s football coach grow to where it becomes too much for both the team and Natalie? Besides playing football, what kind of experience does she have coaching? I also wonder how the guys on the football team feel. For these high school boys, they are used to having a male figure as their coach and to tell them what to do and how to do it. I would like to hear their side of the story a year from now. I definitely would like to know the difference between a male coaching them as oppose to a woman. Just from this interview alone, I can see that Natalie Randolph has the poise to do the job and the confidence to be successful. This is definitely a good thing and a nice change in sports and in society. Having a female coaching football may have other females try to do the same. This event alone has made the gender equality a little bit closer. I think this by seeing this and hearing about this story will benefit our culture and make not only females, but males to realize that anything in today’s world is possible no matter what gender you are or what color you may be. I hope that Natalie Randolph does succeed as a football coach and I hope to see more of these stories for years to come. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:58:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63025950