en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2402030 Comments by jrl5296 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143003141 I definitely would not turn down a case of nepotism if it were offered to me. I have done it, my parents have, my friends. It is just a part of life, and that’s how things are. I got my first job at a country club because my aunt was a member there. I shamefully called her up and asked her to put in a good word for me. My mom, who is an art teacher, got her first job because one of her high school teachers put in a good word for her, and her student teaching placement was in the same school where she ended up getting her first job. My dad, who didn’t really have any help in college, got his first job based pretty much on his engineering credentials. However, after he left that job and got laid off, he went back to them and asked if they had any temp work. Furthermore, he also uses both of my uncles (who are contractors) in order to approve plans that he gets commission for. My point is that everyone that I know, basically, who has a job got that job because of who they know. I was sort of confused on Sam’s lecture when he was relating nepotism to affirmative action. At first, I honestly didn’t even know what nepotism was. But after learning what it was, I don’t think its any big deal. I mean, everyone does it, basically for every job they obtain. I guess the purpose of his lecture was to demonstrate that affirmative action isn’t really that bad? Or maybe not. I’m not really sure, but that’s what I’m getting from it. Nepotism is a part of life, and I pretty much plan to use my connections to get me a job after I graduate. However, some of those contacts I will have made on my own, which I’m not really sure if that is a “negative” thing. Obviously using my aunt and uncles is something that other people wouldn’t have access to, but what if I use a connection from an internship or job that I had? Yes, other people may not get that opportunity, but I feel like I, or other people in that position, would have earned that opportunity. At the same time, I guess it still is kind of unfair to those who may not have gotten an internship or a job that was that helpful, and who knows, I’m sure some people used their connections to get that internship. But for the most part, I think using the connections that people made on their own merits wouldn’t really be that bad, like when sam said he got his job because one of his professors recommended him. Well his professor wouldn’t have recommended him if he sucked, like his uncle may have, so I feel like that isn’t quite as “negative.” Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:43:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/do-you-think-you-would-actively-try-to-not-benefit-from-nepotism-if-the-situation-presented-itself-119-blog/#IDComment143003141 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/after-this-class-do-you-still-blame-terrorism-119-blog/#IDComment140592757 I’m not sure if this lecture changed my perspective on terrorism, because I still think that those radical terrorists who want to kill all Americans are very scary, and I don’t agree with any of their motives or reasons for wanting to do so. The video in the very beginning of class about the Jihad really scared me, and while this class was enlightening, it didn’t change my opinion on the select few Iraqis who want us dead. However, this class really had an impact on me. At first, when Sam was talking about the oil and how the oil was “ours,” (meaning us as Iraqis) I didn’t find myself thinking yeah yeah he’s right this is my oil! Because I was still thinking as an American. I think what really made me look at things differently was when he showed all of the videos that made America and Americans looks really bad. Obviously those things were hard to watch, but I was mad at us too at that point, so it was really easy to understand why the Iraqis think these things about us. After class, my friend who is also in the class and I were talking about how this whole thing just seems like such a huge miscommunication. I just wish that I could tell everyone in the middle east that not all Americans are like that, that the select few crazy Christians and people who hate them are not at all representative of the entire United States. At the same time, this really opened my eyes to the other side – if I said those things to an Iraqi girl, she could retort with the exact same thing. The radical Jihad also aren’t representative of the entire country of Iraq, and its so unfortunate that when the majority of Americans think of Iraq they think of people who want to kill them. It also is upsetting that while obviously everyone in Iraq isn’t part of that mindset, they probably do still hate us. And after seeing the videos, why wouldn’t they? If that is what they see on the news about us and that is what they think we are all like, I see no reason why I wouldn’t think the same thing about them. In fact, before the lecture and becoming more aware, I did. Obviously I knew that everyone in the middle east wasn’t part of the radical group, but I still thought they all hated Americans. And they all think we hate them. It just is such a deep hole that we have dug, and I don’t see any way to make things go back to how they should be. It sucks that both parties don’t realize that the media and armies are not representative of everyone’s mindset, and that people should realize the similarities. Wed, 6 Apr 2011 23:22:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/after-this-class-do-you-still-blame-terrorism-119-blog/#IDComment140592757 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment138695054 It’s lame, but I really believe in true love and soulmates and all that stuff, so if my soulmate happened to be another race than me, I wouldn’t care at all. It wouldn’t matter to ME at all, but I’m not sure if it would even get to that point. I have never dated outside my race, and that’s not because I am unwilling to, I just think its because all of my friends are white, all my friends friends are white (mostly) and I wouldn’t really be put in that situation where I would feel a romantic connection with someone who was a different race than me. I have no problem with interracial relationships; I think they’re awesome, but I’m just not sure I would ever have the chance. Of course there’s still the chance that I could fall madly in love with someone who isn’t white (a very large chance) which would be awesome, love is love. While my family would be very supportive, it would be something different that nobody was used to. My whole extended family is generally pretty accepting, but last year when my cousin was dating a black guy, my aunts and uncles would always say “Allie’s black boyfriend,” and never really thought anything of it. It was like in class when Sam was talking about those modifiers that really don’t add anything. Obviously, Allie is only dating one guy, and we know who he is and that he is black. It was never a problem when he was around, my whole family was always really nice to him, but it was kind of something that happened in the background. Because of this, I feel like my parents would feel weird about me dating someone who wasn’t my race. Its not because of our religion or anything, or because they are racist, but I think it would be just because it is something different than we are all used to happening in our little suburban life. They would never do anything to try to make me break up with him or anything like that, but it would be something that was out of the ordinary, so it would seem weird to them. After a while though I think it would seem normal, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if it got really serious. I don’t really think that my parents and family thinking that would be wrong, I don’t think it is wrong to be a little unsure of something you aren’t used to. The problem would be if they refused to talk to him or something or didn’t let me see him, or the same if it happened with any of my siblings. I just think if that ever happened to me, it would take a little getting used to, for everyone. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:22:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/what-factors-in-your-race-make-it-difficult-to-date-outside-your-race-119-blog/#IDComment138695054 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment136341351 I saw this video last year in my psych 100 class and I was shocked then. Watching it again obviously wasn’t as surprising, but it still was hard-hitting. It really made me wonder, same as the question-asker, where do these ideas come from? I’m thinking back to the shows I watched as a child, and I do think the majority of the ones that included actual people and not bananas were white. On sesame street there were black characters, but they weren’t very prevalent, and the shows that did include black characters (Little Bill) were made to be “black” shows, which included jazz, the streets, and other black stereotypes. I understand the goal of this show was I’m sure to let kids relate, but it seems odd that there wasn’t really any shows that didn’t seem to draw attention to race. Even on the cartoons that I would watch as an older kid, Recess and Hey Arnold, yes they had one black character, but all the other characters were white. Even so, I still never ever remember thinking “Jeez I’m so glad I have white skin, black skin is bad.” I’m not sure if this changes because I am white, because I obviously don’t know what it is like to be in the minority, but I never thought Little Bill was a bad show, or the characters on it were bad. I never had any black dolls, but I think that is more because I liked my dolls to look like me, like I could pretend they were my babies. Maybe that’s messed up, maybe I should have had black dolls. It’s not like I would have shunned one if I had one, I just don’t remember having one. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I feel like the black dolls I knew were about slavery (addy the American girl doll) and that doesn’t relate to my history. Little Bill was about a way of life I wasn’t used to (even though I still liked it). I think this has to do with the separation that everyone feels, like the companies that make dolls and tv shows try too hard to let the kids know their history that they separate it from other kids who don’t have that same history. I feel like these ideas just come from generations before us pushing those ideas onto us. I was really surprised in class when people were speaking and saying their grandparents like their cousins better who have lighter skin. It seems weird to me, why would that matter, especially to a grandma? I get that old people are crazy, I know my grandma is, but it just seems terrible to talk to a little girl and make her feel like her skin isn’t pretty or her hair is too curly and unmanageable. Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:21:35 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment136341351 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment135698076 I think this is one of those things that everyone knows is wrong, but it is too much of a habit to really think about. Even before watching this video, I knew about the r-word campaign and it is obviously very hurtful to people. That being said, I shamefully admit that I do say this word. I try not to, but it is just a part of vocabulary. I don’t want that to sound like I’m defending myself, because I’m not. There is no excuse for saying this, it’s just sometimes it comes out accidentally. I’m not sure what turned the word retarded into meaning something is stupid or messed up, probably just like whatever made the word gay mean the same thing. Both of those are words that I hear daily, even though they are very hurtful. Why can’t those words just be used as regular words to mean what they are defined as? A retard shouldn’t be somebody who makes a mistake; it should be someone who is mentally challenged, who has mental retardation. That’s where the word came from, and its very sad that now that word can’t even be said around those who are actually retarded because of the negative connotation it has taken on. My little cousin has Asperger’s, and when I say the word retard to friends when I am just joking around, I don’t think of it as being offensive to him. But I would NEVER say that around him or his parents, because that is offensive. Just like I would never say the word gay around a friend of mine who is gay (although unfortunately, I have accidentally before). This is just an example of why these words should be eliminated; they cause people to have to censor themselves depending on who they are around. A word shouldn’t be used if it is offensive, especially if they don’t mean offense when they are saying it. This would be great if it could actually happen, but unfortunately I don’t see it being very likely. This word has had this meaning for quite some time now, and I think it will take a long long time before it goes away entirely. Even if it does go away, people still won’t call those who are mentally challenged retarded because the word retarded had the negative meaning at one point. They will still say something that is considered PC, because even if the word isn’t being used as much in that way, it still was at one point, and that is what matters. I’m not saying that because I don’t think it should be eliminated, I definitely think it should, I am just saying that I think the damage is already done – retard is now a negative word, and always will be. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:02:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment135698076 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/scholarships-for-white-men/#IDComment132392198 I found myself agreeing with this guy as he was talking. Yes, he came across as a douche, but I still agree with what he was trying to do. It bothered me so much when I was applying to colleges that there were so many scholarships for people that were different. Not just race, but there were scholarships for the blind, for people with red hair, people from other countries, everything. I am a pretty normal white girl, and I had trouble finding scholarships that weren’t so huge I was competing against 500,000 people for $1,000. I wanted a scholarship that was for white females of average income and nothing special about them, like me. Because I couldn’t find one, I am now relying completely on student loans. I find it kind of unfair that these policies aren’t in existence, mainly I think, because the people who give out these scholarships are afraid of the backlash. It sucks that there is this fear when it comes to race issues that people are so afraid to do what seems fair (to me at least). It just angers me that these things are in existence. Kind of along the same lines, there was recently a competition for Mr. Black Penn State. Nobody I know really thought anything of it, but what if it was a Mr. White Penn State? Then the school would be accused of being racist and yada yada, but I honestly don’t see what the difference is. In my opinion, if there is going to be separation, it should be fully separated, or not at all. Meaning, if there is going to be a Mr. Black Penn State, there needs to be a Mr. White Penn State and a Mr. Latino Penn State and a Mr. Asian Penn State (maybe using more PC terms). But as you can see, that would get a little carried away eventually. That is why, to me, it makes so much more sense to just call it Mr. Penn State, and leave it at that. Why does there need to be this other separator? It is already being split apart men and women, why again? Is it to lower competition, to make the pool of applicants smaller? It just irritates me that things like this are in existence. So, I don’t think that this man is doing anything WRONG exactly, but I’m sure he is receiving loads and loads of backlash from angry civil rights activists and other groups similar to that. Like the newscaster said, I do understand that for so long it was only white men who were getting accepted to colleges, so yes then having these scholarships does make sense and is valid. However, I think that in order to be balanced and fair, there should be a similar scholarship for white men. Even white women, black women, and all the other genders and races. Otherwise, there shouldn’t be any at all. Fri, 4 Mar 2011 15:34:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/scholarships-for-white-men/#IDComment132392198 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment131211764 I was surprised to hear that we are harder on our own race. Thinking about it I guess it makes sense, but it seems weird to me. I feel like that is just another form of racism, saying, come on white people, you can do better than that. It bothered me when we were looking at the survey with the clickers in class and some people said they didn’t feel compassion because Tammy was different from their own race. I know everyone thinks differently about things, but I simply cannot fathom what it would be like to look at someone in that situation and not feel some sort of sadness. Yes, at times while watching that video I thought about how maybe her kids should be working to help the family or something of that nature, but the overall feeling I got from that wasn’t disgust, it was compassion. It’s so weird to me that people may not feel compassion for her, but it’s even more awful to think they might not feel compassion towards her because of her race. Whether she and her family were white or black I still like to think I would have felt the same way, because that video was SAD. I truly felt sorry for her and her family, and I feel like I wasn’t thinking “oh Tammy, look at you disgracing the white people with your poorness.” I don’t really understand the concept of being harder on one’s own race, I think because I just can’t fathom thinking that way. I was also very interested when Sam was talking in class about how the poor white people, the “rednecks” are the people who are looked down on the most by everyone else. I definitely think that is true class-wise, and I agree that it is because they have no one else to blame. Not just no one, but no statistics or facts about their skin or history to deter them from receiving as much or more as an upper-class white person. The unfortunate statistics that exist about blacks in America receiving less money, worse jobs and education, and being incarcerated more are obviously terrible, and makes it almost seem like they don’t need to compare themselves to others outside of their own class simply because they have these barriers in front of them that we all put there. The poor white people though, they don’t have any of those barriers to attempt to overcome. They have the same skin and statistics race-wise as the rich white people, they just either got stuck in a rut early on or made some poor choices. I had never thought of it that way before. Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:38:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/how-do-you-feel-about-the-poor-white-society-and-who-are-you-more-likely-to-help-119-blog/#IDComment131211764 http://thechive.com/2011/02/24/daily-afternoon-randomness-45-photos-5#IDComment130507690 #36 stared at it for a while... thought it was some fat man's arms reaching around from behind to help her shoot the gun. figured it out now, but that image is still in my head Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:16:54 +0000 http://thechive.com/2011/02/24/daily-afternoon-randomness-45-photos-5#IDComment130507690 http://thechive.com/2011/02/23/daily-afternoon-randomness-49-photos-5#IDComment130257986 #19 yesss! Thu, 24 Feb 2011 05:46:49 +0000 http://thechive.com/2011/02/23/daily-afternoon-randomness-49-photos-5#IDComment130257986 http://theberry.com/2011/02/21/sofia-vergara-shows-off-her-curves-in-shape-magazine-6-photos#IDComment129929669 yeah i would be comfortable too! she's goregous Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:28:34 +0000 http://theberry.com/2011/02/21/sofia-vergara-shows-off-her-curves-in-shape-magazine-6-photos#IDComment129929669 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/do-arrests-of-different-races-occur-more-due-to-racism-or-more-police-in-urban-areas-119-blog/#IDComment128897500 I think this is a question that can’t really be answered with just one of those options. I believe that there is some racism present, but I also believe that there have to be other factors- if not, why would people allow this to keep happening? I think it might have something to do definitely with more police in urban areas, and there are more people to patrol those areas, but also may have something to do with the fact that it is just stereotyped that more crime happens in urban areas. I’m not sure of the statistics about that, whether it is true or not, but that just seems to be the general consensus of the world. And then farther along that note, it also seems like, in the city outside of the suburbs where I came from, there were more blacks and Hispanics living there than whites. Maybe that has something to do with it, maybe the police patrol the areas where the most crime happens (the urban areas), and it just so happens that there are more blacks than whites living there, which skews the numbers. I wish it was this simple of an explanation, that would be easy. But hearing about the statistics for juveniles were impossible to ignore. I have to admit, I was a bit wary hearing the statistics about arrests and jail time for adults, just because I think there are other factors that could play into the mix. However, hearing about the statistics for children seemed to me that there is definitely something wrong there. I’m not sure if it is because of racist cops though, or just unfortunate stereotypes. But then I wonder what the line is between racism and just unluckiness. Something is definitely wrong with those numbers, and it makes me wonder exactly what it is. It makes me very upset that these things happen, and I wonder how they could ever be fixed. At my school, whenever they do drug sweeps with the dogs and cops, it seems to me that it is more white kids getting in trouble, and my school was about 60 – 40 white to black and Hispanic. I’m not sure if that’s because the dogs just sniffed people’s cars and had no way of knowing who the car belonged to, but I went to school in a nice suburban area, and we still definitely got targeted for things like that. Many students in my school did illegal drugs, and weren’t secretive about it. And the majority of those students were white. I wish I could find out more about the juvenile statistics and discover how they make those judgment calls. I wonder if there is a reason behind them or if it really is just racist judges. That is really what bothered me about these facts. I do think something is wrong with all the numbers, obviously the numbers should be equal to the numbers of population, but I also just wonder if it might have more to do with location and area and not skin color. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:12:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/do-arrests-of-different-races-occur-more-due-to-racism-or-more-police-in-urban-areas-119-blog/#IDComment128897500 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127232161 I definitely agree with the “middle ground” when it comes to this question. I think that both determinism and free will have both played a part in my attending Penn State. Both of my parents went here, and met here, so obviously that had a little bit of determinism right there, the fact that I had Penn State onesies. Not only the fact that my parents both went here, but also the fact that they went to college at all. In my family, you go to college. It’s not even an option not to go. I don’t think that my parents would disown me or anything if I wanted to enter the workforce after high school, but it was literally NEVER talked about all through high school. I knew as an elementary student that I was getting good grades in order to go to college, it was just a given. On the other hand, nobody forced me to try in school. Yes, it was pretty much expected that I would, but my parents didn’t not feed me until I finished my homework or anything crazy like that. It was almost like I wanted to go to college just because they did, I wanted to be like them. I did have the choice to do something else with my life, I just didn’t want to. I’m sure my not wanting to has a lot with me being raised as a college-goer, but I still consider it my free will that I decided to come here and I made the choices to study and join NHS and do things that would set me apart. This really makes me think of my dad, though. He grew up in a small town, Sayre, PA, and his family was really poor. They lived in a trailer on his grandparent’s plot of land, and didn’t have anything that wasn’t a necessity. I remember him telling me that he took a paper route where he would ride for miles and miles every day delivering papers just so he could have a pair of Levi’s. Then, after that, he would go home and do his homework. Nobody in his family went to college, he was the first one. I don’t know how he did it, but somehow he made it here and threw off all the curves in his engineering classes. I KNOW that my dad worked so hard to get to where he did, and I am really proud of him. Now, yes, he does have white skin and he is a man, but I still believe that he got that degree because of his hard work. At the same time, my mom grew up in a country club and was a good student in a good school district- she didn’t have to work as hard as my dad did. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:04:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127232161 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment125824976 I wish I knew the answer to this question. Things like this always get me thinking, and I really think it is messed up. Problems with race will never go away and not be problems anymore if we keep being afraid to talk about them. I wrote for my high school newspaper, and my fellow editors and I really wanted to write an editorial about the inequalities between races. We wrote about historically black colleges, the Latin music awards, and things that only apply to white people (I can’t think of them now). But long story short, the story was not allowed to run by the rules of our principal and the deans. I really found this to be ridiculous- we wrote a balanced story about something that affects people, all people, and it wasn’t allowed to run in the paper because our school was afraid of the backlash. I know I am getting off topic from the original question, but I think it all goes together. Yes, comedians are performing for an audience, but at the same time, why should any comedians be different? If you are watching an Asian comedian, why does it have to be apparent that he is Asian? Of course you will see that when you look at him, but there are other ways to be funny that all comics can do- not just the ones who are “allowed” by society to talk about race. On the other hand, if a white guy tried to make fun of Asian stereotypes, people would become uncomfortable because really what does this guy know about being Asian? This is where the problem lies- this is just how our world works. This is how we act and behave and I’m not sure it will ever change. If people want to get rid of stereotypes so badly, then why are they constantly brought up? Why does a comedian have to bring up stereotypes about his or her race to be funny? They will never disappear if they are always talked about . Maybe people really don’t want them to go away – because then what would we have comedy shows about? Maybe then comedy shows would have to be about other things, like religion or gender. I guess it is really just a matter of comedy itself- we like to laugh at things that are funny (duh), but the things that we find funny are sometimes things that we can’t say without looking like a jerk. So we go to comedy shows to hear someone- an actor- who is allowed to say those things that we are all thinking but cannot say. In this sense, I guess it is okay for the sake of comedy to do these things, it isn’t a big deal, but I do think that the underlying reasons behind it are concerning. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 03:55:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/01/what-is-the-difference-between-a-colored-and-white-comedian-119-blog/#IDComment125824976 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/could-g-d-be-a-she-119-blog/#IDComment124031215 Like many commenters on this blog, I was raised Catholic, and always referred to God as a He. I hadn’t really thought about it that much, just because that’s how I always referred to God, and how my family did, and it’s what I heard at church, where all the leaders were men. I guess that’s why it wasn’t a huge deal, because we call the pastors “Father,” I mean we even say “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Sprit.” I can’t even imagine having female leaders of the church, calling them “Mother” and saying “In the name of the Mother, the Daughter, and the Holy Spirit.” Even just writing that felt weird, and almost like I was making a sick joke that would make my mom mad at me. Whenever I would go to friends’ churches and they had a female pastor or whatever they called it, it felt weird to me. I talked to my parents about this class when I went home this past weekend, and they were really interested in what I would be learning about. I wasn’t really expecting this class to be too much about religion, but I’m excited that it looks like it may turn out to be that way. I wouldn’t say that I have been doubting my religion, but I have had a lot of questions lately. I hope that this class will help me decide what I believe, or at least give me different views. When Sam said She in class, I really started to think about this. It does make more sense that God would be a woman, because of what he said about birthing and creating the earth, which are typically things thought of by women. It makes me wonder if the people who wrote the bible simply wrote He because that’s how they believed back then, that women weren’t as powerful as men, and how could God be a female? I mean, is it ever really said anywhere that God is a man? I know that that’s how it is portrayed in all the movies and books and stories, and that’s just what everyone thinks. In class, when Sam said, “I know, some of you say that you only think of God as a being…” it had me thinking that I don’t. I wish I did, but when I picture God I either picture an old white guy with a long beard and long hair, or Morgan Freeman (thanks Bruce Almighty). I would love to not picture a person when I picture God, especially because after seeing what Jesus probably looked like in class, I highly doubt he looked like either one of the versions that I imagine. Thu, 27 Jan 2011 03:39:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/could-g-d-be-a-she-119-blog/#IDComment124031215 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/19/how-am-i-not-a-racist/#IDComment122428661 I’m not sure if this is a question of race or one about geographical region. There is no denying that someone from America can affect the world more than someone from an underdeveloped country, such as Guatemala, but I don’t think it’s because of race. Whether or not the American is black, white, Asian, Native American or anything else shouldn’t matter, because they would be from a country that has the means to make something. I went to Guatemala on a mission trip through my church, and although almost all the volunteers were white, we weren’t called “white,” we were called “the Americans.” We did have some volunteers who were Asian and some who were black, and the Guatemalans didn’t look at them like they were any less than us. In a sad way, we were all “above” them just because we were lucky enough to come from a country that is more fortunate. When I looked at the children and villagers in the orphanage, I felt overwhelmingly how lucky I was to have what I do, which I guess means I thought I was “better” than them for a time. But I didn’t once think I was better because I was white and they were Latino/Latina, that thought never crossed my mind. I guess I knew I was more privileged because of where I was born, where I go to school. The line between racism and thinking you are better than someone is very thin, but I think believing that you are better than someone can be more than a racial problem. Thinking you are more privileged than someone else from a less-fortunate country isn’t really a fact that can be debated. Just because I was lucky enough to be born in America, in a middle-class family, and be born white doesn’t mean that I AM better than anyone else, it just means that I will probably have more opportunities presented to me in an easier way. It is sad that this is the way things are, because I’m sure that there are people in underdeveloped countries that would do a lot better with the opportunities I have than I will. Knowing that makes me want to push myself even farther, because I know that I am lucky enough to have these opportunities and I should take advantage of them. I need to help. I think one way that this line can be thinned is for the people who were lucky enough to have the opportunities that we consider “better” to try to help those who aren’t. Truly believing you are better than someone based on race, yes, that’s racist. But knowing deep down that you were lucky enough to randomly be born into a race and country that is better, well that isn’t racist in my opinion. Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:28:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/19/how-am-i-not-a-racist/#IDComment122428661 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cl%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment121204974 soc 119 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:25:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cl%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment121204974