As humans, we are always comparing. We compare restaurants, movies, songs, colleges, sports teams, books, tv shows, appliances, electronics....I could go on forever. But what we compare most are people. Who is prettier, smarter, funnier, richer, more stylish, more caring? I think I would probably be a happier, better person, if I didn't do this, but I think it is part of human nature. I don't think this guy or anyone else should feel guilty for thinking the may be "better" in any way. What would make it racist is if he said "I will probably make a bigger difference in the world because I am white." Of course, I am sure no one would ever say those words out loud. But if his reasons, or anyone's, were based on skin color alone, then yeah, that would be racist.
You can say a person is lazy, loud, bad at driving, good at math, or drinks too much, but if you think it is BECAUSE of their race, then that is stereotyping, and racist.

Another way to look at this is to think that you may do greater things, but it is because you already have the leg up. This goes back to the whole idea of freedom vs. determinism. Yeah, chances are that you will make a greater difference in the world because you can focus on that instead of shelter, safety, food and other basic needs. This have been taken care of for you. So in a third world country the people have to struggle to actually survive, they cannot even think about making a difference in the world. For the most part, they are trying to get by.
Are you better than them? Well, there isn't any way to tell. If you were given an even playing ground, it would be more obvious. If you had the same starting line, and tried to run a marathon, I could tell you who came in first place. But with the extremely unequal circumstances you were given, who is to say who is better?

I have heard people talk about this study before, so I was familiar with what was going to happen. But no one had ever talked about the faces of the children as they picked the white doll time after time. No one had ever spoken of the sadness in the girl's eyes when she admitted the bad doll was the one she looked like.
When I was that age, my self esteem was through the roof. Later came the ideas that skinnier was more beautiful, along with having straight, white teeth, long flowing hair, and big boobs. At that age, I thought I embodied beauty. That is what I was always told. By my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, strangers...you name it. Everyone was saying how cute, smart, and funny I was. I never thought otherwise. I thought that is how every child felt. I think that is how every child should feel. Still fairly new to this world, they should be thinking that they are the absolute best. Not in a snobby way that puts others down, but in a way that they should never feel inferior to anyone.
It broke my heart when it was clear most of the girls and boys obviously did not feel that way. There was something holding them back: their skin color. I know a few of the girls said they chose the white dolls cause they were prettier. I saw their point. I remember recently looking in the toy store for a doll to donate to the toy drive. I knew the children who were receiving the dolls were most likely to be Hispanic, so I was looking for a Hispanic doll. Unfortunately, most of these dolls were the ugly ones for some reason. It was hard to find a cute why. I'm not sure why this is. Anyway, in the case of the study done in the video, the dolls were exactly the same except for skin color. Therefore, that had to be the sole reason the children picked the white dolls.
It was equally as heartbreaking hearing the girls in class saying this video hit home with them when they realized this is what they were like as children. Someone pointed out how the media had a big impact on these children. Hopefully The Princess and the Frog, Dora the Explorer, Handy Manny, and others like this will help these girls and boys realize how beautiful, handsome, and strong they are.

It's strange to me that this even still happens. I look around and see so much progress with LGBT issues, making me proud of our society, and then something like this happens.
There were no rules of bringing opposite sex dates at my school. It was not uncommon for single girls to have their (heterosexual) friend be their "date." There was even a guy who transferred senior year and brought his male best friend to the prom as his "date." These people were never questioned.
In fact, senior year, my date to the prom was gay. I am a straight girl, so we obviously just went as friends, but he always threatened that if he found a real date before June, he would dump me in a second. I do not think he would have gone through the formality of asking permission. I believe he would have gone about it quietly, like it was no big deal. But I do wonder what the school would have said if he asked permission.
Along those lines, I wonder what would have happened if this girl brought her date as if it was a normal thing to do (which it is to me, but that's another story). Would the school have not allowed her in? That would seem ridiculous, but it is Mississippi we are talking about. Part of me wishes she would have gone about it quietly and had the chance to "get away with it" for lack of better words. On the other hand, she is doing the brave thing and sending a message. She probably never imagined asking to bring he girlfriend to the prom would result in people all over the country discussing it. Good for her for standing up for what she believes in and being true to herself. I admire her courage.

I thought it was funny how the school said they had the right to ask the student and her date to leave if other students felt uncomfortable. Teenagers are making each other feel uncomfortable all the time! This is nothing new! Generally, people are uncomfortable around other people that are different in any way. A nerd in uncomfortable around a jock. A prep is uncomfortable around a goth. A skater is uncomfortable around a cheerleader. There is no way the staff could protect kids from being uncomfortable. Besides, it is much more likely that the staff are the ones that are uncomfortable. The new generation (thankfully) is much more accepting than the last.

I am also taking a bit of cruel delight in the fact that a school who tried so hard to avoid a big fuss and damaging its reputation is now being criticized all over America.

What ever happened to separation of church and state? If your religion tells you that God does not want Gay people to get married, then express this by not allowing it in your church. However, over 1,000 legal rights come with marriage. It is not fair that people do not have these rights even if they have been in a relationship for many years.
If you would rather not allow same-sex couples to be married in your church or by your Priest, Minister, Reverend, Rabbi, etc. then that's fine. But I do not think religion should have a say in hospital visits, property taxes, Social Security, and many other rights that come with marriage. Especially not in a country where there is not a national religion and there is supposed to be separation of church and state.
To keep all of these rights from a certain community because of a personal religion that not everyone in the country adheres to just doesn't seem right to me.

First of all, let me say I respect you for not just following your parents' political affiliation. Far too many people do that. I agree with you and with Sam when you say people should lie in the middle. As Sam said, that is where the intellect is. When George Washington left the office he advised the country to not form a two-party system. It is hard to imagine our country without it. But, if we listened to his advice, perhaps people would chose the best candidate in their eyes rather than the one they share a party with. The elected official may be more moderate, or in the middle, in this case. I see the value in being passionate about your views. However, when a person is so far left or right-winged that they cannot see the other side, they stop thinking. They just follow the red or blue way. I think the key to a working government is finding a balance between freedom vs. determinism. In the mean time, we could try to be like Goldilocks when the election comes around. This one is too liberal, this one is too conservative, this one is justttt right.

I can relate to you feeling guilty about the skate you get through college. I use to feel that way, too. It doesn't seem fair that I do not have to worry about tuition raises or the rent on my apartment or how expensive my books are. I use the weekends to relax and socialize with my friends, not working. The reason I don't have to worry about money as much others do has nothing to do with what I earned, or my intelligence level, or my motivation. I happen to be born into a family that is better off than others. It has to do with factors outside my control. This is not to say that I have not used my freedom to make choices or that life has been a free ride for me. I work hard in my classes and work on school breaks and during summer.
Sam delivered a similar lecture in SOC 001 last spring. Since then, these ideas of freedom vs. determinism have actually made me feel less guilty about the things in life I am fortunate to have. I should not feel guilty because these factors are outside my control, just as they are outside of the control of a person who is less fortunate. I cannot feel guilt over something I have no control over. However, I can feel appreciative of what I do have, and realize that I should take best advantage of it as I can to become a good person. I can also feel sympathy towards people with more obstacles, and I can try to do something about it to lessen or remove these them, if possible.

This is one of those cases where everyone just needs to calm down and look at the big picture. I am all for standing up in what you believe in and being passionate about a worthy cause. I have respect for those who fight for that they believe is right. I say, good for them However, is the wording on a survey really worth all this time and energy? I find that hard to believe. Quit being so sensitive. The reason the word Negro is being used is because that is how a large number of people identified themselves. These people specifically chose to be identified as Negro rather than Black of African American. This is not a case of white people guess what the minorities want or assuming they know what is best for them; they are taking cues from the Negroes themselves. May I also point out that the word Negro is alongside Black and African American, not instead of it.
It kind of seems silly to get all worked up about this. Especially when the really bad "n-word" is used very loosely these days. Most people find that much more offensive, with good reason, than Negro. Blacks (or African Americans...or Negros) are not treated with equality. (Yet!) There are so many bigger issues out there than the wording on a survey. If people put their time and energy towards something that really means something imagine what they could achieve! But, maybe that's why they are so worked up in the first place. Maybe they feel like they can't catch a break on anything, even the census. And it is easier to eliminate a word from a survey to eliminate hate. They may have just found something they can control.

On another subject, it is about time that the Census is allowing people to check more than one race. Say a man's mother is Mexican and his father is Black. Which box would he check? If he choses the Mexican box for instance, the census would not recognize him as being Black at all. Let's ignore that people find this unfair to chose one race over another, or thinking he is denying his identity, or ashamed to be Black, or whatever else people can come up with. Let's not read into this (for once!). It simply is not accurate. The man is not Mexican. He is Mexican and Black. He equally represents both races, or perhaps a different Black Mexican race. The government and other agencies use the information provided by the sense for all sorts of things. It is extremely important that it is an accurate representation of our country. Ignoring half of a biracial person's race is misleading.

I always have felt sorry for the Muslim women on 85 degree days, thinking they were forced to wear something long, dark, and heavy on the hottest of days. I felt almost guilty as I passed them in a strapless sun dress, flip flops, and my long hair in a pile on top of my head so it is off my neck. I never considered that this was a choice they made.
It is a choice I could not understand. Mostly because I am such a baby when it comes to hot weather, but there were other reasons too. It looked cumbersome and inconvenient and I just could not understand it. The comparison to wearing high heels and make-up quickly cleared this up for me. Now, I only wear make-up and heels on special occasions. I'm not too good at balancing in those things, and I find it so uncomfortable to stand on my tip-toes all day. As for make-up- I just find it unnecessary for day-to-day use. Maybe cause I'm just a natural beauty who does not need it (Kidding!) But when I do decide to get all "dolled up" I like to think I am doing it for me. This way I feel girly and beautiful making me more confident. I get offended when it is implied that women do this all for men. In truth, women are harder on each other than men are, and every woman is their worst critic. A man's opinion is often the last thing on my mind as I practice walking in my new shoes or buy a new tube of mascara.
I can relate to those women in the video. They are wearing their burqas for them, not what men think. They are probably so sick of people assuming (just as I am guilty of) that a man is forcing this upon them. It is their choice, and it makes them feel good about themselves.
The government getting involved with a choice based on religion is just plain stupid. Sorry to offend anyone, but I have found that religion often has no reason or logic involved. For the man to say that it is not the religious law for the women to wear burqas is completely irrelevant. In every religion, people pick and choose pieces of their religious text to adhere by based on their own convenience. As long as it is not hurting anyone, let the women wear what they want. As long as they are willing to show their faces for purposes of identification and comply French law, let them be. Telling someone how they should express their beliefs and customs is a bad idea and will always come across as being offensive. Right now, the women are quietly going about their own business. If they are offended or restricted, problems will certainly arise.
The less people offended, the better off we will all be. I could see this law opening a HUGE can of worms.

okay

Harry Reid's comments prove how race is still a huge issue in America. I think that is the saddest thing about them. Whether they were politically correct, insensitive, or offensive is irrelevant in my mind. The thing that bothers me is that Reid felt the need to say them. It was as if he was saying "Well, yeah he's Black. But he got light skin and he speaks well so he's not THAT Black. That's why he can go up against the other old White guys." (I am not gonna even touch the fact that he used the word "negro". Please.) That is the kind of world we live in. Still. It is naive to think to that race wasn't an issue in the past election. For the first time ever, a black man was running for president. This was huge. I was proud to be an American for the first time in years. People refused to vote for Obama because of his skin color. People voted for him BECAUSE of his skin color. It was something that could not be ignored.
But wouldn't it be amazing if it could be ignored? People voting for the candidate with whom they agreed with on the most important issues. People voting for the candidate they thought could get the job done best. And no one would think twice about their race or religion or gender.
And when a Black man won, no one would say it was only possible because he was light skinned, or that he was also half White, or that he spoke like a White man. We would say he won the election because more Americans thought he was fit for the job, and we all hope he will do the best he can.
If I was elected president, I would like to think it was because I deserved to be there based on my merits, and they people thought I would do a good job representing their country. It would be insulting for a person to say, "Well sure, she's a woman. But she isn't that feminine and she can have a man's sense of humor at times, so she's not THAT much of a woman." It would kind of like saying you have to be man-like to do the job right. Just as Reid's comments could be interpreted as saying you have to be white-like to do the job right. I find it sad.
So can we just look past the superficial qualities?
I know; it is a bit idealistic. And it may never happen. But, hey. It's MLK jr. week. What better time for a girl to dream?