en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/760398 Comments by kpb5032 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69828414 There is a simple answer to that question...because it does not affect you or anyone who doesn't know a Haitian, personally. If it were OUR family member, friend, significant other, it would be the end of the world for US. As a human race, we are naturally selfish, and the less something effects us, the less obligations we feel we have to react. It is the honest truth but it is reality. if we want to help a cause or do something humanitarian, it is out of the goodness of our heart AS well as some kind of experience we have faced before that has guided US to make a change. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:31:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69828414 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment69827113 My heart goes out to any one who is living or visiting Haiti at this moment because I can not imagine how life would be when it has been taken away in an instance. The Haitian people show true courage and are doing whatever it takes to live a fulfilling life and that is very admirable. i hope to visit Haiti in the future and contribute to as much as I possibly can (of course with a lot of research done about the country before I do) Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:22:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment69827113 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69825330 Very good class Sam. I am taking another class on International Mass Communications and one of the aspects we focus on is framing in the media. A survey taken by adolescent teens taken Afghanistan, who through the influence of television and the news, had bad images of Americans. They had never visited the United States and had negative opinions based on what was said in the news and displayed on television. This is the same here in the United States. When we are exposed to constant negative images of terrorism in movies, television and the news, we start to form our own ideas and opinions about countries that perhaps we never even visited before in our lives. The class on Tuesday was a big eye opener because I was actually sitting in class and I completely understood the concept that Sam was trying to get through our heads.He wanted up to put ourselves into the lives of Arab Muslims, something I had never thought about before because I am American, i only think about my life and what needs to be done in order to succeed in my life. But, putting myself into the shoes of other people, my eyes were open to how hypocritical everyone can be. Radical Muslims are just angry and want to act out while radical Christians are just as angry and want to lash out. We are all different and we will all act out in a different way. We can not fault all Arab Muslims for thinking the same way when not all Americans think the way Radical Christians do. I admit that as a New Yorker and living in the big city for my entire life, after the 9/11 incident, i was only an ignorant 12 year old who was angered by what the "terrorist Muslims" did to MY city. I wanted the country to go to war because of the extreme patriotism that i felt right after the incident. i thought, my country deserved revenge and retaliation against the country that made us suffer and I know many people shared my same view. But, man, how radical my thoughts were at the time and how revengeful I must have been. Now I am anti-war, with the more education i received which formed my opinion about the topic. Today, more and more civilians are being murdered overseas and what is really being solved? I am sorry is I am offending pro-war believers and I 100% respect all the soldiers that are fighting for our country (one of them happen to be a family member) but I honestly feel like this war needs to end. Because of the differences in opinion, politics and religion, there will always be conflict and disagreements. Until we learn to settle things peacefully, without the need to kill innocent people, than our worlds will be split. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:10:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment69825330 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68223394 I agree with the fact that the flipped world of the obsession with a flat chest was very interesting because it made me really think of how influential society can be when it comes to pushing women to changing their body. I think it is crazy that women would cut their bodies in order to fit an ideal vision of what is beautiful when it usually leads to more surgeries and lower confidence. But, then again, I have to step outside my own lenses and see the reasoning behind women who get surgery or else I will just be judgmental. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:35:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68223394 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68222790 As a female also, I have many male friends who are just as concerned about what they wear and whether they are built the way society finds attractive. Maybe it not most men, but I feel like my guy friends are more concerned about the way they look than I am. I don't feel like its ridiculous. It is normal for men to want to have the good athletic bodies and whatever else that is expected of them but when the extremes of taking steroids and having facials, then it begins to get a little worrisome. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:30:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68222790 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68222309 I think the issue of being fine with the way you are and your appearance is such a LARGE topic for women. We are constantly told how to look and how to dress by the media, by our mothers, by our friends and by our significant others. I especially think that the meaning of beauty if different in other cultures. As a Hispanic woman, I was always told that curvy women were beautiful and sexy and to embrace the fact that I had a larger sized top than most women. But, growing up in the United States and especially going to college at Penn State, I always envied the more petite girls that are considered the more attractive body figure. As a young teenager, and I think many of girls can relate, the pressure of looking thin or having perfect skin and teeth is constantly on our mind. This is our most vulnerable age when peer pressure is overwhelming and the influence of your friends and the beautiful models surrounding you begins the pattern of wanting to change. I admit that in high school I was constantly on a diet and used products that probably had chemicals that could kill me. I did all those things for the wrong reasons, to achieve a look that was unattainable because I wanted to look like airbrushed models and attract the boys that were around me. I feel like its a pattern with girls to want to fit in and do as much possible to do so. When I entered college, I thought I had reached my confidence point. I felt like, yes, finally I was fine with the way I looked. Little did I know that being in a difference environment with people who had other versions of what beauty was, would drop my confidence level even more. But, as I got more into college, maturity definitely changes the way us women think. I started thinking, exercising the right way and eating the right way, I would feel better about myself for all the right reasons. I am a junior now, about to enter into my senior year and I still have my insecurities. I always feel like I can be thinner and dress better but that does not take over my life. I am never down or sad about the way I look, I feel like being curvy as well as active girl makes me feel healthy and beautiful. Beauty is different in many cultures and as long as women begin accepting that beauty is within ALL of us. We have to begin accepting that the ideal beauty told to us by the media and by the people around us is THEIR opinion and the not the opinion of everyone one. And there it is, they are all opinions. As long as we have the confidence to live our lives as happy and worry free as we can, we can begin to love the person we are inside and out. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:26:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68222309 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66617343 Wow I totally agree 100% with what you said KabilBlila! When I first came into class, my mind was just rolling with new ideas and feelings that I had never felt before. Thoughts would role out of my mind as if every single class would be eye opening to a new idea. Now, recently, the class has been repetitive and just downright boring many times. There are a few comments that Sam makes that make me listen and start thinking about new things but my interest has just gone out the door. I think this is the stage of "desensitization" the more we hear about issues and the same ones regarding race, the more we block out the meaning of it and just carry on with our day. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 16:58:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66617343 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65050063 I think it will take a very long time for the majority of America to be in the minority. Like Sam said in class, 85% of PA is white, lets add in all those other States in which the majority of people are white. The white race is not dying out. I do agree that America will become a lot more mixed due to interracial marriages and more immigration in the U.S but I think it will take a very long time before mixed races start to become the majority. When that time comes, I will be thrilled of course since I am considered a minority myself and hopefully I am alive to see that day. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:44:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65050063 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65048777 I think, (speaking to the student speaking in the video) you should definitely identify yourself with what you are most comfortable with being identified as and with what culture you are most knowledgeable about. I am also of Hispanic origin with both my parents being from South America and it is easy for me to identify myself as Hispanic so i personally do not know the confusion of being mixed and not knowing how to be identified but I know the feeling of growing up in a Hispanic home and the culture it instills in us is very strong. We are prideful people to say the least. So if the Puerto Rican side is what you have always known by growing up with your mother, embrace it. With that said, I also think that you should try to look into your Italian roots which could teach you a lot about yourself as well as your family members through your father side. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:38:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65048777 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65047623 When I was filling out the Census, I was also confused about why Hispanic was in the ethnicity category and not in the race category. I did not know what to put when I filled out the race category. My skin is white but I do not identify myself as within the white race what so ever because I am American, born here in the United States but I grew up in the Bronx where I was surrounded mostly by Hispanic and Blacks so white just does not identify me. I had to check off the other box and put in what I ALREADY wrote on the ethnicity box. I made sure I put the origin of where my parents were from and I included American as well. Also, what about the separate categories that only identify certain Hispanic countries such as Puerto Rican, Cuban or Spanish, and then other. Why not just have a box in which you check that you are either Latino or Hispanic and identify from which Hispanic countries you are from. And for those who are mixed, be able to list the places either they or their parents are from. Does this make the Census too complicated? I just do not know when people will ever stop being offended. Saying what I just said, both my parents are from one country so I identify myself with that country and the country I was born in, the United States. I can not imagine how someone who has more than one country that their parents are from and who identify themselves with more than one race. Do they have to check off more than one box? Do all those boxes really represent what everyone is. Like the reporters said during the interviews, the United States is such a mixed country that the Census will never be 100% percent correct and that it will offend many groups that are living here. Then what do we do about the race and ethnicity boxes? Should we eliminate them all together? Overall, no matter what the Census does with dealing with race, someone's bound to get offended just because we live in such a diverse culture in which we are FREE to voice our opinions. Not every Hispanic, Latino, Black or white, Asians, etc, are the same even within their own groups so the debate will continue no matter how politically correct we try to be. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:28:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65047623 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64126857 I agree with out dal5110, men are uncomfortable with the topic of menstruation because it has to do with how little exposed they are to this. The separation between males and females, especially at younger ages such as middle school in which most girls are going through menstruation for the first time, it makes it difficult for females to discuss a topic that they are taught to keep quiet about. Middle school for girls is already an awkward moment for us, then having the TALK about the subject of our menstrual cycle with boys who are not open minded about the subject and who can not really relate could be one of the many factors to contributing the silencing of the topic of "bleeding." Fri, 26 Mar 2010 01:34:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64126857 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64119264 I have had a lot of Asian friends growing up and I have distinguished many differences between my friends who were Asian American and my friends who were born in countries such as India, China and Korea. When I first met my friends, I did automatically group them into one specific category, just as I did with other Hispanics, whites and blacks. But, soon enough, I learned there are huge differences between Asian Americans and International Asians, mostly based on values and the way they socialize with others. It can be found in many other cultures and the fight to stay true to your cultures in hard within an American society, where values are completely different from values in other parts of the world. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:22:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64119264 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64118031 Well my bleeding just ended so whoooo hooo. But I think it is a blessing that us women are able to bleed or in a better way to say it, "menstruating". When Sam first mentioned that his wife was bleeding, I had to admit that I cringed for a little, not for the fact that it was an uncomfortable subject but because I really did not want to picture his wife "bleeding." I talk with my girls about menstruation all the time, it is a normal subject and we are open with one another about the topic because it is a normal part of our lives. One thing that caught my attention during the discussion in class today was how Sam mentioned that men are very uncomfortable with the mentioning of bleeding and I totally agree! I mentioned the other day to this guy that I am seeing that I was in my normal cycle and that I had a few cramps so I did not feel well and his reaction was pure disgust and he just did not want to hear about. But what did I do? Nothing, I shut my mouth and said sorry about mentioning my period. Now that I think about it, I should have shut him up and told him "Look, you would not be here if your mother did not menstruate!" I also never thought about it too much until Sam mentioned how we live in a world where menstruation is not a very positive look upon subject and I think it is bull crap. Women should be able to talk about it freely, especially around our male friends and significant others. Guys are open about everything about themselves from bad body odor to how much they need to go to the bathroom, and these things are all natural. Why can't we women talk openly to them about something that is naturally and that takes part in producing beautiful human beings!? I may just be ranting but I really think it is time to just be open with our guy friends and boyfriends and any men that are in our lives about personal matter that we feel we can ONLY share with our girlfriends. Next time my guy tells me to shut up about my period or anything of that sort, I won't hold back what I have to say. Women need to stop being silenced about these sorts of topics because than we just show that is alright for men to be open about anything, giving them more power than they already have. It is definitely time for some kind of change. There is no reason for us to keep silent. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:10:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64118031 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63032428 Growing up, I loved my history classes. I always felt that knowing your history will empower you as a human being to realize the mistakes we have made in the past in order to live in an ever more improving society. But, now that I see it, I did not learn the entire truth of our history because I was never taught of the genocide that occurred right here in the United States. That subject was just ignored completely. It is just wrong that the genocide of Native Americans is completely unmentioned in our history and just left as a forgotten moment in time. This issue needs to be addressed still today because it is affecting Native Americans till this day. Education is key and we must be open to learning about our history even if its a painful one. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:38:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63032428 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment63004925 I think people, especially college students, are going to do things that are beyond idiotic and without thinking. Just like when we were in Soc class the other day and Sam wanted us to write what we were thinking through the text messaging progran he had on the front projector. Everyone was just writing idiotic comments, even some were racist comments and we look at them and laugh. This is just plain wrong but college students today (some not all) do things without thinking and because we live in a society which is more "laid-back" about these certain topics, these college students went about planning for this "black" party without one considerable thought on how offensive it would be. This is not to say they are right, just giving a certain perspective on why these students might have been cool with such acts. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:20:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment63004925 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62697001 When I first heard about this story, I was at my guy friends house and he was watching Sportscenter. My initial thinking was wow, a woman high school football coach? Knowing some the rigors and demands that these coaches face from watching my younger cousins Varsity football games, I saw that this profession is a demanding one. During the numerous games I attended, the head coach was seen yelling and screaming at anyone in his path from players to coaches and even parents in the stands. But after talking with my cousin, he said that most of the players respected the way he coached and that he wasn't always in what seemed like a terrible mood. For Natalie Randolph, I think the most important thing for her to be successful is how she can relate to her players and at the same time using an effective method of coaching. From watching the video, she seems like a kind, sweet and intelligent woman. But as we all know football is a violent sport that can transform the most mild mannered person into a raging tackling machine. So even though Natalie may be cheerful the majority of the time, there will be days that she will have to put her foot down and show everyone in the locker room that she is in charge. If she does this in a honest, well thought manner than her players will undoubtedly respond. Football players (most athletes for that matter) practice and play harder for a coach that they respect and admire. And what is there not to admire about Natalie? She is a strong woman who is breaking the barriers that exist in a predominately male profession and has the full support of her employer and what seems like a national audience. With the economy tanking nationally and sports programs being cut from High Schools nation wide, Calvin Coolidge High obviously has strong faith in Natalie because of the risk they are taking in hiring a woman coach but also the potential greatness that can be achieved if she succeeds. In Washington, D.C., poverty and violence are frequent and Natalie has a chance to be a positive influence in a city that desperately could use one. If she stays true to herself, works hard and maintains her sense of humor, the transition she faces from teacher to coach should be a smooth one. Even in 2010 it is good to know that advances are being made in society to decrease the inequality between men and woman in the workforce. After watching this video, I have become a fan of Natalie and am confident that she succeed in her new challenge. Its not going to be easy, but I believe that she can be a great coach and construct a winning high school football team. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:22:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62697001 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment59779382 This is a very interesting question and many people who have struggled to get jobs may find a way to make the application process go more smoothly in order to have things go in their favor. It is a harsh way to think but living as a minority in this country, whites do get better advantages when it comes to looking at an application without really knowing the person behind that application. You circle white on an application and you automatically get SOME kind of advantage no matter how much you choose to deny it. A person's stereotypes will always be there and assumptions will be made by that person looking at an application because it is only natural to do so. Even Sam mentioned in class this is issue is so deeply rooted that ever most people of color will also pick white employees. Its ridiculous to think that people of color like myself would choose someone of white descent because even WE have our own stereotypes about our OWN people. Maybe this just comes from the kind of background I was raised in as well. In my family, I was praised by my family because of the lighter color of my skin. My mother and father would tell me stories of my upbringing on how people did not believe I was their child because I looked too "white" and my mother had more indigenous tan skin. So all my life, I had this notion in my head that lighter skin meant more opportunities and meant that I was more blessed because I could maybe pull off being a "white" person so I could get ahead in life. My parents encouraged it as well, that maybe portraying myself as more Americanized and as more white, I would be better off in this kind of society. I remember Sam asking in class, is we had a chance to change our skin color or race to be white I think I would have to agree because in the end, the white man or woman has the advantage at the starting line no matter how much we try to think otherwise. I am not ashamed of my culture or my Hispanic background because I would not be the person I am without it. But my family and I have struggled. We have been through poverty, through language barriers and through times where opportunities were denied to my family and I just feel like it is not fair. With all this said, my upbringing could be the main reason for why race and even skin color has been somewhat of a serious issue for me and probably for many people of color. Race has just always been a factor is whether we make it or not here in the United States. So would I mark White on an application....I never have before but there is no doubt that I would probably think twice next time... Thu, 4 Mar 2010 19:37:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment59779382 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59669595 I have never really been to many theme parties out here, maybe just highlighter parties so I really do not have first hand experience of theme parties that might target a certain race. A friend of mine once told me about a Blunts and 40's party he went to where the guys were wearing Durags and baggy jeans, and being an African American himself, he was offended. Its done more out of making fun of stereotypes and I don't think that's right because it's just a way to joke around about serious matters that are found in racism. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 02:36:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment59669595 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59665703 I agree with you mikehrom when you explain the differences in how the "Bachelor" displays the role of a upper-class white man compared to the image displayed in shows such as "For the Love of Ray Jay" in which the main character is black and a musician. I have to admit that "For the Love of Ray J" is a bit of a guilty pleasure because of how dumb and idiotic the characters are displayed. We see Ray J giving these women challenges to do in order to show their true love for Ray J. These challenges are not classy and just plain trashy. On the other hand, the white man in the Bachelor wines and dines their lady with no tacky challenge, the interactions are based on how compatible the bachelor is with the young ladies. Why is the show with more minorities more of a joke, with these women humiliating themselves even more through these tasks they have to complete in order to show their "love" for Ray J. It's just plain ridiculous in my opinion. We do not see women in the bachelor running around, humiliating themselves in order to show the Bachelor how much they will commit to the relationship. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 02:02:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59665703 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58730186 Hearing this story was truly inspiring but it made me think of how much being in situations like that where you have to do whatever it takes to provide for your family and how unselfish you have to be especially as a parents brings me back to the way my parents did everything they can to survive here in the United States after moving here from Ecuador with absolutely no money. My mother and father literally worked two jobs each as well as sold clothes on the side, in which they purchased on their own and distributed them to people they knew at a higher price. My parents never went to school for business but for some reason they had this motivation and drive to make it here in America in any way that they could with very little resources. I was a Business major and with as much education as I have gotten on the world business, it was the pursuit of money that I was going for. For my parents, it was a way to SURVIVE or else our family would die of starvation and most likely be homeless. Yvrose brought back to me the passion and dedication that many people seem to take for granted when they are given the things they need they're entire lives by their parents. I certainly realize how muc h I take for granted the struggles my parents went through in order to put food on the tablem the give us the shekter we had and in order to give my sister and I the education we needed. True business instincts come out when you need to have the will and dedication needed in order to provide for yourself and ones you love. I admire Yvrose for her intelligence an her determination because she needed a way to survive for her children because she knew if her country could not be able to help her, she would have to do it on her own. My mother would always joke with me about how bad she would feel for me if I had ever grew up in the poor situation she grew up in when she still lived in Ecuador. Every time I would complain about the grade I got on a test or about not being able to get the shoes the other girls in my class had, she always humbled me down with the stories of her upbringing. I think it is very important to think about the situations of others in worst conditions than yourself because first being humble pushes you to be an even better Business person. I wonder how life would have been growing up in Ecuador where I had the same lifestyle as my parents growing up. Would I have the same attitude as I have today? Would I have the same motivations, the same skills as I have today? Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:46:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58730186