en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/760506 Comments by lal5159 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69846683 I think this is a really hard question to answer. When we had the attacks on the World Trade Centers on September 11th, I remember being let out of school at noon and going home. Yet we had to come back to school the next day and the teachers were not to talk to us about it, only a letter was sent home with us to our parents. That happened on our home soil to our own people, yet my school, my family’s school, my parents work, we all went on with our daily lives the next day. Obviously we watched the news and such for the weeks following to see what progressed but something happened four hours away from me and yes I feel terrible for the people whose lives were lost, but I did not do anything to even help my own country. And I am not saying I would never ever help out if something would happen again, but what can I do to help? I could volunteer my whole summer to go to Haiti but what could I honestly do to help? I am no doctor, I cannot lift heavy things, what could I possibly do to help????? I was considering for a while trying to go with some organization to help but when Ian came in to talk, I realized I would just be in the way. And not only would I be in the way, but hands down I could just not handle it. When he talked about the mass graves my heart literally skipped a beat; if I were to actually be there I would just lose it and just be a burden. Of course I want people who are qualified and such to go down to Haiti and help. Of course I want people to keep giving money to organizations who know what Haiti needs at the moment. But me? What can I do? I’m a twenty year old college student with no money. All I can really do I think is say that my parents gave a lot of money towards Haiti and that I honestly hope for the best. When you say that we are more worried about taking a test than what is happening in Haiti, that kind of rubs me the wrong way. It does because what else am I supposed to do? Worry myself to death about all of the lives lost? If I were to drop what I am doing every time something happens in the world, I would not still be in college. There is a point where if you are not directly affected by something that happened in the world, of course you can feel sorrow for what happened, but I cannot let it affect my everyday life and what I have going. It may sound selfish, but I do not know what else I could do. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:45:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69846683 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment68431592 Well this game that they are talking about is weird as shit. Who is sick enough to come up with a game like this? And why would anyone pay money to play a game that is so terrible? It is basically tell children who are playing this game that these things are okay. That it is okay to rape a girl on the subway train. Like seriously what the hell? I just cannot get over the fact that someone thought this up and thought it was a good idea. And not only that but some store out there allowed it to be sold in their store and people actually bought it. WHAT? How is it even legal to have a game like this where the sole purpose is to rape a girl? I can only image what the men playing it would be doing while playing, and honestly guys, there is porn for that. I am just really weirded out by this game and I just do not get how it could be in an everyday store, out there for people and children at that to buy and play. What is that teaching children? Why would you want to teach children how to rape a girl? I know that there are some other games that the sole purpose is to kill people and “win” I suppose and I do not agree that those games should be sold either. I do not like them and I do not see the fun in them. I mean, people go through what would be a level on Halo or any other shooting game for that matter, in war. It is in some ways depicting real life events. Now if I was a soldier and came home from war and saw a shooting game in a store, there is no way I would want to play that. How did our once innocent Nintendo games become so violent and outrageous? I remember playing Mario and the worst part of that game was hopping on top of a mushrooms head and squishing him. How did it go from squishing mushrooms to brutally killing people and raping girls? Why was it even let to go that far away from what Nintendo and the like once were? I have to say, when I am a parent and my child wants a video game, there is no way I will buy or allowed these violent games in my house. I do not know what parent would let their child play games like this. I saw on TV once there was an incident where parents would not allow their child to play halo in their household and when he brought it into their house, they took it away. Now this child had been playing this game for quite some time at friends houses and he just snapped and ended up killing his mom and shooting his father. Could this have been avoided if this violent Halo game never existed? Probably, but I guess we just will not ever know. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:39:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment68431592 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment66868555 So slavery has been around for, well pretty much forever. We made slavery illegal in the United States in the 1800s and I do not know of any place in the world where slavery is actually legal. But considering the book we read and the lecture about slavery, there is still slavery in the world. Everywhere that there is slavery in the world, those slave holders are breaking the law. And bearing in mind that almost every good or item we buy in the United States is made in some part by a slave, we are supporting this slavery. And because slavery is illegal, but by buying a Hershey’s chocolate bar at the grocery store and supporting cocoa slavery, we are essentially breaking the law where slavery became illegal in the United States…right? Well, I guess since every person who has ever bought a chocolate bar in their life is not in jail, I guess people do not really see it that way. The book we read said there are about 27 million slaves in the world today, when slavery is illegal. So, 27 millions slaves, but it is illegal, how do we stop it? Well, can we even stop it? We can take the first step as Sam said and open people’s eyes and make them realize that slavery did not stop in the 1800s and it is very prevalent in a person’s everyday life in 2010. I mean, after reading the Bales book, it really opened my eyes. But I am only me, what can I do to make a difference in the world of slavery today? What could be my second step? Well, I think my second step would be to start buying fair trade items when I can. Obviously I will not be able to buy absolutely everything fair trade, but I can start out with coffee. I have to say I am a coffee addict and because of this I am supporting slavery. But if I just take a second look next time I am at the grocery store and make an effort to find fair trade coffee, then I will feel a little better about my morning coffee routine. I know I will not be able to stop shopping at the malls where none of the clothing is made in the United States; I know it is made my sweat shop workers in different parts of the world, but where else am I supposed to get clothing? I feel as though to get all of this slavery around the world to cease to exist would mean for the United States to completely stop importing and only make their products in the United States, which would never happen. Companies want to drive down prices, so to keep the consumer happy. And if the United States would make everything in the United States, prices would raise sky high. I think slavery today is just a vicious circle of consumer wants and needs and because of this, it will not stop for anyone. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 20:31:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment66868555 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65572910 Okay so I do not buy it that the reason the word Negro is on the census in relation to black people is because older black people refer to themselves as such and if that terminology is not present on the census they will be confused. I am calling bullshit here. That is a stupid reason. I do not care if you are an old person, if you are black, you know you are black and you know what box to check whether it say African American, black, etc. etc. And OBVIOUSLY some people would be offended by Negro being on the census because no matter what goes on today, someone is always offended, but that is beside the point. Anyway, I feel as though unless you are old and senile, you will know what box to check, it really is not that hard and hey, if you mess up, who cares? No one is going to come knocking down your door and make you fill out another form because you accidentally checked a box that did not pertain to you. On another note, I just do not understand why race is on the census. I mean yes, we need to have a million different percentages of what race lives where so we can make judgments on that and what not, but I remember Sam saying something in one of the first lectures that race is not even a real thing. It is just something that someone made up a long long time ago in order to group people (I suppose, not really sure on that one). But, if Sam is saying and teaching us this, then other people must also believe this to be true, so why does race even matter when counting the number of people who live in the United States? To me it seems to be causing more trouble and issues then bringing good to the United States. And what about a person who does not know what race they are exactly? Or a mixed person? What if they get so frustrated by trying to figure out what box to check that pertains to them that eventually they just throw it out and are then not counted in our census? I mean the world is not going to end or anything, but how do you think that person feels? I bet they feel pretty shitty not being able to simply check a box on a survey that millions of other people are taking with ease. And what is the use doing the census anyway? Don’t we all have a social security number and a birth certificate that states who and what we are? I just think it is kind of a waste of time, effort, and money making a survey that not everyone takes and maybe that not everyone takes truthfully. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 16:32:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65572910 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64283389 So when I saw the video, A Girl Like Me, in class I was really confused by the answers the little kids gave. I assumed that because they were black children that they would automatically pick the black doll, but that was not the case at all. I was even more surprised that when asked why a little girl chose the white doll, her answer was because she was good and the black doll was bad, even though she identified with the black doll looking like her. I do not know what else to say other that how surprised I was by these answers. I feel as though I was so surprised because I am a white person, so the only dolls I would have wanted would have been white dolls (but I do remember having a Pocahontas Barbie). When I was listening to people in class connecting with the video and saying that they did this too when they were kids, it kind of made me feel bad. They were I feel like brainwashed by watching television and the like to think that white was good and black was bad. I do not think that is right at all and only recently have I realized this happening. I have been paying a lot more attention to the way television shows are and commercials are and I have realized how one sided they are, in favor of white people. I am a reality television show junky and I know that on the Real World, there is always a black guy, a gay person, and usually the others are just white people. And when I was watching this season, in the first episode when waiting for the roommates to show up to the house, one girl said okay who is gay and where is the big black guy, they always have them on the show and I realized that every season of the Real World is exactly the same, except with different people that fit the certain mold that MTV wants. It was like an epiphany (haha) for m e and I quit watching. Also, I have realized that recent television shows have a wide variety of races on the show. Take for instance LOST (my favorite): there are Koreans, black people, white people, and Hispanic people; it pretty much has everyone represented. But when I was growing up, take for instance power rangers, wasn’t there only one black person and the rest white? And what about the O.C, I know for a fact that the whole cast was entirely white. It just really goes to show how much influence the media and such can have on children and why these children would choose the white doll: because that is what they see, even if it is not what they see in the mirror. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:07:05 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64283389 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63117433 I have to say, that some of the things that people were saying on the texting thing were just surprising. I mean how old are we again? I just think some of the things that were said were absolutely ridiculous and I was incredibly surprised we did it after the first day. No matter what gender or race of the people who were saying these things, they just should not have been said at all. However, after I watched this video and heard his question, I am pondering the same thing. Now being a white person, I know the stereotypes of white people not being able to dance, can’t jump, and blah blah blah. But when those were posted up on the screen I did not jump on the defensive right away and get offended; it is honestly not worth my time to get offended over every single thing that is said about white people because in all honesty I do not care that much. I cannot jump and I like to think I can dance and have a good time, end of story, who cares. I think because I am a white person these things just do not bother me, I mean they are not terrible things being said so why would I let it bother me. But I did realize a big difference between black and white people getting offended over the texting when the comment about someone having to listen to loud obnoxious black girls in a computer lab. Obviously whoever wrote this in wanted to get a rise out of people, or they just do not care, but to me it really is not that big of a deal. I mean aren’t there bigger things to worry about in the world other than someone calling black girls loud and obnoxious? Because can’t white girls be loud and obnoxious? Or Asian girls? I cannot count the number of times my parents have called me obnoxious, but I have never taken offense to it, I have been called way worse in my life. I just feel like there is always a double standard to what one racial group can say to another and a lot of it has to do with a peoples personalities. Maybe the people in our class that took offense to this comment have had a bad experience with someone calling them loud and obnoxious, who knows? But then it comes back to the questions of why can those people take offense to a comment like that, but when a comment about white people not being any good at sports comes up, why can’t a white person be offended by that? I feel like this would be a good topic to talk about in the discussion groups because I think it really depends on the person and/or peoples personalities. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:18:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63117433 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment60045435 I’m sorry but I do not really understand why you think this. A theme party…racist? So when I go to an anything but clothes party, toga party, beach party, I’m attending a racist event? Oh, I really do not think so. I mean I can partly see if someone would have a “ghetto” party or something like that, but aren’t there white people in the ghetto too? And I mean what if a black person would come to a “ghetto” party? Are they then racist against themselves and the white people in the ghetto or whatever? But I do not really think many people actually have “ghetto” parties, I mean I have heard of people going to something about executive and something hoes or something like that, but is that not making fun of people in offices, etc? I am just a little confused as to why you would think theme parties are racist. I mean I really do not see it at all, but maybe that is because I am white and I do not see what you see. In any case though, I feel as though there are actually not that many parties with a racist theme running through them. I mean take Halloween for example, if I were to dress up like a “gangsta” would I be racist? But what if you were to dress up like a cowgirl, could I take offense to that? I really feel like Halloween cannot be counted in a racist theme party because if I dress up as something, it means I like it silly! Not that I hate it; why would I dress up as something I hate? I mean I know some people dress up as people to make fun of them, like when the Kate Gosselin costume was a hit this year or last year when I cannot even count how many boys dressed up as sorority girls (black leggings, ugg boots, northface jacket..classic!) but I feel they are just poking fun at them, not having hate towards them. Maybe there was an incident that we do not know about where there was a theme party having an underlying racist theme to it, but other than that, I really do not know how or why a person would like a theme party is racist. I mean people have “redneck” parties; my high school was literally surrounded by farms, I would not consider myself a redneck but I know many people who are and if I would attend a “redneck” party, I would not take offense to it, it is just a party after all. I feel as though if you are invited to a theme party, that you like to have fun so I think that you should just take a breath and have a good time and not worry about it. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 14:30:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties__trashed/#IDComment60045435 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58971470 I think the whole ‘check which race you are’ section on any papers is stupid. Why do we have to do it? What happens when a person is mixed? If they were a really mixed person and checked every box, wouldn’t the person looking at the application or whatever paperwork they are filling out be like “oh, they are not taking this seriously” and just throw them out the window? I do not understand the need to put what race you are on anything, why should it matter? The only reason it does matter and why we have to do it, I feel like, is so people can discriminate. In the discussion group this week, when we had to do the activity on picking the best five people to get into whatever school I did not even look at race, it just is not something I automatically look at nor do I think it should be. But it the end our assignment was to have the best and the most diverse, so we did as such. But to answer this question, I feel as though a white person choosing between a white and black person, will mostly chose white people, like what was said in class. But for a black employer, I feel as though they will choose the most qualified and the person who they connected the most with during the interview. And if each man talked exactly the same and both men made the exact same connection with the employer, then I have no idea. I just still do not understand the need to say which race you on paperwork. Because in class, Sam said race is just a made up thing and I feel like other people know this or feel the same way, so why hasn’t someone done something about this? Why do we need to continuously count how many white, black, Asian, Hispanic, and whomever else, is in this country? Why can’t we just count the amount of people, apply for jobs without having to get discriminated against, and apply for all colleges and scholarships etc. with the equal chances of getting in? I just do not understand and I think it is terrible that in 2010, with the amount of time all races have spent together, that there is still all of this terrible discrimination and because of it, people must almost fear not getting a job because they are black. I knew it still existed, but I guess just because of where I am from and how mostly white it is, I just never realized it was still happening because everyone was all the same so it couldn’t really happen. It is just really surprising. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:26:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58971470 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-one__trashed/#IDComment57667663 If a couple is thinking about adopting a child, it’s not like they just go to the hospital and choose a baby and leave. They have to first of all apply to an agency and be put on a list and before they are even put on a list, they have to meet all kinds of standards that the agency has proving that they, as a couple, can provide for a child. To me, I think if any couple or even a single person proves that they can provide for a child and proves that they want a child and are read to care for one, it does not matter if they are gay. And not only does not sexuality matter, but whether you are a lesbian or a gay male. I feel as though if a person is applying to adopt a child, then they are ready for the responsibility and have financial stability and are able to care for a child, why should gender matter? I feel as though both males and females bring something to the table when raising a child, but everyday there are single fathers and single mothers who bring up children who are perfectly fine. So, if a lesbian couple, a gay couple or a straight couple want to adopt a child, I feel as though they are all equal. A child being adopted by any of those families will have a loving home. I feel as though they will go into a loving home because if a family is adopting a child, it is because they really want a child. And if they are a gay couple, together they cannot make a child, so they have to adopt one. It’s not like going to the store and picking up a new toy, they really want children together. Couples are usually balanced, so if a child is going into a lesbian, gay, or straight family, I feel as though they will get an equal balance of parenting; it does not matter if a child has a mother and a father, they will still have two parents, whether it be two mothers or two fathers. I cannot say that one couple would be better than another because to me, everyone is good at something and everyone is bad at something; all couples with children will have their challenges and flaws in parenting but parenting together is how they make it work. All couples adopting children will love that child the same or even more than a couple who makes a child together. I feel as though if a couple wants to adopt a child and is able to care for this child, it should not matter what gender they are or what their sexual orientation is. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:00:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-one__trashed/#IDComment57667663 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment56574658 When talking about race, I feel as though it is always going to be about black and white people. We have so much history together of hating each other that I feel it is going to take a while for it to go away, even though to some, it has been a while. There are so many racist people whom are racist towards Africans and/or African Americans and so many people have been exposed to this racism that when people think of race all that comes to mind is black and white. In the United States, black people were treated terribly for hundreds of years; they were not treated as human beings. I know we (white people) also treated people of other races terribly, but what we learn about in school from a very young age in history class is about slavery, the civil war, and the civil rights movement. We do not learn about the mass murders of Native Americans when we first came to the Americas or how we treated people of other races, but rather just about how we treated black people. I just remember learning over and over about slavery and how bad we treated slaves, then segregation and Jim Crow laws, then the civil rights movement, which I have to say I did not learn about as much. It is just pounded into students about what we did to black people that sometimes we forget about the other races and the other people we may have treated badly too. Look at World War II, we were so afraid of the Japanese attacked us again that we took Japanese people living in the United State and put them in internment camps. We took people out of their own homes, it didn’t matter whether they had been living here for years or days, and they all went to the camps. I didn’t even learn about that at all in school, I learned about it on television. Just the way we are brought up and what we are taught in school is how we look at race. And for me and what I learned in school, it made me forget about Mexicans, Asians, and the other races, because all I learned about were black and white people. I can’t image how the other races feel; they are being completely excluded, at least from my high schools, history programs. I also agree with you that a lot of it is from the civil rights movement. Black people had to go through so much hate everyday during that time just to be equal and get equal rights. Many people opposed this movement, which goes back to the intense racism against black people that our country holds. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:56:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment56574658 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55546402 When I first started to see previews for Avatar, I did not really want to see it. I kept reading and hearing things about how much money was spent to make this movie and how great it was going to be, but it did not interest me. And when I found out the movie was almost three hours long, I definitely did not want to go to the movie theater to see it (not to mention movies are so expensive these days anyway). I figured it would just be a movie I would rent and watch on my own time at some point in the future. My friends and family have seen the movie and raved about it and talked about all the awards it is going to win and blah blah blah. I am not that intrigued by it. However, now after reading about the “White Man Burden” and how that is brought into the movie I am interested. I think it is really funny seeing the similarities of Pocahontas and Avatar, considering Pocahontas is a cartoon that probably cost as much to make as Avatar made in the first weekend it opened. It is very interesting to me that this storyline is still being used now. I never really thought about this “White Man Burden” and how it is portrayed in many movies that I have seen; I did not even think twice about the movie or think about why the hero of a movie is always white. Why can’t batman, spider-man, or wonder woman be black, Chinese or Puerto Rican? Now thinking about it, it is really crazy to think that in so many movies the white man is the hero. For example in Pocahontas, I never even thought about John Smith being white and Pocahontas being Native American and how he comes in to try to change her or whatever (it has been a while since I’ve seen this movie). I am very surprised by the amount of movies that have underlying messages or hidden meanings that have to do with race. I do not understand why it is necessary and why it happens so often. I also feel as though some people may read too far into a story or movie just to find something like this, having to do with race. Even if the movie never mentions anything about race, someone will always try to piece things together to make something seem like more than it is. Maybe there is an underlying message about the “White Man Burden” in Avatar, but also maybe the main actor that was cast just happened to be white and that this movie is just an action movie that someone is reading too far into. Who knows? Sat, 6 Feb 2010 00:00:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55546402 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54115969 Wow, after watching this video I have to say I am speechless. I watch professional soccer games, I watch the world cup, and this is the first time I have ever heard of any racism like this. I just can’t even image this happening, now in 2010. It is just ridiculous. People would go absolutely insane if that would happen in the United States today, so how can this be happening in Europe? Is there actually that many racist people in Europe? Or are people just joining in the chants to try to get inside the players heads and mess with them. Either way, it is just appalling and honestly makes me sick. It is one thing for fans of an opposing team to yell against players. Yes, still sickening to throw bananas and yell incredibly racist remarks at players, but to yell these same things at the players of the team you are cheering for..REALLY?! What the hell is the world coming to?!?!?!? You are cheering for a team to win, yet you are yelling hurtful things to a player ON THE TEAM YOU ARE CHEERING FOR and making them get off their game? WHAAAAT? I am so confused and I don’t even understand why a person would do that. Yes maybe some players on your team aren’t the best and they make mistakes but if you have Thierry Henry, one of the best players in the world mind you, and you want to get inside his head and have him play bad, then you are not only ignorant, you are just stupid. Really, just plain stupid. This just completely boggles my mind. Some of the best soccer players in the world are not white and it’s not like a soccer fan has never seen a black player before. I just don’t understand how this is happening now. Can you even image if this would happen in the United States; if fans would yell these terrible things towards Reggie Bush, Ryan Howard, or Freddie Adu? People would go crazy and it would be stopped ASAP. But how can this continually go on in Europe? Someone brought in a sign with a racist slur on it and no one stopped them from putting it up. They said they would reprimand the teams if their fans were to continue with this nonsense, but why not reprimand the fans? Obviously that person with the sign should not have been allowed to put it up and if they somehow got it up, HELLO get security up there and take it down! If I were a player and had to play in these conditions, I would not have taken it as lightly as those players did. I would have completely freaked out, and those who did get bothered by the chants were right to pick up the ball and demand for it to stop. How can a person play their game in conditions like that? Let’s hope none of these shenanigans will happen at this summer’s world cup. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:45:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54115969 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-l__trashed/#IDComment53884002 Lori Levandoski! Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:41:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-l__trashed/#IDComment53884002 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53394780 I know what happened in Haiti is devastating and just a horrible tragedy that will change people’s lives. I don’t want what I am going to say be taken the wrong way, but I do not feel as though it will change me or change my life. I understand that an incredible amount of people have died and families were torn apart, but I have not been directly affected. I’m not saying that I do not care about the people or what happened, I have donated money and my parents have also, but it was not a life changing experience for me. I have never been there, I do not know anyone that lives there, so I can’t really understand the huge impact it has had on people. I understand that for someone who lives there or has close friends, like yourself, in Haiti it would completely change your outlook on life, but for myself I do not see this as some sort of crucifixion. I just see it as a natural disaster that occurred and has killed many people and left many people without families, homes, food, and water which is just horrible. Even though I have watched the news and have seen pictures of what happened, I just cannot fully grasp what is happening down there now, I just can’t. I just recently have lost two family members within one day, so I know how it feels to lose a family member, but in my case both of my family members were very ill and had lived a very long life (they were both almost 90 years old). I just cannot image out of the blue losing a child or a parent who has not been able to live their full life. I do not understand why these things happen; I think it is very unfair that they happen. I am incredibly sorry for anyone that had to go through loss because of the earthquake, I really am. I just have no idea what people are going through because I have never experienced anything like this nor has this tragedy directly affected me or my family. I could never image the pain and suffering the people in Haiti are going through and I could never wish that upon anyone. It’s not that I am trying to avoid talking about Haiti; it is just that I do not know exactly what to say about it; it is a very terrible thing that happened, but I just do not know how to talk about what happened because I just don’t know what to say. I just can’t process it and I really just do not know what to say about it. Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:41:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53394780