en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/759865 Comments by lwv5017 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70050391 This letter is very touching. I know that for most people the first thing that they think of when it comes to convicted criminals is hate and crime. I’m not going to lie, I’m one of them, but just seeing this letter which comes from a ‘lifer’ just sort of opens my eyes a little bit. It shows that even though these men might have done something they will regret in their life, they are still human beings, and they still care just like everyone else. In my mind, people hating each other in prison can end in some brutal things, but the fact that this one man put aside his feelings towards this man when he was in his time of need is very respectful. It just goes to show you that you can’t judge a man by what he has done in life, but by how he feels now. I am not saying that I condone whatever any of these men have done, but they aren’t just soulless individuals who don’t care about anybody or how they feel. I personally would enjoy meeting one of these lifers. They sound like quality individuals. I will be honest in saying that I would not fear meeting these convicted murderers because of what I have read here today. It also makes me feel that I should also be compassionate to everyone I encounter. If these men can feel for another man’s lose, I can easily do the same for someone who I barely even know. It’s hard to imagine that these men will spend the rest of their lives being bars. I know I wouldn’t be saying this if the people that they murdered were related to me or were friends of mine, but it just seems unfair that people like this are completely left out of society. It seems to me like they have more to give to society than some people that aren’t in prison. In this letter they have showed more compassion than I have in the past at some points, and that just completely changes my outlook on life. If these men can do it, so can I. No more will I see someone who is upset and not offer at least my prayers to them and whatever might have happened to them. If anything has touched me in class this year it is this, it has completely changed my prospective on inmates in general. They aren’t all just a bunch of angry thugs, but human beings that have feelings for others. It’s just a powerful thing to hear about, a man consoling another man even though they hate each other, because of a loss of a family member. I feel for these men and sort of feel bad that they will never leave the confines of those barbed wire fences. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:33:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70050391 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66911378 This game is absolutely ridiculous. I can’t believe there’s anybody that actually thought this game was going to be profitable. It’s a terrible message and I can’t believe the market for this game can be anywhere near a large enough amount to make any money. On the other hand though, the people who are getting extremely offended by this game, I mean, it’s only a video game. You call for this game to get banned in the United States when we already have games like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty, both being different types of shoot and kill games. In Grand Theft Auto, the whole entire purpose of the game is to basically hurt as many people as possible, since when did killing people become more acceptable than raping people. I am in no way saying this is a good game, or that it shouldn’t be banned, but if our society doesn’t mind have video games that have murder in them, I don’t know why everyone is so up in arms about this game. And the whole argument where they are saying that if people play this game, they may want to pursue this in real life. I don’t buy that in the least bit. I play a lot of video games and nothing in those games ever urges me to reenact the events portrayed in the game. I think that people playing the game who are not going to be tempted will just not be tempted at all. But if the people who have the mindset that they are going to perform what is going on in the game in real life, don’t you think that they may get some of it out of their system? I personally don’t think that this game should be banned. If someone doesn’t want to support the game, then just don’t buy it. I don’t think we as a society can be hypocrites when it comes to video games. There are so many games out there that aren’t very appropriate for kids or others, if we are going to ban this game, a lot more games would need to be banned to conform to the rules. I think that this game just needs to be rated in a way that you have to be older to purchase the game. That way the game has no influence on your life. I know I wasn’t allowed to play certain video games until I was old enough. All that needs to happen is parents needs to make sure they are paying attention to what their kids are doing on their video game systems. Because I don’t see any harm really other than influencing younger kids if they get their hands on it. Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:18:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66911378 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65681575 I feel like anyone who reads the census can say that they are confused about it in some way. It is strange to me though that we are still so sensitive as a society that just because there happens to be a name on the census you might not like or like to be associated with, doesn’t mean you have to get up in arms about the situation. Like is it really such a big deal for the term “negro” to be used on the census, I mean for the most part, the people getting offended by this are black or brown people and also, the people who want this term to be used are black and brown. I just don’t understand how there is so much insecurity about just a piece of paper. I mean everyday around campus or on the radio I hear black people dropping the n-bomb. Isn’t that a whole lot worse than “negro” being on the census? Another fact I want to bring up is the fact that older people are the ones that prefer to have “negro” on the census. And the younger generation is the one getting all up in arms about it. How come a generation that had to deal with all the hardships has no problem with this, but the younger people who had it at least a little bit easier are not happy about it. If you’re black grandpa wants to be referred to as a negro on the census, then that’s his choice. It’s America, a free country, if anybody still wants to be referred to as a “negro” then why not put it on the census. I mean if white people wanted to be referred to something in particular on the census, I could care less if it was added. It’s just a waste of time and energy to be upset about such a small thing such as this. And like the article stated, the people that make up the census aren’t stupid. There is a lot of time and effort to make it the least confusing as possible. People just need to relax, white people, black people, brown people, whatever, if this frustrates or angers you, just chill. It’s a piece of paper with some words on it. There’s absolutely no need to get upset about it. And if it still does upset you, you are entitled to your own opinions so whatever. There’s never going to be a time when everybody is completely satisfied so all we can try to do is do the best we can to make as many people happy as possible. And hopefully that will be enough for our country to function effectively. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 01:56:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65681575 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment64252748 The things that some people do in this country just completely embarrass me as an American citizen. These protests are just completely out of hand and need to either be toned down or stopped completely. I mean come on, we are supposed to be a united country, and all this kind of stuff is doing is tearing our country apart. Is that really what people want to happen? Our country has enough problems to deal with uniting ourselves and doesn’t need stupid protests like this to work on tearing us apart. It doesn’t matter what side of the spectrum you are politically, for the most part, Americans want the same thing. There’s no reason to be disrespectful. A lot of the time I personally don’t agree with government decisions or what politicians have to say, but they still are officials in our country and should be treated with some level of respect. I do appreciate that people in this country speak out about their opinions but there is a certain line that shouldn’t be crossed at anytime no matter how strongly you feel about a situation. These signs in this photo are completely unnecessary and just straight up rude. People are entitled to their own opinions but when it turns into a threat against a governmental official it has gone a little too far. It’s just baffling that this is what this country has come to. A person being personally attacked is not cool, this isn’t about right wing or left wing, it is a matter of right and wrong, and this is just wrong. I personally don’t think what they are doing in the White House is smart, but they were elected fairly just how every other official has been elected for years and years. So whether we like what is going on or not, we have to deal with it because we voted the individuals in there. And even though I don’t agree with what they are doing, I’m not going to make personal attacks at them just because I disagree. It’s not my place to attack and it’s just a very disrespectful thing to do. I know this country has no laws against freedom of speech, so what these people are doing is technically not wrong, however, there is a right and wrong way to go about speaking their minds and this is completely and utterly wrong. The words and pictures these protestors use are just absolutely wrong, no matter whether or not you voted for the President, comparing him to Hitler is just disturbing and completely wrong. I don’t understand how people can do this in public and not feel embarrassed. I know for me personally, attacking an official I could just not do it. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:34:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment64252748 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63079503 This article is completely ridiculous. Is a school even able to do something like this? I guess with the excuse they used it kind of finds a hole in the system, but the fact that they did it was entirely unethical and completely out of line. Either way, this school should be completely ashamed of itself. Now that I read some of the comments posted prior to mine, apparently there aren’t any laws that prohibit this kind of thing. This is ridiculous in itself; if a person chooses to be a homosexual that should be their decision and not be judged by anyone else. I mean, people are allowed to have their own opinions, but when it completely shuts out a group of people it’s not cool. If students or parents really would have had a problem with this then those individuals could just not go to the prom. Canceling it and lying about the reason is so dumb. Prom is specifically meant for a student to bring a date and to enjoy themselves, if this happens to be with someone of the same sex, who the hell cares? It shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I know we had a lesbian couple at my senior prom and it really had no effect on the rest of the student body, for the most part, nobody really cared. You see girls that are just friends dance with each other at prom anyways so what’s the difference if those girls happen to be an item. I personally would much rather see that than couples with a guy and girl when they are basically having sex on the dance floor. I feel that is a lot more distracting then two girls. I am, however, not surprised that this happened. Like I stated before, I do not in any way think that it is right, but it was not a surprise to me. It’s the same thing with race problems with people from that generation. They seem to be stuck in these traditional views and when something differs from those particular views, it is rejected. Exactly like what happened in this situation. I think this school should really take a look at themselves and evaluate their views on certain things. Not only was this wrong, but look at all the negative attention it brought to this school. Wouldn’t it have been so much easier to just allow this to happen instead of having your school’s name posted up everywhere on the internet and in the news? I know now that if I ever saw the name of this school again in the news, this would be the first thing I’d think of, they need to rethink this and see if this stupid thing they did was really worth it. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:09:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63079503 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment61520817 Alright, here’s what I have to say about this whole situation. This probably wasn’t the best idea that this guy could have but I don’t see a huge deal. There are exclusively black groups all over the world, even at Penn State there are all black fraternities and sororities. This is where I find it a little confusing, we can have all these “black” groups, but as soon as an all white group comes onto the radar, it is immediately pegged as racist. It doesn’t make any sense. It kind of seems to me like a double standard. And you can’t argue with the guys point about how when basketball was a more “white” sport, it was a lot different of a game, so this league is just going back to that and the fundamentals of the sport. For example, how many white basketball players do you see in the slam dunk contest? I don’t know if I ever have and I watch it every year. It’s just that black players are flashier than white players. It’s not a diss to anybody, I actually enjoy watching the top 10 every morning on sportscenter that normally features some of these flashy plays, it’s just simple fact. There is also no arguing the fact that the NBA is a mostly African American sport at this point. Which is not an argument on behalf of the man creating this new league, it’s just a statement of opinion. However, the idea of a whole league just dedicated to white athletes is a pretty big stretch, so that’s why I don’t necessarily condone the ideas of this man, but that just goes back to my confusion of all the exclusively black groups. Even the black man in the video from the NAACP I feel is sort of being a hypocrite. He is angered at Moose’s lack of understanding that what he is doing is racist, where the black man himself is in a group composed of all one race. So isn’t that sort of reverse racism. White people are racist when they have groups of only their race, but it isn’t a problem when its groups of only black people. I’m just baffled that people can judge people on what they do, when they themselves are doing the exact same thing. Like I stated previously, I don’t think that this all white basketball league is a good idea, but I don’t see why it’s a big deal and considered racist. We don’t call the NAACP racist because it’s all black people. We don’t call black fraternities or sororities racist because they have no white brothers or sisters. So I don’t think that this man should be considered racist for basically doing the exact same thing. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:12:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment61520817 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58861299 This is a very incredible story. It’s hard to imagine that in such a small underprivileged country there can be someone so business savvy. Especially with her only having a 5th grade education, this is incredible. When I was in 5th grade I was only just learning algebra, she is running a business. Being a business major, I sometimes worry that even after all my schooling I’m not going to be able to adapt to the business environment. This woman has had very little education and has been able to use her natural intelligence to create her own business in the poor country of Haiti. I am actually a little curious on where she gained this business knowledge however. Especially about foreign currency exchange, money borrowing and loans; I feel like these are things that you have to be taught and not just catch onto naturally. Not alone being able to run a successful business with the knowledge she has. One thing to consider is the fact that she is running this business due partially to necessity. Making money helps here to live. So her motivation to succeed is so much greater I believe than most businessmen in the United States, who at least have a high school education and are making enough money to live comfortably. I think that this woman should be given some aid or something to allow her to possibly have a chance to compete in a business environment in the United States, or in any other business oriented society. I don’t think it’s fair that she doesn’t have the opportunity to make the money or be as successful as she could possibly become in the United States when she has all the tools to be a great business woman. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s fair when Sam says about companies here in the United States about, “being staffed by mostly washrag talent from top to bottom”. There may be some companies that are like that, but making the assumption that the majority of companies are like that is a little brash and uncalled for. Especially like I said, me being a business major, I find that mildly offensive that that assumption would be made. There are so many CEO’s and upper management business people that are very business savvy and deserve to be where they are. It is, however, very unfortunate that such disparity exists between the United States and Haiti that people like this woman never get the chance that many of us as American’s have. Hopefully in coming years, more people like Yvrose will come out of the wood work and help Haiti to become a much wealthier and more successful nation. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:41:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58861299 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/the-xxx-bible-who-wouldve-thought__trashed/#IDComment57664716 Seeing this article posted on here really didn’t surprise me at all. I have thought about this topic a lot before, never really coming to any sort of conclusion on what I think about the whole matter. But I know it has been a debated topic for years now. My parents are pretty religious people and they always had me go to church when I was a young kid. In church though they never bring up these sexual passages from the bible. It’s kind of like that same situation with United States History in grade school. You’re never taught about the bad things we did as a country in detail, only the good things that apparently make our country so great. With my parents though, even being the very religious type, they don’t deny the sexual things that are written about in the Bible. But the way I see it is, the Bible, along with some outrageous stories, is trying to depict real life situations. And real life situations are going to have some sexual innuendos. If someone decided to write a book about now, there are going to be some things that are inappropriate and that’s just the way life is though. I don’t see it as a bad thing that should offend anybody. Sex is part of life. Do you think that back in that time it was so much different than it is now? Like offering up sex to guests is very similar to prostitution in the United State today. I agree with some other people that have posted on this when they say that the majority of the people making posts on this article are not religious at all which means that I can say with almost complete certainty that they have not read the Bible. So those individuals making comments about this subject, or judging the book, is ridiculous. I don’t judge people when I have no clue about the subject matter in discussion, why should this be any different. I have personally only read part of the Bible, so I am trying my hardest to not be biased because I haven’t even read it. So people who have not even opened it because they don’t believe in God, should not have a strong opinion on this matter. On the other hand, the people that say the writers of this book put these sexual things in the Bible on purpose is a little ridiculous. I mean, I’m sure some of the stuff was intentionally put in it, but I think in some cases people look in it just a little too much. And even if it was all intentional, whatever, if you are actually mature enough to read and understand the Bible, you should be mature enough to accept the sexual innuendos involved. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:33:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/the-xxx-bible-who-wouldve-thought__trashed/#IDComment57664716 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56578820 Alright, first of all, what this politician said was uncalled for and demanded an apology no matter what your opinions are. Where he stated about that all they will do if they receive food is reproduce is a bit over the top. But in the end he did apologize and I think that was very classy of that guy, because everyone knows that politicians don’t normally apologize for their mistakes no matter how bad or wrong they are. And that brings me to my next point, it was a MISTAKE. Everyone makes them and you can’t even say you haven’t because that would be a lie. It was a slip on his part, but like we spoke about in class, he was raised in thinking this stuff. I’m not backing up his statement saying that it was all right and good, but if you’re growing up being told these things, it’s going to affect your views on things. And I personally believe that there is somewhat of a truth in what he said about people on welfare. Of course I don’t mean everyone on welfare, but there are a lot of people that get welfare that use it for drugs and other things that are harmful. That’s why I personally think that they should change the way they do the welfare distribution. Just so that people who don’t have any kids, don’t have a job, and don’t do anything, don’t receive welfare and people that are working two jobs to raise four kids receive some kind of benefits. There are people in the world that need to be on welfare that don’t get any help. I know some of this is because of a pride issue and they don’t want the help. But if they do want help and the government can’t give them any that’s just not fair. Like we were speaking about in my discussion group, I think a drug test to decide if people can get additional help is a great idea. Drugs stay in your system a long time and if they can point out the people on welfare that are using their money to buy drugs, they can quit giving them help and help someone out who really needs it. I understand how this statement this politician made would be offensive to a lot of people, but like I said before, it’s the way he was raised and you can’t help from acquiring some of those thoughts from relatives. I don’t think he was right to make these claims or statements, but in the end he did make a sincere apology and life’s too short to really dwell on such a silly and stupid statement. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:30:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56578820 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite__trashed/#IDComment55532827 I personally don’t really care about “negro” being on the census. I’m not trying to be disrespectful to anybody but does it really offend or bother that many people? Before taking this class I have never really thought about the term “negro” being on the census. I mean, it’s a term that was used for many years and African Americans who used it are still around today. I’m seriously not trying to get people angry but I’m just wondering. People should be able to be referred to as whatever they want and if people still refer to themselves as Negroes, I think that those people should have that right. I’ve looked at some of these comments and people are talking about how this is racism. But I don’t see how that can be when there are still people marking that as their race without any second thoughts. Even more comments are saying that ultimately race doesn’t matter which it clearly does in our society right now. The first thing you notice about a person is the color of their skin. Professor Richards even said that in class the other day. Race is always going to be a huge factor whether we want it to be or not. That is why the census chooses to separate races. I understand that in the future it will eventually be taken off the census and that’s fine by me, seeing as the people that mostly refer to themselves as Negroes are mostly of an older generation. But if there is such a problem with people writing that in as their race, I feel like it would just be smarter to keep it on the census until the term dies off or at least until people begin using it less. On another note, however, I think the idea for people who check “black” or “white” to expand on that is a good idea. That way, you don’t get such a basic idea of who everyone is based solely on their color, but you can actually find out where these people are from. Even so, however, although I think it’s a cool idea to do this, does it really matter? If the purpose of the U.S. Census is just to get a number on how many people reside in the United States who cares where you are from. Who cares what color you are for that matter? I guess what I’m trying to say is that I feel “negro” being on the census isn’t a bad thing, but what’s the point in having to choose a race anyways? As I said before, in this country race still does matter, but for the sole purpose of counting the population of the United States, is it really that necessary to find out what race a person is? Fri, 5 Feb 2010 22:03:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite__trashed/#IDComment55532827 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54282141 This video is so incredibly terrible. My first’s thoughts after watching this was just pure shock. I can’t believe that we still have such a problem with racism around the world. The whole situation with throwing the bananas on the field I thought was just appalling and should not be tolerated. The game should have been stopped right then and there. There is absolutely no need for those kinds of actions. I thought the United States was bad when it came to racism but this situation is just ridiculously higher of a racist level than what I have seen on our home soil. I knew that football fans over in Europe were rambunctious and they have had problems during matches with people being crushed and fans rioting, but I never knew that racism was also a huge problem. I can’t believe people, let alone educated individuals, can act like this out in public. I’m sure racism will always exist in some form, but to treat someone like this is just complete bull. I personally feel that the punishment for these actions should be something so much harsher than just forfeiting three points in the standings. This punishment, like stated in the video, only affects the team. These racist fans probably could care less about a lousy three points. There is virtually no punishment for the fans. It’s shocking that someone could be so mean to another person, especially if they are playing a sport that is supposed to be for the fans enjoyment. I know that people in the United States must be racist towards players, but they do it private or to friends. There is no chanting and blatantly disrespecting the player. Being a fan at a sporting event, you’re number one job is to encourage the players and not to discourage them from playing the game that they love. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to have to come out on the field day after day knowing you’re going to be disrespected by not only the opposing team’s fans, but your own team’s fans. Your “families” fans. I think the best way to help get rid of this problem is for players who aren’t being treated this way, to step up to the plate and make this horrible thing go away. A “strike” in European football would not be the worst thing ever if it caused this problem to at least lessen. I give these players the highest respect I can give for what they do day in and day out. I personally don’t think I could deal with all the things that they have to put up with on and off the field I’m sure, and I am impressed that the players being treated like this still perform as well as they do. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:52:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54282141 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-v-or-y-or-z__trashed/#IDComment53989183 we are Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:36:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-v-or-y-or-z__trashed/#IDComment53989183 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53288879 I agree mostly with Laurie on this blog. I grew up in a very Christian home and I strongly believe in God, but sometimes I also still have trouble grasping the whole idea of Jesus as sacrifice for liberating another individual. I just don’t understand how the death or struggling of one person or people can somehow liberate another person. Even now just typing this response I am struggling to completely understand. I am, however, completely willing to give to help the poor people in Haiti. I feel like I have so much more than I need and if I could just give part of it to these people in need, I could help if only just a little bit. But our country as a whole can only help so much. We are already doing everything in our power as a country to help the process of recovery. The earthquake that has occurred in Haiti is a terrible disaster, but somehow relating this to a crucifixion, I don’t think I can buy into that at all. An earthquake is a natural disaster and earthquakes happen all across the world frequently. This one that happened in Haiti was just so much more destructive than most other ones. Jesus died for us and no offense to those people in Haiti, but they did not die for us. They did not have a choice in the matter, it just happened. As terrible as that sounds. These natural disasters have been a problem before such as the tsunami in Asia or Hurricane Katrina. These were also completely terrible occurrences that caused hardship for many people and many families. The people of these countries will get through these troubling times and so will Haiti, with help from others; but they will make it through, I have no doubt. There will and has been loss of life, which is a tragedy, but it was also the case during Katrina and the tsunami. Like I stated previously, I struggle with the idea of crucifixion but I have a strong belief in God. And I believe all the people of Haiti must do is look to God or whatever their beliefs might be, and ask Him/it to get them through these troubling times. God has a plan for everything and this must be part of the plan, as terrible as it is. He has a plan for these desperate people in Haiti. Everything happens for a reason and in time Haiti will rebuild and start living their normal lives like they did before this disaster happened. With a little faith and some help from other countries, including ourselves here in the United States, the recovery effort for the people of Haiti will be quick and with hopefully no bumps along the way. Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:09:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53288879