en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/769883 Comments by macys https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58255005 Ever since I was born, people around me installed a certain idea in my head. People always gave me the idea that black people commit the crimes. I grew up with this twisted idea that black people always steal, kill, rob, get into fights, and go to prison. Watching films, I noticed that most of the most feared criminals and people in straightjackets were people of color. I kept this sick, false impression until I first visited Taiwan. I saw crime everywhere. On the news, people killed their parents, killed their children, sliced off family members’ arms, and even cut their family members into pieces to throw into soup. These are, of course, the extreme cases that people release to the media because they produce grotesque entertainment. However, drug use, theft, and numerous cases of grand theft auto was all around me. Even my own car was stolen after parking it for 3 hours as I went to attend church. Then I watched the movie “American History X.” This movie was not all factual, but it represented an aspect of our community that really horrified me. Racism was and is still a disgusting product of our world. It is a vicious cycle that could have been cured or helped, but people kept going at it and it is getting worse and worse every day. It showed me that white people are just as cruel and that evil and crime in this world is not determined at all by skin color but that anyone can do things such as murder and most of our country has touched some form of illegal drug. When Sam brought the discussion of the people who are arrested and put in prison, I realized that there is blatant racism when it comes to the judicial system. People such as me have always been told that black people commit the crimes and areas with black people are dangerous. It is not so much that they are black that they commit crimes, but because the areas where crime is committed are usually poorer areas of our country. Why are most drug dealers that are arrested black? I know many of my black friends do smoke pot in Penn State, but almost all of my white and Asian friends have smoked pot to my knowing. I have smoked weed before and none of the people that I have encountered during my experiences were black. Anyone who sells drugs is a drug dealer. How come everyone has the impression that drugs are done by people of color rather than Asians and white people? This idea is bullshit. My opinion is that black people do not commit that many more crimes than white people and if they do it is not because of their race. People who are in poor conditions and have to live in shitty areas often feel restless and an urge to better their conditions. As people think that they are more likely to be criminals than other races, they aren’t given the opportunities the rest of us are given. For example, a cop is more likely to pull over a black person than a white person. In conclusion, I would just have to say the world is bullshit and that people of color are always put down. It’s a sick, twisted, and unfair cycle. That is all. Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:10:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58255005 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366627 Lastly, I would like to raise a question for thought. Do people really think it’s wrong for people to be lesbian or gay? People always say that it’s not natural and that it goes against religious beliefs. That’s not true. It may not be natural to all of us, but to others, it is natural. If the world was the other way around and everyone was gay, you would be in the position where people look at you differently. It is all about perspective. No matter how weird it is for you that there are lesbians and gays, it’s natural for them and they deserve the respect. So with that being said, I would still have to say I am comfortable with lesbians but not really comfortable with gays. I have nothing against gays but I just accept lesbians rather than gays more easily. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:31:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366627 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366603 In general, many people don't enjoy same sex relations. However, the people who discuss these issues are usually guys. For example, my friend asked me this question before. “Would you rather see Jessica Alba and Megan Fox f*** the s*** out of each other or Brad Pitt and Shia Lebouf?” Honestly, I picked the girls. All four of those entertainers are attractive but it’s just natural for me to rather see the girls. I believe that it’s possible that girls would rather be comfortable seeing gay couples. However, the thought of girls having intercourse just seems so much more graceful than two men doing the same thing. That’s just the way it is. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:31:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366603 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366576 First of all, guys support lesbianism much of the time because they think it’s hot. They think it’s a big turn on seeing girls do things to each other because they can enjoy it like it’s some form of art. I would agree that girls kissing each other can be quite beautiful when both females are attractive. However, I don't really feel comfortable at all when I see two men kissing and touching each other. Why is that? I don't even feel comfortable when I see two men holding hands on the street wearing tight clothes. For me, I can accept girls doing things to each other because I am attracted to girls. I am not attracted to men so it makes me feel queasy when I see two dudes messing around. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:30:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366576 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366545 That is a very interesting question. Honestly, I have often stumbled upon that question and have tried to explain it for myself. Many times when I go to a party, I see girls dancing with each other. In Asia, when I go clubbing I often have girl friends who make out with each other or make out with the same guy. In Taiwan, lesbians are popping out of nowhere. Either that or they were afraid to come out in public. Instead of directly answering the question I would rather bring up different things I’ve seen and observed. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:30:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57366545 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56592172 Sam, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Kids these days don’t pay attention to the right things. What goes on in most online discussions? Kids all care about Brad Pitt and Angelina’s troubled relationship and why Taylor Swift won the Best Album of the year at the Grammy’s. Honestly, what the hell happened to the focus of the media. There are so many videos on YouTube showing the world how stupid Americans are and the little they know about. However, this is happening all over the world. You might be wondering, Sam, what I’m talking about. You’re right, I’m talking about the shift of attention from real news to the bullshit that surrounds us today called entertainment. How does this relate to this article? It doesn’t relate directly, but I did some extra research. I went on YouTube and searched for additional videos on the loss of the Bo language. Then I went to search for a video on Taylor Swift at the Grammy’s. Taylor Swift’s top viewed video has almost 3 million more views than Boa Sr’s top viewed video. What is the world thinking? Do people even care about cultures anymore? Does it mean that a no-talent country singer winning an undeserved award is more important than the extinction of a language? The point of this response is to spark an idea and a platform for thought and reflection. What does it really mean for a language to go extinct. How in the world does a language end up only being known to one woman? I thought about this and I guess there was either a mass genocide or that Bo was just a dialect that went out of vogue and became irrelevant to the people of that area. What is the most intriguing to me is that she was the one and only remaining speaker. She probably learned a secondary language, but think about this. What was it like for her to have a whole language, a whole complex form of communication in her brain that had no practical use? No one left on this planet understood her when she spoke Bo. How would you feel if you were in her shoes. If it were me, I would crave so badly to be understood. I would probably go crazy and speak to myself all day just so I could preserve this language. Then again, what is the point of preserving a language if no one else can understand it. Languages are in existence for the sole purpose of communication, so preserving a dead language really doesn’t do much unless we find some artifacts or tablets with Bo writing on it. So what is the purpose of this Bo language in the end? It has no purpose, unless you have to solve a mystery or understand something from the past. There is no need to mourn, but news like this is worthy of your time and should be thought provoking. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:50:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56592172 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56592473 Sam, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Kids these days don’t pay attention to the right things. What goes on in most online discussions? Kids all care about Brad Pitt and Angelina’s troubled relationship and why Taylor Swift won the Best Album of the year at the Grammy’s. Honestly, what the hell happened to the focus of the media. There are so many videos on YouTube showing the world how stupid Americans are and the little they know about. However, this is happening all over the world. You might be wondering, Sam, what I’m talking about. You’re right, I’m talking about the shift of attention from real news to the bullshit that surrounds us today called entertainment. How does this relate to this article? It doesn’t relate directly, but I did some extra research. I went on YouTube and searched for additional videos on the loss of the Bo language. Then I went to search for a video on Taylor Swift at the Grammy’s. Taylor Swift’s top viewed video has almost 3 million more views than Boa Sr’s top viewed video. What is the world thinking? Do people even care about cultures anymore? Does it mean that a no-talent country singer winning an undeserved award is more important than the extinction of a language? The point of this response is to spark an idea and a platform for thought and reflection. What does it really mean for a language to go extinct. How in the world does a language end up only being known to one woman? I thought about this and I guess there was either a mass genocide or that Bo was just a dialect that went out of vogue and became irrelevant to the people of that area. What is the most intriguing to me is that she was the one and only remaining speaker. She probably learned a secondary language, but think about this. What was it like for her to have a whole language, a whole complex form of communication in her brain that had no practical use? No one left on this planet understood her when she spoke Bo. How would you feel if you were in her shoes. If it were me, I would crave so badly to be understood. I would probably go crazy and speak to myself all day just so I could preserve this language. Then again, what is the point of preserving a language if no one else can understand it. Languages are in existence for the sole purpose of communication, so preserving a dead language really doesn’t do much unless we find some artifacts or tablets with Bo writing on it. So what is the purpose of this Bo language in the end? It has no purpose, unless you have to solve a mystery or understand something from the past. There is no need to mourn, but news like this is worthy of your time and should be thought provoking. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:50:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56592473 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56592356 Sam, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Kids these days don’t pay attention to the right things. What goes on in most online discussions? Kids all care about Brad Pitt and Angelina’s troubled relationship and why Taylor Swift won the Best Album of the year at the Grammy’s. Honestly, what the hell happened to the focus of the media. There are so many videos on YouTube showing the world how stupid Americans are and the little they know about. However, this is happening all over the world. You might be wondering, Sam, what I’m talking about. You’re right, I’m talking about the shift of attention from real news to the bullshit that surrounds us today called entertainment. How does this relate to this article? It doesn’t relate directly, but I did some extra research. I went on YouTube and searched for additional videos on the loss of the Bo language. Then I went to search for a video on Taylor Swift at the Grammy’s. Taylor Swift’s top viewed video has almost 3 million more views than Boa Sr’s top viewed video. What is the world thinking? Do people even care about cultures anymore? Does it mean that a no-talent country singer winning an undeserved award is more important than the extinction of a language? The point of this response is to spark an idea and a platform for thought and reflection. What does it really mean for a language to go extinct. How in the world does a language end up only being known to one woman? I thought about this and I guess there was either a mass genocide or that Bo was just a dialect that went out of vogue and became irrelevant to the people of that area. What is the most intriguing to me is that she was the one and only remaining speaker. She probably learned a secondary language, but think about this. What was it like for her to have a whole language, a whole complex form of communication in her brain that had no practical use? No one left on this planet understood her when she spoke Bo. How would you feel if you were in her shoes. If it were me, I would crave so badly to be understood. I would probably go crazy and speak to myself all day just so I could preserve this language. Then again, what is the point of preserving a language if no one else can understand it. Languages are in existence for the sole purpose of communication, so preserving a dead language really doesn’t do much unless we find some artifacts or tablets with Bo writing on it. So what is the purpose of this Bo language in the end? It has no purpose, unless you have to solve a mystery or understand something from the past. There is no need to mourn, but news like this is worthy of your time and should be thought provoking. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:49:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56592356 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645199 To me, this shows that the writers behind these stories all realize how ugly the truth is. Maybe they realized their ancestors really did mess up, tearing apart countless families and cultures right down the middle. Or maybe they just wanted to make a movie that would break box office records. I don’t know if anyone thought this much after watching this movie. I don’t know if anyone cares to take the time to ponder on these questions. However, if anyone is reading this, maybe you can reply to this question. When the white man colonized and expanded their forever growing empire, was it the right thing to do? Is it ever right to thrive off of the loss of others? Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:29:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645199 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645195 This is seen in the real world just as it is in the movies. Europeans did exploit much of the world and it did help international trade, but was it meant to be? Even though African-American’s in the United States have opportunities nowadays, was it really worth the hundreds of years of utter disrespect and brutal treatment? When you sit down to watch down to watch these films, you always hate the white dudes. They have their technology and their ambitions, but you always know that they’re going to get what is coming to them and they will be destroyed. Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:29:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645195 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645147 This is true. People just can’t come up with that many themes anymore. Stories will have different details but the storyline will never stray too far. There is, however, depth in this movie that inspires me and brings up an intriguing thought to me. Why? Why does the white man always have to go in and destroy something that exists in perfect harmony? In all these films, the natives of a certain place are perfectly fine and understand how to respect their environment. Why does the white man have to go in and exploit other people and their territory? Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:29:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645147 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645127 When I stepped into the movie theater to watch this film, I had no idea what the film was going to be about. I’d seen all the commercials and heard the fuss about the 3D technology, but I really expected another action film with no content whatsoever. After sitting in the theater for more than 2 hours and really forcing myself to be immersed in the plot, I felt touched. I was intrigued by the whole planet and how the inhabitants respected and interacted with the surroundings. I was not at all disappointed and felt that this movie did, to me, have a lot of meaningful content. First off, everyone says that this film is a load of bullcrap. They say that it’s just another version of “The Last Samurai,” “Pochahontas,” and tens of other Hollywood films. The storyline is the same. Some white man is sent in to do something horrible and has these intentions, but something goes wrong. Then over time, he falls in love with his enemy or believes that his original intentions were based off of evil and immoral beliefs. Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:28:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55645127 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54565573 Growing up as an Asian American in Pennsylvania, I never truly felt that out of place. Then after I moved back to Asia because of my parents’ jobs, I felt out of place. People treated me differently because I hadn’t grown up in Taiwan, didn’t dress the same way, or speak the way they did. Was this racism? No. I looked a little different but I was essentially their people. Living in Asia slowly brought me to many different areas of revelation. Firstly, I realized how people view people from other nations. It is not that people hate different people, but that they are afraid. They are afraid to learn new customs, afraid to approach the differences, and afraid to face people who they don’t see everyday. I just wanted to be treated the same. Every time I went out to shop, eat, or visit a new place, people would ask me where I was from and I would be labeled as an “ABC.” ABC is American born Chinese, and I just accepted this title. However, thinking back on this, I believe that this was a form of racism, not based on race, but culturally. I often wondered why I was labeled and seen as an outsider when I was obviously Asian. I started spending time outside my American school life and tried to make friends with the locals. I tried to understand their way of thinking and what I could do to fit in better. I spent more time learning how to speak their language well and one day it just hit me: racism is nothing more than a term made to hurt people. There really is no such thing as racism. However, people are always afraid of things they are not used to and essentially push those things away at first. Racism is the product of people being too selfish to open their eyes and experiences the different things in the world. Is this not why the world is so amazing and multifaceted in the first place? We spend so much time trying to make new products to make more money to spend on other products and travel to new places. Unfortunately, we often never open our hearts to understanding different people that exist right next to us. Only at times of need do we help people of other nations, but I believe there is a way to help those around us from different nations every day. If you just smile and let the people around you feel welcome, I’m sure they will appreciate it. People will always push away things that they are unfamiliar with. They will always stick to people like them because they can relate. I’m not saying finding people you can relate to is a bad thing, but giving other people a shot is what makes our world a better place. In other words, racism is a selfish product and we are all people. Everyone should give it a rest. Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:18:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54565573 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment54162483 I would like to discuss something branching off what Laurie addressed. Many students replied saying they disagree with her beliefs. Growing up in a Christian family, I would have never doubted the idea of Jesus dying for us. To many people, my family included, this belief comes from a lot of faith and seeing change and the way other believers are. Looking at this from a completely non-theological viewpoint, no matter what the crucifixion was spiritually, it has affected millions of people. It sparked scientific, medical, and theological awareness and attention. However, I do understand how non-believers can reason their views. How can one man’s suffering take away the sins of everyone? Scientifically, it is impossible. However, sin is not a matter of science, is it? However, as Laurie said, the crucifixion of Jesus did, in a way, take away sin. It is a story and example of true sacrifice and it helps people realize that they do unacceptable things every day that were paid off for by someone who truly loves them. This does sound silly when you think about it too much and I understand how people can make a rebuttal when he is discussing the story of the gospel. Bringing this back to Haiti, no one will ever know why this happened. Is it a modern day Sodom or Gamorrah? Did God wipe out a nation with a flood to remind us to stray from evil? No one will ever know and be able to tell us why. However, we do know that a great disaster has fallen upon Haiti and they do need help. Personally, I do not believe that God put this upon upon Haiti intentionally to teach mankind a lesson. Nevertheless, this can be seen as a sacrifice. Many people do not realize people need help until it’s too late. Haiti, even before the disaster, could have used help and care from the United States and nations from all around the world. In my opinion, our country is and always will be one of the most selfish countries of all. Americans all have is better off than most people in the world today and we take so much for granted. It is important that most of us know that we are lucky to have things such as advanced medicine, transportation, ways to communicate and so on. There are so many organizations working to help Haiti right this moment. No matter how small the help you give is, it helps someone out there. A few dollars could feed a family, keep a child warm, and do much more than you can imagine. I have heard someone say that they are willing to adopt. Adoption is a very hard thing to imagine for me, bringing in a child from a foreign culture is a big big task. This disaster brought out a lot of love and that’s what matters. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:02:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment54162483 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-p-or-q__trashed/#IDComment54124701 response Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:13:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-p-or-q__trashed/#IDComment54124701