en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/759750 Comments by mdp5094 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68308553 I never really gave much thought to this “war” that we are currently fighting in the middle east. I just saw it as a way of “combating terrorism” . in 2003 I was high school freshman and I dint really understand or care really about exactly why we were involved with this whole ordeal anyway. As I got older and starting reading and seeing what was going on it became more and more clear to me about what exactly was going on. OIL is the most vital resource on our planet. Without we (the United States) can’t live without it. We literally use it to fuel our entire country. Its what the future of wars will be fought upon and its already begun. 200 years from now people will write about how we fought over oil in the name of a freedom that doesn’t exist at all. They say we freed the people of IRAQ from tyranny and oppression? Have we? Have we stabilized the nation? Have we saved anything? Its been 7 years since we invaded the country and what have we gotten out of it? One less bad person in the world (saddam hessian) other than that we really haven’t made huge steps in restoring the region to a peaceful state. What Sam stated in today’s lecture was extremely hard to take in. Honestly I have no idea what to think anymore or what to do? Everything I’ve ever believed in is just I don’t know a lie perhaps or fake or something. I definitely have new outlook on muslims I know that. If somebody came into my country under the lie of o0o0o were “helping you” but clearly we just want whats under your ground BLACK GOLD! Look at what happened during the 1970’s with the fuel shortages. We were literally stopped in our tracks. And the time if we could have done something to stop it we would have but we didn’t have the technology or manpower to do things, we we did but when compared to today we are the ultimate superpower and it has come down to what has played out infront of our eyes we as a nation went to a foreign land to take its resources for our benefit and use. I personally about a year ago was thinking damn if I had an oil company I would be right over in IRAQ right now getting that money. And who I am im some college kid, if anybody saw this whole idea as a benfit it was our government and oil tycoons. It’s rather pathetic actually and makes me feel awful that what we are doing is wrong! It is in sooo many ways and I don’t know what to do? Anymore im lost on the ideas of my religion and my country. I mean I will always be a die hard American and love this country but this whole situation were in is just bad in more ways than good. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:36:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68308553 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65057149 This video talks about what exactly all the “problems” are with the census and how the race category is wayyy to “hard to comprehend”. Come on now this is another CNN broadcast bullshit topic that is basically being created to cause problems. I mean if this entire video isn’t an act of instigating then I don’t know what is. The census people have spent a very long time (about ten years) since the last census trying to create this new one and what to put on it. I mean it is getting very hard to distinguish anymore about race and ethnicity, due to the fact that more and more minorities are in the united states. On the video the one lady said she was Puerto Rican, but also had some Cuban as well? I mean what do you put on the census when you’re in that situation? The whole “negro” issue is just freaking retarded. The one lady says very loudly and proudly SLAVE! Come on lady you wanna freak out and start throwing the race card? There no need for it. If you don’t like it and cared soo much about what the census said than you should have wrote to the department of the US. Census and bitched about it to them. Otherwise up until you knew about it probably wasn’t even on your mind. This is CNN trying to start a controversy. I mean if anything the race ethnicity questions were the hardest parts of the census to come with, due to the fact that as I stated before the country is changing and every few years and by 2050 white people will be the minority. How do I as white person take that? I really don’t know what to think about it. I mean mabey it bothers me but at the same time mabey it will better the country. As we get more and more minorities it will change the outlook upon racism, I mean this is my opinion. Of course there will always be those that are racists and will hate somebody. But overall as a society we are slowly moving forward out of this “White dominated society”. The prediction is that by 2050 white people will be the minority. If this affects me the way it affects minorities today yes I will be very mad and pissed off. But by then I will be 61 and probably still working due to the fact that social security is going to run out in less than 20 years sooo hopefully I will be very established and have no problems with that fact that I will be considered a minority. The bottom line I am trying to make is that people can be a little ridiculous and make hasty generalizations about what went into making the census questions. I mean do people really think that the designers of the census purposely created these questions to cause a huge and big racial controversy? No their just doing their jobs and want to get a successful census done. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:45:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65057149 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63068732 When the subject of guilt comes up with “white” people it seems like it’s very forced upon us. ( me being white myself) personally I think it should be a requirement at all universities to take class like SOC 119 it for me at least has become an eye opener to the world of race relations. And when this subject of white guilt comes up for me it’s a mix of a few things that have happened in our past and seriously it PISSES ME OFF! The whole genocide of the Native Americans was MESSED up and does it bother me? YES. What can I do about it now? I have no freaking IDEA. I can’t go back in time and change the things that happened. Can I stand up and fight for the peoples that are still around today and go up against the government of the USA, the supposed best country in the world that is soooo free and amazing? I watched a show on MTV abt a group of guys traveling the country to do their dreams. Anyways one of the dreams was to play basketball with the president of the United States. Sounds simple right yea NO freaking way that simple request was denied going to show you how impossible a task it is to try and get something so simple done. So back to my topic how am I supposed to do anything abt the native Americans today when I would get shut down in a second??? Also with slavery was it a fucked up idea and was it wrong to do to the Africans YES. Would it bother me if I was enslaved or my people were enslaved yes! But the same question comes up again what the hell can I do today to fix what my dumbass ancestors did 200 years ago? Now one thing that is stupid to do is to just continue to bitch and whine about it then when we go to talk about (whit people) we get shut down and were called racists. Sam was right in class abt how we get yelled at and chastised today about what happened 200 years ago than when we go to talk about it we get shut down and were IGNORANT that word is such a freaking copout!! So how can we fix anything we need to relax and come to the “race” table holding hands and talk it out try and work our “shit out” so to say. When it comes to native Americans we as a whole society need to repay them that’s probably the best and only way to fix that problem. How can we “ “repay” them I have no idea. Could it be through land or money I mean its just such a crazy thought to ponder that allll of the land that we reside on today is RED LAND. And to think that we literally killed an entire society because they were apparently on “our” land? Its just nuts the whole idea of slavery and the native Americans situations are soo unorganized I have no idea where to start. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:33:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63068732 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment61764764 OK soooo we talked about this entire “controversy” in our discussion groups last week and I mean the bottom line that I came up with was that yes it’s ok to have a theme party . HOWEVER it is not ok to literally bash a race for what they wear, and even to go as far as to how a certain race may even talk! It’s problem yes with the whole idea of the party but I mean is it being blown totally out of proportion?! YES I mean here we have this video with theses to very “qualified” representatives of the whoever or whatever and what’s their solution to get more “Black” faculty members with tenure? Hmmmm I mean that’s the most logical way to solve EVERYTHING?! Right? Normally there would be no problem with this idea but to throw that out there as well that would solve the issue? Now it just sounds freaking stupid. Also the whole noose thing that was put up Yea in my opionion It seems somebody possibly white could have done it yes but when I found out that a supposed African American did it? Now lets look at this and think, would this possibly be way to frame a white person that could have done it ? I don’t know but maybe. Also this school is primarily white school apparently I mean I don’t know what to say about that. But Penn state In my opinion seems to be a primarily white school as well does that mean we have to start accepting more black people as well as fire some professors in order to make room for a more diverse faculty? NO that’s freaking RETARTED! Also should we start to not accept that many white people so as to make the campus more diverse? NO Mabey it just so happens that more white than other minorities happened to apply here thus they got in? Sounds kinda good right? Temple University is a very diverse school for both faculty and students go there if we want diversity. Just like Sam stated I don’t get how certain “qualified” people get to be the spokes persons for an entire race and come up with Dumbass Solutions that they personally feel will solve everything. I just don’t understand how big of mess it has become. And I’m sure those that created the party have no idea neither. It’s actually pretty sad that it has come down to this that whenever this is racial problem it seems like people get involved who have no idea what they’re doing and seem to think whatever it is tnhat they are doing is going to solve all the worlds problems. When in reality their just doing nothing not helping nor causing a problem, just kind of getting involved trying to portray a crazy attempt at being defensive because of one or two persons mistakes. I sat in a race relation group last week and there was a girl who was black and had not taken Sams class, and throughout the whol conversation it just seemed as though she was being defensive on all fronts whenever it came to the black subject which IS NOT FAIR AT ALLLLL! Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:28:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment61764764 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726596 This article is very interesting and very exciting in my opinion. I am very happy to see that a people WE destroyed and basically threw off their own land, are now finally benefitting from having been placed on basically what was once the shittiest place anyone could live on. It really upsetting when you think about how there a whole don’t ask don’t tell idea with how the US. Government basically committed one of largest genocides in human history. But they are very well due this reward. In class Sam has said that Native Americans suffer from the lowest levels of poverty as well as suicide and just an overall bad way of living. In the article their talking about how people are finally returning back to the reservation that for years has been viewed as a very depressing place. The Native Americans are rightfully due their tax free area and should be receiving their rightful amount of repatriations. The entire subject of the Native American destruction is very similar to the subject of civil war. The civil war saw bloodshed among brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles, within a country that was seen as being free and prosperous it was a history that we as a country would like to forget. I mean with the Native American it’s a very well kept secret so to say, I mean you put these people on crap land in the middle of no where and think o0o0 they’ll be fine. I mean they get their own land and everything!? What!? NO they were simply moved to an area that we as society at the time deemed as unimportant. Personally the fact that they just found out that there could be up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil on this shit patch of land is awesome. And good for them "If they knew there was billions of barrels of oil here, they would never have put us here," said Spencer Wilkinson Jr., general manager of the Four Bears Casino on the reservation. That statement says it all, however with technology getting better and more advanced, scientists were able to discover this huge amount of oil lying beneath the shale, thus those living on the land (the Indians) are due their royalties. Their land is consisted of a 1500 mile area in North Dakota, which is basically an area that no ordinary person would ever want to live on; it consists of Rollin hills and prairies and basically referred to as the Bad Lands. It is a good thing and anyone that is going to freak out about how their receiving all this good things should be informed and taught that what we did awhile ago was a very destructive thing. Today there is over 600 nationally recognized tribes, imagine what the amount of people there were 300 years ago living on this red land??! It’s a very crazy thought to think about. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:08:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726596 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726528 If they knew there was billions of barrels of oil here, they would never have put us here," said Spencer Wilkinson Jr., general manager of the Four Bears Casino on the reservation. That statement says it all, however with technology getting better and more advanced, scientists were able to discover this huge amount of oil lying beneath the shale, thus those living on the land (the Indians) are due their royalties. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:11:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726528 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726403 ect of civil war. The civil war saw bloodshed among brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles, within a country that was seen as being free and prosperous it was a history that we as a country would like to forget. I mean with the Native American it’s a very well kept secret so to say, I mean you put these people on crap land in the middle of no where and think o0o0 they’ll be fine. I mean they get their own land and everything!? What!? NO they were simply moved to an area that we as society at the time deemed as unimportant. Personally the fact that they just found out that there could be up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil on this shit patch of land is awesome. And good for them "If they knew there was billions of barrels of oil here, they would never have put us here," said Spencer Wilkinson Jr., general manager of the Four Bears Casino on the reservation. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:10:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726403 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58732445 This article is very interesting and very exciting in my opinion. I am very happy to see that a people WE destroyed and basically threw off their own land, are now finally benefitting from having been placed on basically what was once the shittiest place anyone could live on. It really upsetting when you think about how there a whole don’t ask don’t tell idea with how the US. Government basically committed one of largest genocides in human history. But they are very well due this reward. In class Sam has said that Native Americans suffer from the lowest levels of poverty as well as suicide and just an overall bad way of living. In the article their talking about how people are finally returning back to the reservation that for years has been viewed as a very depressing place. The Native Americans are rightfully due their tax free area and should be receiving their rightful amount of repatriations. The entire subject of the Native American destruction is very similar to the subject of civil war. The civil war saw bloodshed among brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles, within a country that was seen as being free and prosperous it was a history that we as a country would like to forget. I mean with the Native American it’s a very well kept secret so to say, I mean you put these people on crap land in the middle of no where and think o0o0 they’ll be fine. I mean they get their own land and everything!? What!? NO they were simply moved to an area that we as society at the time deemed as unimportant. Personally the fact that they just found out that there could be up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil on this shit patch of land is awesome. And good for them "If they knew there was billions of barrels of oil here, they would never have put us here," said Spencer Wilkinson Jr., general manager of the Four Bears Casino on the reservation. That statement says it all, however with technology getting better and more advanced, scientists were able to discover this huge amount of oil lying beneath the shale, thus those living on the land (the Indians) are due their royalties. Their land is consisted of a 1500 mile area in North Dakota, which is basically an area that no ordinary person would ever want to live on; it consists of Rollin hills and prairies and basically referred to as the Bad Lands. It is a good thing and anyone that is going to freak out about how their receiving all this good things should be informed and taught that what we did awhile ago was a very destructive thing. Today there is over 600 nationally recognized tribes, imagine what the amount of people there were 300 years ago living on this red land??! It’s a very crazy thought to think about. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:08:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58732445 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58732424 This article is very interesting and very exciting in my opinion. I am very happy to see that a people WE destroyed and basically threw off their own land, are now finally benefitting from having been placed on basically what was once the shittiest place anyone could live on. It really upsetting when you think about how there a whole don’t ask don’t tell idea with how the US. Government basically committed one of largest genocides in human history. But they are very well due this reward. In class Sam has said that Native Americans suffer from the lowest levels of poverty as well as suicide and just an overall bad way of living. In the article their talking about how people are finally returning back to the reservation that for years has been viewed as a very depressing place. The Native Americans are rightfully due their tax free area and should be receiving their rightful amount of repatriations. The entire subject of the Native American destruction is very similar to the subject of civil war. The civil war saw bloodshed among brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles, within a country that was seen as being free and prosperous it was a history that we as a country would like to forget. I mean with the Native American it’s a very well kept secret so to say, I mean you put these people on crap land in the middle of no where and think o0o0 they’ll be fine. I mean they get their own land and everything!? What!? NO they were simply moved to an area that we as society at the time deemed as unimportant. Personally the fact that they just found out that there could be up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil on this shit patch of land is awesome. And good for them "If they knew there was billions of barrels of oil here, they would never have put us here," said Spencer Wilkinson Jr., general manager of the Four Bears Casino on the reservation. That statement says it all, however with technology getting better and more advanced, scientists were able to discover this huge amount of oil lying beneath the shale, thus those living on the land (the Indians) are due their royalties. Their land is consisted of a 1500 mile area in North Dakota, which is basically an area that no ordinary person would ever want to live on; it consists of Rollin hills and prairies and basically referred to as the Bad Lands. It is a good thing and anyone that is going to freak out about how their receiving all this good things should be informed and taught that what we did awhile ago was a very destructive thing. Today there is over 600 nationally recognized tribes, imagine what the amount of people there were 300 years ago living on this red land??! Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:08:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58732424 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726334 This article is very interesting and very exciting in my opinion. I am very happy to see that a people WE destroyed and basically threw off their own land, are now finally benefitting from having been placed on basically what was once the shittiest place anyone could live on. It really upsetting when you think about how there a whole don’t ask don’t tell idea with how the US. Government basically committed one of largest genocides in human history. But they are very well due this reward. In class Sam has said that Native Americans suffer from the lowest levels of poverty as well as suicide and just an overall bad way of living. In the article their talking about how people are finally returning back to the reservation that for years has been viewed as a very depressing place. The Native Americans are rightfully due their tax free area and should be receiving their rightful amount of repatriations. The entire subject of the Native American destruction is very similar to the subject of civil war. The civil war saw bloodshed among brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles, within a country that was seen as being free and prosperous it was a history that we as a country would like to forget. I mean with the Native American it’s a very well kept secret so to say, I mean you put these people on crap land in the middle of no where and think o0o0 they’ll be fine. I mean they get their own land and everything!? What!? NO they were simply moved to an area that we as society at the time deemed as unimportant. Personally the fact that they just found out that there could be up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil on this shit patch of land is awesome. And good for them "If they knew there was billions of barrels of oil here, they would never have put us here," said Spencer Wilkinson Jr., general manager of the Four Bears Casino on the reservation. That statement says it all, however with technology getting better and more advanced, scientists were able to discover this huge amount of oil lying beneath the shale, thus those living on the land (the Indians) are due their royalties.Their land is consisted of a 1500 mile area in North Dakota, which is basically an area that no ordinary person would ever want to live on; it consists of Rollin hills and prairies and basically referred to as the Bad Lands. It is a good thing and anyone that is going to freak out about how their receiving all this good things should be informed and taught that what we did awhile ago was a very destructive thing. Today there is over 600 nationally recognized tribes, imagine what the amount of people there were 300 years ago living on this red land??! It’s a very crazy thought to think about. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:09:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726334 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726160 This article is very interesting and very exciting in my opinion. I am very happy to see that a people WE destroyed and basically threw off their own land, are now finally benefitting from having been placed on basically what was once the shittiest place anyone could live on. It really upsetting when you think about how there a whole don’t ask don’t tell idea with how the US. Government basically committed one of largest genocides in human history. But they are very well due this reward. In class Sam has said that Native Americans suffer from the lowest levels of poverty as well as suicide and just an overall bad way of living. In the article their talking about how people are finally returning back to the reservation that for years has been viewed as a very depressing place. The Native Americans are rightfully due their tax free area and should be receiving their rightful amount of repatriations. The entire subject of the Native American destruction is very similar to the subject of civil war. The civil war saw bloodshed among brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles, within a country that was seen as being free and prosperous it was a history that we as a country would like to forget. I mean with the Native American it’s a very well kept secret so to say, I mean you put these people on crap land in the middle of no where and think o0o0 they’ll be fine. I mean they get their own land and everything!? What!? NO they were simply moved to an area that we as society at the time deemed as unimportant. Personally the fact that they just found out that there could be up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil on this shit patch of land is awesome. And good for them "If they knew there was billions of barrels of oil here, they would never have put us here," said Spencer Wilkinson Jr., general manager of the Four Bears Casino on the reservation. That statement says it all, however with technology getting better and more advanced, scientists were able to discover this huge amount of oil lying beneath the shale, thus those living on the land (the Indians) are due their royalties. Their land is consisted of a 1500 mile area in North Dakota, which is basically an area that no ordinary person would ever want to live on; it consists of Rollin hills and prairies and basically referred to as the Bad Lands. It is a good thing and anyone that is going to freak out about how their receiving all this good things should be informed and taught that what we did awhile ago was a very destructive thing. Today there is over 600 nationally recognized tribes, imagine what the amount of people there were 300 years ago living on this red land??! It’s a very crazy thought to think about. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:07:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58726160 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment57383916 I agree with her in that yes the images we see from only 50-60 years ago ring out within our minds. Those images leave marks not only black people but white people as well. I’ve seen them and they give me just an unsatisfying feeling in my stomach. Seeing the images of the integration of the schools as well as the marches brings and unsettling feeling to me. However should we, those of us living today as “white” people be persecuted for what our elderly family members did? No and it’s not fair. We as a people get! We understand that yes you (black people) had it rough ! But should we be blamed for these issues today no! but we are like laurie stated it always comes down to black and white but it seems that its always black vs. white. Which is sad and just goes to show you that its still a problem. In my opinion the topics of white and black won’t go away for awhile for at least a hundred or so years. From what I have seen most Black people still aren’t over the fact of slavery which as we have all seen in class as sam as said wasn’t all that bad. I mean slavery is bad yes but its been very over emphasized and dramatized. Sam showed us that map of the slave trade, most went to south America not North! As well as the price paid for slave was apparently around 40,000 dollars? Hmmm now if I spent 40 grand on something would I go and be horrible to it and beat and destroy it? I AM NOT SAYING SLAVERY IS GOOD IN ANY WAY! WHAT I AM STATING IS THAT THE IMAGES WE HAVE SEEN OF SLAVERY HAVE BEEN OVER DRAMTIZED. Anyways Black people still haven’t gotten over that era of persecution. Should they No I wouldn’t but I would try to get my facts straight instead of jumping on the other race today and blaming another people for what they did! The tables have turned if anything because of what others have done we are disliked and hated and not respected. Should we be possibly not. But we are in the 21st century now we should all be trying to get along and ahead in life not blaming others for their rough pasts. It sad that it always come back to black and white but in my opinion that’s why, its from both our races turbulent pasts. They get thought about and then because we live in a supposed “open” AND “equal” era things are said about one race and from my observations and in my opinion black people seem to have an unseen dislike for white people. Is it fair? No was slavery fair? No its just the world we live in today. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:14:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment57383916 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56105937 When I saw this article posted by Sam I was merely looking for an interesting topic to comment on. When I began reading this and saw that half of the worlds 7,000 plus languages won’t be around by the time we are dead. That’s something crazy to think about. I mean I was listening to music doing other tasks and then I took that in and thought well what happened or is going to happen to them? Then as I began reading more about how this lady is that just died was the last person to speak her language and with her death went her ENTIRE cultures language! That’s insane! She was 85 years old when she died and her people the Bo tribe had been around for 65,000 years! That’s in immense amount of time of speaking and culture. To think that one day possibly English may not be spoken anymore and with the last person to die who speaks it, also goes the entire culture that has spoken the language. We as a culture who do speak this have developed many many many aspects of our lives around our culture. As the last speakers converse, they spin individual strands in a vast web of knowledge, an innumerable amount of possibilities. They tell how their ancestors calculated accurately the passing of seasons without clocks or calendars. How humans adapted to hostile environments, from the Arctic to Amazonia. People with centuries or apparently thousands of years of speaking the same language have soo many contributions to their culture. I think that we as a society take this for granted, but I mean I highly doubt that the English language is going anywhere for AWHILE. But is a very touchy yet disturbing or overwhelming thought. Imagine just 20,000 years from now that nomore people speak English and with one of the last people still alive speaking it, after they die so dies our language. In reality it is our Culture that dies to. Our language surrounds us; it binds us and keeps us together as a society. This subject is just like people of history for example there is one KNOWN American veteran from the First World War still currently alive today. Frank Buckles joined 4.7 million Americans recruited or conscripted for the new American Expeditionary Forces. They are all gone now all except Buckles, who turned 107 this past February. He is the last living American veteran of the Great War. Think about that 4 million 700,000 American were recruited and there is one last survivor. It’s a very intimidating thought. Those who fought in World War II are now celebrated as "The Greatest Generation," but there were no such honors for the veterans of Frank Buckles' war. Many came home to find their jobs gone or their farms in a terrible state. I mean yes WWII was a very large and more intense war but 4.7 million American were involved in WWI the first and known as GREAT WAR now there is all but one left alive. Language is a very powerful thing and it ties a great deal into our culture. Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:55:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air-including-our-words__trashed/#IDComment56105937 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55246362 Cameron’s epic story that had been almost ten years in the making has been a huge hit with people, since now it is almost within reach of overthrowing Cameron’s big seller and all time record holding movie titanic. I personally saw the movie and yes that plot is rather boring and VERY VERY LONG but it was mostly an epic movie because of the visuals and special effects that were used in the making of the movie. The story as Mr. Brooks puts it does have the white messiah complex going on which is why in my opinion the move suffered. We’ve seen it in all sorts of movies as Brooks states but it still is pretty good story but it is kind of cliché though. Here’s this white guy that comes from a very industrialized society and is thrown into this clan of “savages” or natives and then magically or as they do it, over time becomes their savior? That is why the movie suffers though you would think such a good director as Cameron who also made hits like Aliens, terminator 2 and titanic would have a better story line. Also due to the fact that it was almost ten years in the making for him. I Kind of agree with brooks, but do I think he is thinking way to into the movie? Yes like I stated and as experts have the movie was more of a special effects and visual master piece then a story. I agree with brooks in how describes the story as the white messiah which we have all seen before in other movies. I mean I do disagree that he came up with that though or made that accusation. Again sadly the white man is being persecuted for being put into a movie and is portrayed as a HERO not a messiah. Anymore if anything is white it’s seen as a “bad” thing and it sucks. The themes of the white hero in my opinion are just another form of movie like a western or horror film. And in time I guess it’ll switch to the Asian messiah or black messiah. But we aren’t allowed to say anything if were white because we’ll be a racist. The bottom line with Brooks’ article is that he is merely pointing out that fact that movie directors like to look to the white man to solve all of life’s problems which is probably not what the director is thinking about when he writes a script. It is these crazy ass critics that think way too much into these films that ruin it and then we all feel bad because we think about how a lot of movies are like this o0o0o then this should stop! Like WTF? Come on movies are supposed to be for entertainment not freaking political or racial ideologies. Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:42:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55246362 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54005616 This video is CRAZYYY true and it’s something that people here in the United States need to see. Yes there is a very troubled history here in the United States with the slavery problem and the civil right movements in the 60’s but clearly Europe has more problems apparently then the US. It’s impossible to make everybody like everybody, everybody has issues or dislikes other especially when it comes to race, and this is a very sad thing to say but it’s the truth. In my opinion the tables have turned when it comes to racism in the States. What do I mean by this? White people are on the verge of becoming a minority in the US. And why is it that today “certain people” can talk openly about other of a color or race but if a white person says something the world stops and that person gets yelled at shit on or hated and then is stuck to live the rest of their lives as that white guy who sad something bad about whoever. We have become soooo scared that we literally can’t say anything anymore without “offending” people. And if we do try as best we can we stillll get it “wrong”. But if a “Minority” be it black, Chinese, whoever if they were to say o0o0o0o0o that guys such a “cracker” it’s ok? Right? Well in Europe it’s apparently ok and nobody’s getting hurt or protesting. I saw a shirt that said “MY president is Black no more white lies” like are you kidding me now lets say 4 years from now a white guy happens to beat Obama if he runs again. If I was seen wearing that t-shirt I’d probably get jumped like let’s change the slogan to my president is white AGAIN no more black lies? Like are you serious. \\ The bottom line is that we are all Americans we are all people from this country there should be no hate, no oppression. However people are entitled to wear and say whatever they want. That’s the way of the United States, but anymore its just that way for certain people. And Europe now that is just a crazy house, but ever heard of movie called green street hooligans? Its an amazing move that shows how obsessed people are about football over there. Are the players that freaked out and stopped playing while being tormented justified in freaking out? HELLL YES! We clearly don’t have as much racism here in the US that openly stated but we still have some sort of racism. Government apparently seems to be involved here to what with the fascist remarks and such. But like stated football in Europe is their greatest pastime more then our football and baseball combined! There are going to be extremist out there that simply don’t like others. I like to say when people are like that, that they were programmed wrong. Meaning they were brought up or hung out with others that thought they way they do. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:30:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/racism-looks-pretty-good-on-this-side-of-the-atlantic__trashed/#IDComment54005616 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-p-or-q__trashed/#IDComment53876833 response Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:17:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-p-or-q__trashed/#IDComment53876833 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53084181 Throughout my life I was raised in catholic home, as well as attended catholic school from kindergarten to 12th grade. It was always taught that Jesus died for our sins and that he will return to save us. Now does this event tie into the disasters that have affected the world today? I’m agreeing with Laurie’s post that things happen at random and have some sort of reason. Haiti sits on an unstable part of the world when those plates underneath Haiti moved it wound up destroying basically everything. I’ve been taught for so many years that God has a part in everything and that events happen in order for us to be “liberated” or saved such as the “great flood” and Noah that occurred apparently because God was fed up with the way us as a society were acting so he sent a great flood and started over. Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, did they deserve this disaster? No but it happened. I’ve never seen so much aid being put together for such an event and maybe it has to do with the way technology has advanced, but there are so many relief agencies its overwhelming. This is the way it should be though we are one of the richest nations in the world. Should we assist another much poorer country in its time of need? YES Maybe God does play a role within an event, With this disaster we have been able to donate and basically rebuild a country that even before this event was bad, we can now build it better then it ever was. God may have a master plan that was destroy this little country and then allow the rest of the world to build it back up better then ever and get them off to the right foot. There are two sides to every story in mine, honestly I am very confused. As ive stated I was always raised to think about God in certain way but since I’ve come to college my thoughts and views towards God have been shaken. I don’t know what to think anymore. The bottom line is do I believe in God? Yes Do I believe he has a grand plan to liberate us from our sins? Possibly. However do I also believe that event will happen naturally such as the disaster in Haiti? Yes as stated before their location has a lot to do with what happened. I also agree with Laurie’s statement that maybe we are to recognize suffering and then assist in helping those that are. Did Jesus deserve to die on the cross? No Would I have helped him if I could have yes because nobody deserved that treatment or way to die. I would have recognized his suffering and assisted him, and I know other would have done the same as me. Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:10:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/haitis-calamity__trashed/#IDComment53084181