en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/762981 Comments by mes5417 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69985225 However you have to understand that the show is meant to be funny. Forms of entertainment take all forms. For example you have movies, sports, drama, reality, and comedy. South Park is a form of comedy that is successful for over a decade. There aren’t many shows currently on TV that lasts more than ten years. The Simpsons has the record for the longest lasting TV series in history. South Park is like the Simpsons. The format is a cartoon and the main characters are abstract. During some episodes there would be appearances by celebrities and most the time the celebrity would be made fun of. South Park is a show that does just that. Muhammad is a god like figure in the Muslim community; therefore, can be argued that he is a celebrity. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:42:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69985225 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69985203 When I say the word material, it means props or ideas that the writers use to make the shows. We already established that South Park is a show which makes fun of current events in a humorous way. For example, just recently the show made fun of Facebook users and their addiction to the website. Also, a few years ago when Steve Erwin died, South Park had him the next episode that aired. It’s a show that makes fun of everything in the world. There is no stopping on what they make fun of. In response to the people who are upset the Mohammad was criticized, they have to realize it’s just a cartoon. South Park already made fun of Jesus many times during the franchise. They called him fake and made up. So the point I’m trying to make is that there is no segregation of topics that the writers use to make their shows. Religion, sex, deaths, and celebrities are all far game on South Park. There are sometimes where South Park can be offensive for me because they are making fun of issues I feel strongly about. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:42:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69985203 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69985180 In response to the South Park comment, I am an avid South Park fan. I have been watching South Park for basically my whole life. The writers of the show depict current events and make abstract situations in order to make the show more entertaining. The closest shows I can describe South Park as is the Simpsons. Instead of the whole family being the main characters, picture Bart, the son, being the main character. The comedy central hit, South Park, is about four third grade students in a Colorado Elementary School. Of course, to make the show funny, the elementary students curse obnoxiously. Essentially they don’t act like third graders at all; they act more like middle school students because of their intelligence levels. With that quick overview of the show, now comes the main discussion of their material. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:42:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment69985180 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68300991 My great grandparents worked and were injured in the coal mines and got paid small amounts of money. The wages were so low and it was controlled by the Unites States. I can image what the wages would be is a foreign country would control the coal mines. I can guarantee that the United States wouldn’t be a super power like it is today. During World War II, the coal mines in Pennsylvania were a key component to the factories producing weapons for the allies. If the Chinese or another foreign nation would have been in control of our fuel, the war might not have been won by the allies. Of course this is all theory but it is an accurate theory. Sam was trying to make the class think about a global issue that affects our economy every day. In return, the economy affects our way of life every day. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:36:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68300991 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68300960 Many people still live in a bubble that is enclosed onto State College. The lecture was fascinating and precise. He made the class into an abstract Iraqi college where we were to imagine that we were Iraqi students. The exercise was a success! I followed him completely through the exercise and it made me think of my parents. My parents have been saying that the war isn’t for the terror, it’s for oil. Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do now to stop the war because it’s already on the decline. Overall, I was amazed at the lecture today. It was my second favorite lecture this year, the first being the king of the hill scenario. Also, the example that Sam used about the coal being mined by the Chinese was very effective in my mind. Since I come from eastern PA, there is a lot of anthracite coal mines where I live. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:35:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68300960 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68300933 In response to the lecture on Thursday, I have to say its eye opening. I believe that Sam is a fantastic professor. I do not agree with every word he says but I do listen to every word he says. I’m getting tired of people in the class stating comments on the website that Sam doesn’t know what he’s talking about. The people who are stating rude comments are people who can’t grasp global problems. They see a global problem as a right or wrong. In order to understand Sam, you unfortunately have to have some sort of intelligence, which some students do not have. Sam was making very key points in the lecture today and people were walking out in discuss. Why? I have friends in Iraq right now. So they surely aren’t more offended than me. However, Sam wasn’t making points to offend people; he was making points to open people’s eyes to a global issue. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:35:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68300933 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65686275 I believe that every working citizen wants to see their tax money go to a good cause. Welfare is a good cause if it is used appropriately. I believe that the United States should not abandon the welfare program. Since there are individuals out there that really needs its support. I do want to change the program though. I think if the program had a lower budget of money that would cause it’s over seers to be more productive. With the over seers (government officials), being more responsible to whom gets aide, the system will be hard to fraud. It would hopefully cause a domino effect in society. The next generation that is destined to be on welfare might not become a reality. Since now, that they know the system (the government) will be harder to get money from. Hopefully youths today will see that having children at a young age and being unemployed is not a bright future economically, therefore they will be less inclined to have children. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 02:36:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65686275 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65686251 Since the United States is a country that believes in freedom and helping others, the citizens are inclined to think positively. They think by having a welfare program it is a positive way for people to help indirectly. (The welfare program, of course, is funded through taxes.) The taxes, obviously, is paid by the American citizen who has a job. So people who have a job and work for a living, have to pay for people who don’t have jobs. These people who don’t have jobs have time to have children though. A lot of the people on welfare are single mothers who have more than one child. The fact that adults have children and they don’t have a job is mind boggling for working Americans. Of course there are many exceptions to many rules, there are people on welfare that do work hard. However, I’m calling out the individuals that take advantage of the government. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 02:36:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65686251 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65686234 Welfare is a subject that politicians have discussed among their peers for decades. It’s a subject that the average American citizens knows and debates. Some people agree with the current system of welfare but an overwhelming people in America are against Welfare. I will discuss examples that I have seen over the past years of people’s reactions to welfare. Over time it seems to me that people are getting irritated that people in America live on welfare. Not only do parents of the past generation live on welfare, but the next generation of youth is currently living on welfare. So we see a trend of people living their whole lives on welfare, which is referred to “generations of welfare”. I believe this is when people not on welfare start to have a problem. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 02:36:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65686234 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64279283 In response to the video I was not to surprised when I saw it on Thursday. When I was in high school I saw it in Sociology class. At that time, it was astonishing because I did not think that race effected young children at that age. I thought young children were not aware of the causes that race plays in Society. For example my brother’s best friend in kindergarden was a black boy whose name was Jamal. He told me that they would play together everyday in school. Then one day Jamal’s older brother approached the two of them at recess and asked Mike way does he play with a black boy. I can assume that Mike probably did not understand the question at the tie and responded with a confused face. I remember this event because my brother came home from school and asked my mother what the question meant. My mother is a very understanding woman who raises my brother and I to understanding just like her. She comes from an area that is racist and she probably was a little racist when growing up. However when my brother and I were born my father and mother wanted to raise to great children. In order to raise to excellent children my parents knew they had to set a great example. The process of being a role model isn’t a switch you can turn on and off. The process is constant. So she replied to my brother that sometimes people don’t always get along and they sometimes blame this on their skin. However this family judges people on their character not their skin color. I remember her saying this because she constantly states this quote when race plays a role in our family. I come from an area that is mostly white. Racism does play a role in my high school and my neighboring high schools. At my rival school Pottsville my brother is currently student teaching. Pottsville is a high school where the location is set in the city. Unlike Blue Mountain, my alma mater, the black population is much less then Pottsville’s. Many inner city adolescents go to Pottsville high instead of going to the Catholic High school Nativity. My brother notices these racial classes in the school while teaching. He sees that white people in Pottsville are a lot more accepting to black people and the black people are a lot more accepting to white people. The racial clashes in a city school are much less then in a rural white school. So I would challenge the test of the dolls again. I feel that the black students in Blue Mountain would choose the white doll. On the other hand, I feel that the black students in Pottsville will choose the black doll. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:21:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64279283 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62986251 So why should white people ask black people to put their guard down? It isn’t logical for black people to do that right now in today’s society. So of course, when a racist comment appears on the projector, black people will feel more offended than white people. White people don’t get discriminated against as much as black people. So their whole cognitive thinking doesn’t involve the thought of racism. In the United State, black people must travel through life with a thought of possible discrimination. White people must understand this defense mechanism because if it were them being discriminated then they would have the same thoughts. The future will is open for new and hopefully a more positive society. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:52:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62986251 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62986230 Most the time the inappropriate texts are not offensive to anyone in the room but sometimes a text or two may. I do have to admit, when it is just a white person’s poll, black people seem to get offended more of what white people say. For example on Tuesday, a group of black people got offended because a text was put up about black people being loud in a computer lab. The text may have been sent by a black person, the poll is totally anonymous. After the question is asked to just white people, the question is then asked to the black people. The responses to the particular question are as offending or more offending to white people but white people don’t make a big deal about. Why is this so? I think that black people think about race more than white people. They think of racial discrimination more than white people. I’m not saying that it’s wrong for them to think that why but how can white people blame them for this way of thinking. Black people are being segregated against everyday indirectly more than white people on average. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:52:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62986230 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62986200 The text during class is a great idea that Sam has because it allows for instant feedback on the topic. He purposely tried it out the class before spring break so that the immature texters would get their fun. Of course, the texts are sometimes skewed either way because of the people who want to be recognized as being different. During class Sam presents two types of texting polls. The first one is a poll. It is when an individual text a keyword to a number then the results is shown in a poll format. The next type of poll is a poll where you can text your answer to a particular question then the statement you text will show up on the screen. There are about seven texts on the screen at any given moment during the question. Occasionally there will be a text that has nothing to do with the subject and the text is usually inappropriate. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:52:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment62986200 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59942574 Maybe Hollister sets these codes of dress in place for employees who want to wear unnecessary clothing n their heads. If Hollister allowed for their employees to wear hats, the whole atmosphere of the store might change. Hollister might just be afraid of change because they do not know if that change will be a good one. Many employees, they feel, might take advantage of no policy on head wear. In some Hollister stores, it might be a competition among employees to wear the most outrageous head wear because that is the only part of the body that does not have a dress code. In any scenario, if you do not have a dress code, people will dress the way they want to. It is their given right, hence the no dress code. It all boils down to Hollister fearing change in the working environment that will lead to a decline in sales. If they abolish the rule of head wear, it will cause a change that is unanticipated for Hollister. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 21:40:12 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59942574 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59942535 Maybe Hollister doesn’t want to grow? The answer is no, Hollister does want to grow but they don’t care about Muslim women. Why doesn’t Hollister care about Muslim women? It is simple, not many Muslim women wear Hollister clothing. It is an economic trade off, because Hollister feels if they have Muslim women as employees it might have a negative response to business. Right now, in the Unites States, there is much negativity that surrounds Muslims. The reason for this is because of the war in Iraq. The media generalizes all Muslims as extremists and therefore portrays them to the public as enemies. This is unfortunate because many Muslims are not extremists and they feel the same way everyone else does about the war on terror. Or maybe Hollister just discriminates for different reasons? This can be true but we have to ask the reason why. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 21:39:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59942535 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59942520 In today’s society, many people think that discrimination is an old fact and that it doesn’t exist anymore. Unfortunately, they are wrong. Discrimination exists in place where you think it wouldn’t be found. For example, Hollister, a well know clothing company, deliberately discriminated against a woman because of religious beliefs. The company has a policy with their workers stating that a worker, when on duty, cannot wear anytime of clothing on their head. Of course, the woman who is applying for the job knows this policy but explains to Hollister that the head garment is for religious purposes. Apparently, Hollister doesn’t care about racial diversity in their working environment. If this story gets on local stations around the country, Hollister will have a significant amount of sales reduction. Every business needs diversity if they want to grow. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 21:39:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59942520 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58888341 I know when I’m an employer I will not socially categorize names. I will want my company to grow therefore; I will pick the best candidate for the job. Resume quality is the most important thing for a job application. Someone’s name or title is irrelevant for a company that wants to prosper. Unfortunately to the colored community they are still feeling side effects to a stereotype. The only way to combat this stereotype is not to complain about, but show everyone how hard you work individually. American people need to change this thought over time. The next working force, our working force, can change this thought. Business owners will change in the next 20 years because the United States is on its way to not being a powerful nation. Only if we, as Americans, can find a way to low our national debt then we will be able to withhold our social power. With job opportunities become smaller every day, social stereotypes will dwindle, because it will be a nation driven by personal greed. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:24:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58888341 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58888314 Only you can judge that. The point I’m trying to make is that Polish people when they came over to the United States must have been very uneducated therefore; other social groups classified them as stupid. Stereotypes are true when they are made. Polish people when they came over were probably a lot less educated then other social classes. The problem is when the stereotype crosses into other generations and the classification is no longer true. The issue of being false is the greatest effect among society. Maybe colored people many generations ago did not work hard and slacked off in the working world? Because stereotypes exist through generations, colored people and non colored people still feel the harmful effects. A black person has every right to get a fair chance a job, just like a white man should have a fair chance also. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:24:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58888314 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58888286 I’m not sure if people of color would choose necessarily a person of color or a white person. In my opinion, a well educated colored person would choose a white person’s name over a colored person’s name. I would think in the city environment, that small shop business owners would be more selective on name. It all comes down again to the topic of stereotypes. In ever culture, where social classes are relevant, there will be stereotypes. Just like in the United States, place in the Far East and in undeveloped countries still have stereotypes. Maybe a tribe might use prior judge to characterize another tribe or the same tribe but just a different generation of people. Stereotypes aren’t just made up. They are actions that a particular group of people perform. For example, I’m half Polish and the stereotype is that Polish people are stupid. Is that necessarily true to me personally? Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:23:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination__trashed/#IDComment58888286 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57703711 Although women are more acceptable than men, women still have the same playing field of obstacles that gay men must face. In most states lesbian women cannot get married. The state calls it a union. Why are lesbians more accepted in society? Most men do not mind when they see two girls making out r exchanging sexual intercourse. Many porn industries thrive off men buying their videos of lesbian porn. Lesbian porn excites straight men because they feel that one woman is great and two women are even better. Now there is a trend for straight women to make out with other straight women. I think women feel more open to it because men are more open to it. The bottom line is that straight women want to impress straight men. If straight men like to see two girls kiss then straight women will do it. Then why don’t straight men kiss? Straight men feel that they need to macho all the time in society and a gay kiss is feminine. There will be no result or resolution to gay marriage in the near future. The baby boomer generation must pass then a new accepting generation will take public office. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:34:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-six__trashed/#IDComment57703711