en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/757253 Comments by mjd5370 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69948374 This letter was really inspirational to me. Before this class, I had never thought about inmates as anyone other than bad people in a place they should be away from all the good people in the world. But this letter as well as hearing Sam talk about his experiences with the lifers has really changed my perspective. I give so much credit to these people who have changed their lives around and think it is so interesting how different their outlook on live is now. I am not condemning the crimes they have committed but I am very impressed to hear of such compassion and caring these humans are capable of. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:19:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69948374 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69947988 It think it is really difficult for Americans to feel something about people that are not close to them. It hits home when it is someone you know or even when it occurs in your own country. But when disasters happen to other people all over the world it is difficult to mourn someone you feel you have no connection to. I am not saying this is fair or ok, but it is the way it works. In a country of such fast paced lives it is difficult to just stop for a minute and think about the other people in the world, even if something as terrible as the earthquake in Haiti happens. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:16:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69947988 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69947262 I understand where you are coming from in saying that a lot of the immigrants do not have the money to do it legally. I do not think this is an excuse though for people to be allowed to immigrate illegally. I personally do not believe that illegal immigrants should be allowed in the country, but I do understand that them being here is inevitable. Our country needs them in the workforce and I believe there is no right answer to this problem. Right now, whether you immigrate legally is based on how much money you have. Although this is unfair, what else would it be based on? You cannot just open your borders to tons of foreigners who bring nothing to the country. This may not seem fair in selecting people based on how much money they have rather than how hard they will work but there is no way to measure someone’s drive. I think this is a way more complex issue than people think and there really is no simple answer. I think this issue is really interesting how people have such strong views on illegal immigrants in this country. How can people really criticize others who are just trying to better their lives when that is exactly how we ended up in America? If any the Mexicans were stronger than our country they would come and take it over. But the fact is we are the stronger ones which is why we get to say who stays here and who does not. It certainly is not fair that this is the way it works. I am ethnocentric in that I believe I live in the greatest country in the world. Why wouldn’t people want to come live here and who are we to tell them they can’t? There has to be some kind of boundaries though. There are only so many people that can fit in this country and it would not be very fair to take all of the American’s jobs away because of the immigrants. I can definitely understand why people hire illegal immigrants and I think it is essential for our country to succeed by hiring these people for much lower wages. I think people are way too quick to criticize the system that we already have without having a better way of doing it. I personally cannot think of a better way of doing it so I do not think I have much room to criticize. Yes, it would be nice to choose the people that get into this country based on how hard they work but I really see no way of fairly deciding who works hard and who does not. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:10:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69947262 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/the-tyranny-of-radical-muslims__trashed/#IDComment68404718 I think it is a shame that people are perceived and looked at in a certain way because of huge figures like Osama bin Laden. These Muslims will never really be looked at as equal when living in this country because there is such a negative image of them because of past experiences. I cannot really blame people for not looking at them the same because of what has happened in this country. It sucks that because one person does awful things that anyone like him is looked at the same way. Everyone is different and just because your Muslim does not make you a bad person. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:02:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/the-tyranny-of-radical-muslims__trashed/#IDComment68404718 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68404249 I think the end goal is to really open everyone’s eyes to the fact that these issues are going on throughout the world, instead of just ignoring them. If no one really knows about these issues, they can never be fixed. I think the major goal of this race relation’s class was for everyone to think differently then they normally do in the past. I know that throughout this class I have changed my views on many issues just because I saw them in a new light. Everything is not as simple as I thought and this class really helped me realize that. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:58:06 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68404249 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68403628 I completely agree with everything that Sam said in class. It really opened my eyes to look at the war in a different way than I ever have. I think this war is insane and should be stopped right away. How do any of the political leaders in this country find it ok and even think it is the fair thing to do to go into a country, take over, kill innocent people. and steal their oil. They act like we deserve it over everyone else when in fact we deserve nothing. We are completely oblivious to how controlling this country really is and it is clear that we think we can get whatever we want. This makes me wonder if there will be a day when someone invades our country, kills our people and takes something that is ours. I am pretty sure our government would not let anyone do this to us, let alone think it was fair. I also was one of the people to raise my hand when Sam asked who would join the insurgent against the Americans. There is no way I would be ok with anyone coming in trying to steal anything because they are more powerful. We just think we can abuse anyone and get away with it. I think one day our country is going to pay for all the damage being done and I think our political leaders need to stop this abuse. Although I have great pride in my country and may be ethnocentric in that I believe America is the best place in the world, I do not agree with a lot of what my country does. This also kind of relates to how we just came in and took over the land of the Native Americans. Just because we were more powerful then them, we basically ruined all of their people. Now we live in guilt for doing this to them, but yet we won’t do anything about it. If we keep just doing things because we are so powerful, one of these days someone will become more powerful than us and give us a taste of our own medicine. I completely feel ashamed and awful for what is happening to the innocent people over in the Middle East just because our army is there. I have the utmost respect for all the soldiers fighting this war, but I do not agree with it. Our government needs to reevaluate their decisions and the outcomes and stop doing things like this. I really loved this lecture and I thought that Sam did an amazing job at opening peoples eyes on this issue. I know my eyes were definitely opened. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:53:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68403628 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66620931 I do not think the point of this class was to change anyone’s opinion about any topic. It is more about making you think and challenging your beliefs. Sam has said numerous times that his goal is to make us think. And let me tell you this is the first class that I can truly say has made me think about things I never thought I would. It has influenced me so much because before, I thought I knew everything. This has really opened my eyes to so many different topics, not even only about race, but just about life. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 17:26:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66620931 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment66619716 I believe that Sam talked in class about how affirmative action has little affect on everyone. I do not know how this really applies to the workforce because I doubt people would hire anyone not completely qualified for the job. They will just happen to be of different race, but I highly doubt they will higher a doctor who is under qualified. They will just work harder to find a person of different ethnic background and just as good qualifications for the job. If someone is applying to be a doctor, they have gone through all of the tests and schooling to be capable to perform surgeries and do the tasks professionally. It is not like people are just going to go hire random people with different ethnicities off the street to abide by affirmative action. I do not think that affirmative action hinders enough whites from the schooling they want and deserve and the jobs they want to make this a major issue. Whites have stopped African Americans from going to school and getting certain jobs for a lot of American history. I believe this is a way bigger issue to solve than affirmative action. Affirmative action is looked at in such a negative way when people really do not even understand its real affects. Now talking about nepotism, I feel that this is a bigger issue than affirmative action. This is because when dealing with nepotism, you will have cases when a person completely unskilled and unqualified for a certain job is hired, whereas with affirmative action they are at least qualified for the job. I could say I think nepotism is horrible and should be stopped, but that would be very hypocritical of me. If my parents have any way of getting me a job through connections you better believe I will take it. But then again, I am an eighteen year old looking for summer jobs. I think nepotism is ok in some circumstances, but once you start to deal with huge jobs that require many years of learning and many difficult tests, these places have no place for nepotism. It is completely unfair to allow someone a top job opportunity who is less qualified because you have family relations. I do not think there is any way to really stop nepotism or even contain it, but I believe that the bosses will suffer from their decisions. If someone picks their sister for a huge job and she proves under qualified and incompetent, it hurts the boss and company. I do not think many companies can afford mistakes like this, especially in this economy. Nepotism is done everywhere and I am sure most people have experienced it in some point in their years of jobs. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 17:15:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment66619716 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65250812 This video really surprised me. I felt very oblivious to the fact that black kids would pick the white dolls. Growing up in a mostly white community I was very sheltered from any other races. I think the fact that the girls with lighter skin are portrayed by most blacks as the prettier ones has a lot to do with why they picked the white doll. I don’t think Disney has enough impact to truly affect these children, but what they hear and learn from their parents makes a big difference. I found it really awful that the last girl struggled so hard with picking the doll that looked like her. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 18:28:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment65250812 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/how-can-we-ever-win__trashed/#IDComment65249111 This entire class is aimed at basically making fun of every race so that we are all comfortable talking about all the stereotypes. If you cannot laugh at these kinds of ads and videos that Sam puts up in class, then you are missing the entire point of what he is trying to say. He is not trying to offend anyone. I took the ads as him trying to prove that what are people really looking for. If blacks dress like whites then why is it ok that they get made fun of for that. It should just be ok to wear whatever fits your personality, not always about race. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 18:22:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/how-can-we-ever-win__trashed/#IDComment65249111 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65243046 Honestly, I feel that this whole black/brown or white team thing is what you make of it. If you want to be seen as white then that’s what you will portray to everyone else. If you want to be seen as black or brown then that is what people will see you as. But my question is, why do you have to pick one? Can’t you just be you and not pick a “side”. A major goal of a lot of people is get equality for all people no matter what your color is. So why are we splitting people up into groups based on color. I do not think it is very fair that this student has to go through life not really understanding what to call himself or what “team” he is on. If there were no teams then this would not be an issue. I think the answer to this student’s question is really what he wants to be. If he feels more connected through his family and experiences to the brown side then that is what he should stick with. By expressing to others his background, it will make people more aware that not everyone is what they look like. He should embrace the fact that he considers himself brown and express this to everyone. If more people see that not all brown people can be differentiated from the whites, they will more easily see that race is not important. Growing up in a family with two white parents, one Italian and the other French, I find it hard to relate to this student. I cannot really say that I understand what he is going through but I enjoy learning about the different types of races and people in the world. It is an eye opening experience to realize that there is more to the world than just white, black, and brown people. I feel that this student is a great example to everyone of the difficulties people has with their race. I would like to tell this student to just be whoever he wants to be. He does not need to be the white kid or brown kid. He can just be himself. This racial identity in multiracial people is a complicated situation with no real answer. This student will go through life dealing with the troubles faced by brown people, while still trying to embrace the white side. It is complex to balance the two sides but I think what is most important is individuality. As long as you stick to being your own person and not let other people’s words change you, teams mean nothing. Be you, that’s all you really can do. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 18:01:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-about-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment65243046 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment63961021 This whole topic about why don’t men know a lot about menstrual cycles stems from a couple of things. First, I don’t think men were really taught enough about it to have a good idea of what exactly is going on in a completely different body then their own. But then again, I really have no idea what goes on in a men’s body either. So we really can’t blame them. Also, I think that men don’t really want to know. They don’t want to be the one to ask the questions and find out the real answers so it has just become this sort of taboo subject. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:46:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment63961021 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment63960493 Now that I think about it, it does seem like Sam seems to skip over talking a lot about Asians. I think this has a lot to due with how much tension and history there is between black and whites; and also with Native Americans and whites. Yet, the Asian population in America just seems to be there. I am guilty of the fact that I cannot tell the different types of Asians apart and probably not even Asian Americans. I feel like there is a lack of teaching about the different cultures and types of people, so they are greatly just skipped over in this country. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:40:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment63960493 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment63960037 I think it was such an interesting class to see how guys react to the topic. But not only guys but also girls. I have always wondered what the big deal was with the woman time of the month. It happens to every woman every month of the year and yet Sam could barely even say the word bleeding without giggles and astonished voices coming from everyone. What is so disgusting about what allowed us all to be present on this earth? I wish it was a topic that could openly be discussed by everyone. Having a boyfriend for over two years, I still found it an awkward subject. Women should not be embarrassed about something that is a natural thing, but we are. With that being said, I kind of understand why it is not a talked about subject. I do not want to talk to men about something that they completely do not understand and never will. It is a touchy subject because it deals with the feminine parts. I am guilty too of not speaking about it to anyone besides my close girlfriends. I am pretty sure this will never change either. Men will always be disgusted by the topic and women will always feel embarrassed by it. But why should women be embarrassed? I feel like there is a lot of pressure from the men in the world to hide it and act like it does not happen. If men went through what us women did every month, I think they would have a very different reaction to the whole subject. First of all, they would not think it is a gross and uncomfortable subject. The world would be a lot different in the superior role of men. I feel like they look at it as a weakness of ours, when really it should be something that is respected. Now, I am not saying that men should go around worshiping women every time of the month they get their periods, but I would like them for once to put themselves in our shoes. All of the emotional and physical things we have to go through because of this natural cycle and not make fun of us when we are a little moody. I would love to hear what men really think when they try to imagine going through this “bleeding” and I am pretty sure we would get some sympathy out of it. I am not so sure if I agree with talking about it in a group of 600 people. It is a very personal matter that is a woman’s own business. And although I find it amusing hearing Sam talk about his wife, I am pretty sure not many other men in the world think like that, or ever will. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:35:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment63960037 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63069431 I think this is a really interesting question considering how much we have discussed that there really is no one person that is truly just white or black. Yet everyday in class these groups are set apart. I think that this really depends on what the people answering identify themselves as. If they doo not see themselves as white, then they should text for the colored one. I guess I have never really debated this topic because I consider myself just white. I wonder if this offends some of the people that do not know how to identify themselves for these polls. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:39:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63069431 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63068279 First of all, I think it is really immature of anyone, despite their color, to text the inappropriate comments. I feel like when white people made a comment it was taken more offensively, kind of like whites always have to watch what they say. Their comments can be twisted into racist remarks and looked at much differently then their actual meaning. When any African Americans would make the rude remarks, people saw it as funny, not offensive. For a long time whatever whites say has been criticized much more because they are the ones who have the most power. Everything they say is scrutinized much more than other races, which is one of the main reasons that at the “race table” whites sit back and say nothing. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:29:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63068279 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63067295 This is such a great story and I think it is so good that a woman is finally coaching football. Growing up in a family where football was part of every fall Sunday, screaming at the TV, I think it is about time that about time that a woman coaches. I find it really surprising that it has taken this long for a woman to coach. I find this woman pretty inspirational and admire how positive she is about the whole situation. She made it seem like it was not even a big deal and seems so genuinely dedicated to the job. I do not see why a woman should not coach a football team, especially by someone who is an experienced football player. If they have the knowledge and experience to coach, then their gender should not even be a factor. Coaching is just using your expertise to guide your team to victory. She is not playing with the guys so I do not see why anyone should have any reason to not support her. I am sure that a lot of men are making comments about this behind her back, but not to her face. Being a strong willed woman, I myself have dealt with many guys making comments about woman. They make comments telling me to stay in the kitchen and other derogatory statements. I feel like she is a strong enough woman to get through it and be a successful coach. I wonder if there are going to be any extra troubles for her because she is African American. I think it is cool that the first woman to be a football coach is also black. She is dealing with two challenges and breaking down some pretty big barriers for women. This makes me wonder if one day a woman will coach a professional football team, and what other sports this will influence. With my brother playing hockey all of his life, I have never seen a woman as his coach. I have never seen any professional hockey or football coaches as women. I do not think that women will ever be at the level of profession in sports as men are. There is too much of a stereotype against women in sports for them to be that successful. All throughout high school I had wished that there were more of an opportunity for women to get involved in football. I knew that if I ever did, would never be taken seriously and most likely get made fun of for doing something that I loved. I admire this woman for not caring what people think and going for her dreams, even if they aren’t what is accepted in society. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:20:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63067295 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61608546 I think this story is crazy. Like really, what century are we in? It is completely ridiculous that this is happening and I feel awful for McMillen because I know a lot of her classmates would be so angry with her for being the cause of cancelling the prom. This is completely unacceptable, any person no matter what their preference should be allowed to go to prom. It is one of the highlights of any student’s high school years. This should not be any different because someone is gay and I feel like she can wear whatever she wants, including a tuxedo. The school should be ashamed for their decision. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:46:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61608546 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment61606266 I think it is ridiculous that Abercrombie does this type of thing. Although it is crazy, I am not surprised one bit. If you walk into any of the stores it is filled with beautiful stereotypical California looking people, most of which are white. I do not understand why they would tell her she could wear the headscarf, and then fire her for that exact reason. They have had these types of incidents one too many times and something serious needs to be enforced to stop this type of open discrimination. It is wrong in so many ways and I hope that this woman wins the lawsuit. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:38:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment61606266 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment61589257 I think it has a lot to do with what race the star of the show is. If the bachelor was African American, there would be predominantly African American people. It has a lot to do with what the person looking for a partner is generally attracted to. I know that nowadays most Americans are open to interracial relationships, but that does not mean that they are preferred. This goes both ways, most black people are open to it but would probably prefer to be with a person the same race as them. I think it is interesting though that depending on what channel you are watching, the races very. It is true that ABC is predominantly white yet other stations like BET or MTV have a lot, if not mostly black people. I think that each network is looking to please the race that watches most of their shows. Not only the bachelor, but also most of the shows on ABC are based on the white race. Yet if you change to the BET network, most of the shows are based on the black race. I do not think that The Bachelor should have to change their contestants based on race. It should be about what the person is looking for in a relationship and if that person is more attracted to women who are white that should be the majority of people on the show. And I also do not believe that the shows on BET should be altered to incorporate more whites. Not only do I think that certain networks tend to lean towards a particular race, but also gender. There are stations predominantly female or male. I do not believe they should have to change though to make each station equally each gender. I feel that each station needs to fit a certain group; otherwise they would all be similar. It is ok to lean towards one race or gender, as long as the audience is happy with it. I feel like people make too much of a big deal out of little things like what number of people on a show are a certain color. Well if we worry about adding more black people into The Bachelor then what about other races like Native American or Asian. It is pretty much impossible to make sure that an equal number of every race takes a part in every TV show. I do believe that the fact that The Bachelor, on ABC, is mostly white because of how long it has been on air. Decades ago, no people of color would even be caught on ABC so I believe they are going in the right direction towards integrating races into their shows. It is certainly better now than the beginning of ABC. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:37:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment61589257