I think that you have a really valid point, women need to look past the way Hollywood portrays beauty because we are all beautiful in our own way. It really makes me sad when I see young women, trying to change themselves to fit the stereotype of beauty. Let's face it not everyone Gisele Bundchen, or whatever your prototype of a beautiful woman is. To try and make yourself look like these people is insane and in many cases extremely unnecessary. I know a couple of people who suffer from eating disorders, one is a recovering anorexic and the other is a recovering bulimic, and yes I do understand that the media is not the only thing contributing to their eating disorders, it has to do with control and a chemical imbalance in their brains, but the media cannot be excluded. Men also play a role in how women try to look. I asked a few of my guy friends about what attracts them to a girl. One of them said hair, eyes, teeth and personality, the other said he notices boobs first. But when I asked about boobs or weight, they said they like about a handful for boob size, and weight does not really matter, therefore women are unnecessarily worried about weight because one it does not matter what guys think, and two they do not even really care about weight. Just be yourself and you will go far. It really makes me mad that women are so influenced by what they think that guys want and what the media portrays, it is ridiculous. Honestly it makes me want to scream! I am beautiful because I am me not because I have a D cup or am not 300 lbs. I dress for myself and no one else. Yeah sure it is nice to be complimented on the way I look but if I do not get a compliment am I going to go home and cry and try to change the way I look? No! If I did that I would be severely sick and I would hope that someone would get me help. I hate that we live in a world wear image seems to be everything. Where does it stop if a girl looks not so good she gets made fun of for being overweight or not as attractive, but if she is pretty she gets called a slut or a whore. There was a 15 year old girl that hanged herself because of bullying. The news said that she was called things like "Irish slut" etc. It is ridiculous. I hope that we can evolve one day and not rely so much on looks.

I think that you have a really good point, we do not typically talk about Oriental people in class, and I would like to make the distinction between Asian and Oriental because "brown people," Indians, are technically Asians. I do not know if we have even really talked about the plight that Oriental people went through in the west, with the railroads and the gold mines, which to me does not make much sense because we talk a lot about black slavery in the South, in comparison to other slavery in America, and we talk about how horribly we as Americans treated Native Americans. It does not seem fair to only single out one or two peoples plight, and not every ones, after all it is a race relations class. I know that sometimes I think that we should talk about antisemitism, since I am Jewish, I would like to hear how people feel about it. Yes, I know that it is not seen as often as racism towards other minorities, but it is there, and I have been subject to it. I think that Sam needs to talk more about everyone not just black, brown and white people. Doing that creates a tunnel view of the race wars we face in society, and is not accurate. Also I would like to say that I would not consider Judaism a race, but people all over the world are prosecuted for their religion. I know my grandparents are a prime example of this. They survived the Holocaust, which was a huge genocide, maybe not as big as the one that happened on our own soil with the Native Americans, but it did happen and there are still people who do not believe it is real. How outrageous is that? I know that my mom used to shush me in public when I would talk about being Jewish as a child because she grew up in fear that her parents instilled in her; let's face it when they were growing up being Jewish could have you killed, and the majority of their families were killed in the Holocaust. I just think we need to talk about everything.

As for what you were saying about being able to tell Asian Americans from immigrants, it is hard for me to tell unless I hear them speak and cannot hear an accent. I have also noticed some cultural differences. I work at the Bennett Center, the daycare on campus, a lot of the professors children go there and some of them are the children of foreign professors. I have noticed especially with Chinese children, they always come in with lots of layers on even when it is 85 degrees out, and then the parents are unhappy if when they come to pick their child up all their layers are not on, even if the child is obviously hot and sweating. I do not really understand it. But I mean that would be a cultural difference I notice that separates Asian Americans from immigrants.

I was appalled, by what I saw in this video. I could not believe my eyes when the majority of these children chose the white doll as the one they would want to play with, it was ridiculous! It made me cringe when they said that the black doll was the evil one and the white one was the good one purely based on their skin color. And how much pain was in their faces as they made that decision. It really makes me sick to see this in the world today. I have a very upsetting and horrible personal story relating to this. Which I am incredibly sorry for and would never dream of doing anything like this now that I am not an ignorant little child.

When I was younger I had barbies, like most children growing up in the 90's, I would play them with my mom. And again like most little girls I wanted to give my barbies a hair cut, so of course I picked out the barbies that I would not mind if I messed up while cutting their hair, which if you know anything about barbies it never really looks good when you cut their hair. I had a black barbie, she was the first one whose hair I cut, when it looked bad, I did not care, I simply made her always be the "mean" barbie. I mean maybe it was just because she did not look like me, but still it was wrong of me to do that, I did not know any better though. I was like three or four when I did it, and there was no one really teaching me about race. I mean I was always very concerned as a child when I saw a lack of Judaism in public places, but it never once crossed my mind about racism. And here was me just being ignorant. Looking back on it I feel horrible about it. I would do anything to take it back. I know that from a very young age I will teach my kids to be kind to everyone, and that skin color does not matter. I am truly sorry for what I did as a child and I would not dream of ever doing it again.

Watching this video made me feel extra horrible about what I did as a child. I just want a world where the color of your skin or your religion etc. does not matter and every one gets along. I wish I could do something on a large scale to make this a reality but I can not think of anything to do.

Again I am 100% truly sorry, and I would take it back in heartbeat if I could. It was nothing personal to anyone of color, it was just ignorance.

I completely agree with you! I do not see what the big deal is about not wanting to talk about periods. I mean I do not have a problem talking about it, and I am happy that I do menstruate, as annoying as it is. When Sam was talking about how his wife will go into the bathroom and and about every 28 days or so he hears her say "FUCK!" I could totally relate to that. That is my general response to realizing that I have my period. Let's face it, periods are annoying, you can get bloated, cramps, headaches, etc., and yes, I do realize I sound like a commercial for Yaz or Midol, but its true. Despite all the bad things associated with a period, I am grateful that I do have a period, because it does mean that I am able to create the miracle of life, without women menstruating reproduction would come to a stand still, which clearly would not be a good thing. I unfortunately have some issues with my period. My period last very long and it is usually a very heavy flow. I am extremely iron deficient due to a gluten intolerance, gluten is a protein in wheat, malt, rye, spelt, millet, and barley. It really sucks. Basically what happens when you are gluten intolerant ingesting gluten causes you to be malnourished because it flattens the cilia in your intestines. What does this have to do with periods you might ask. Well basically, I am so iron deficient that it can be detrimental to my health to bleed every month so my doctor has me on birth control that stops my period for a couple of months at a time. This has helped me regain my iron, which was lost while I was eating gluten. Which I mean does not really bother me it is nice not having to worry about bringing a tampon with me everywhere. Overall however I do appreciate the fact that I do have a period and that I can reproduce. The miracle of life is so wonderful and I am so happy that I am able to reproduce. I would not give it up for the world. And as for guys having a period I am happy that they do not. I like that this is unique to my gender. Also I mean I kind of just think blood is gross in general it does not matter where it comes from. Whether it is your finger, vagina, leg, etc. It is gross. And sort of freaks me out. It has nothing to do with the fact that it is associated with menstruating. So if Sam wants to talk about menstruating, just do not say "bleeding" that freaks people out.

I definitely understand what you are saying, and where you are coming from, a lot of the time people will only point out racist things that white people say, when in fact it goes both ways. White people are no the only ones saying distasteful things, however, when they do there is a huge up roar. I am, of course, not commending racist comment from white people, but I am also not saying it is okay for other people to be racist. I do not really understand why people make racist comments ever, what is the point? It does not make you sound "cool" or smart. In fact it makes you sound kind of stupid. But back to if it goes both ways. I would have to say it absolutely does, but it goes more unnoticed when it is about a white person. I think that black people make the same amount of racist comments as white people, but when they do no one really says anything, which is not really fair if you think about it. I mean, isn't everyone always saying how they want things to be equal? I think it is kind of a double standard, which is bull shit if you ask me.

I just wish that there was no racism in the world and that everyone got along, but alas that is not the case. I wish there was something significant I could do to change the mindset of people, but I really cannot think of ways that I can. I thought that we as people would be past this whole name calling thing by now, unfortunately I was wrong. And although I have never personally been made fun of for being white, but I have been ,made fun of for being Jewish, which is not fun. I have learned to ignore some of the names I have been called, but it does not mean it is not hurtful. I just want every one to get along and not fight about stupid things. We should be evolved enough that we are past this childish act of name calling, it is childish, dumb, and completely ridiculous. I cannot stand it. It really makes me lose faith in the human race. I honestly think that people are inherently stupid and mean. Why else would we have to resort to name calling. It is so unbelievably stupid! We need to learn to just get along and I have no idea how long that will take but it needs to happen soon, or we will not survive. I hate to sound so cynical but it is how I feel, and unfortunately it is a reality. In the future I hope that every one will get along

I think that it is absolutely ridiculous that a school could and would cancel a prom just because a student wanted to bring her girlfriend. According to the article it is a public school and therefore, should not be able to discriminate based on someone's sexual orientation, that is not only absurd, but completely unfair. I do think that if it were a private school they would have a better case for canceling prom, I am, of course, not condoning that in any way shape or form. Why should a school be able to determine whom someone can date and/or take to prom. I feel that Ms. McMillen should have not been discriminated against just because she has a girlfriend, furthermore, why should the district punish all the students because they do not agree with one student's decisions. Honestly I cannot comprehend why people discriminate against LGBT people anyway, it does not make sense. If you are a woman and love a woman great, you should be happy you found true love, and the same goes for men with other men and men and women together. The only thing that should matter should be whether, or not you are in love with the person you are with, regardless of ethnicity, gender, skin color, etc. It's just stupid. Things like this make me lose faith in humans as a "race" (even though technically there is no such thing as race) it makes me think that people are inherently cold and heartless, as much as I would like to believe otherwise, it becomes increasingly harder with every story I hear like this.

I desperately long for a world in which people are free to express who they are without persecution, isn't that why people came to America in the first place? People seriously need to realize that we are living in the 21st century and people are going to love who they want no matter what. And trying to stop them may is pointless it is going to happen whether you like it or not. Yes, we are I suppose only put on this Earth to procreate but have you ever stopped to notice a tiny little thing called overpopulation? Yeah, well its a problem. And I mean obviously two men and two women will not be able to procreate, they can adopt, thus, giving a loving home to child, who otherwise may not have that opportunity, and not continuing to overpopulate the world.

In my opinion, in case you couldn't tell, is that of course Ms McMillen should have been able to bring her girl friend to prob and wear a tuxedo if she wants who the hell cares. I personally would be a little freaked out if they started making out in front of me, but then again I would be equally as freaked out if I saw a "normal" couple making out, PDA is gross if its same-sexed or not.

I just do not understand the world we live in.

I think this is really good point that you brought up about how lesbians are more accepted than gays. I am not sure if I know why that is exactly, but I think it has a lot to do with the gender roles we have in our society. It is similar to the stereotype that if a girl sleeps around with a bunch of guys, she is a whore; but, if a guy does it, he is "the man." With that train of thought, the same can be said about two lesbians together as opposed to two gay guys together. Since guys find two girls kissing attractive and hot, it is considered OK. But, when two guys kissing, or even holding hands for that matter, it is looked down upon. Guys find two guys together emasculating. From there, society has conformed to the norm that guys kissing must be wrong, while creating the double standard that girls kissing is appropriate and acceptable.

This double standard is completely unacceptable. It is unfair that women that love each other are more accepted than two men that love each other. Men should be treated the same as women, and vice versa. I find it ironic that this is one of the few situations where women have a privilege that men do not have. For example, women in many different areas of employment get paid less. On average, for ever 1 dollar that men are paid, women get 80 cents. How could we possibly, as a society, let these issues go unattended? In addition, women's bodies are much more exploited in the media compared to men. For instance, in movies, I have noticed that there are a lot more naked women than there are naked men. And, if there are naked men, their "twigs and berries" are rarely shown. And, if they are shown, then it is in a comical sense, not a sensual one, save for porn, which is a different topic for another day. This is why lesbians are more accepted than gay men.

I would first like to clarify what I think you are saying, if I am wrong I am sorry for that. I think you are saying that same-sex marriage should not be allowed because it goes against religion, and marriage is a religious sanction? In my opinion I do not that marriage has to be religious or should be necessarily I mean yeah sure its all good and well if it is for you, but for some it is not. If it was a purely religious affair then courtroom judges would not be able to marry people in a court of law. And how about the fact that a captain of ship can marry two people. I just do not see why marriage has to be religious, but if we are going to keep that mind set, what about separation of Church and state? Should the government be allowed to make a law that involves religion? I do not think so. I know that in my synagogue, my Rabbi would be happy to perform a same sex marriage regardless of what it says in the Torah. It should not matter if the Bible or Torah says it is unnatural or not, marriage should be about love and love alone. If two men, or two women are in love they should be able to get married and not just join in a "union", but actually get married. Until I hear a convincing argument as to why two people in love should not be able to get married I am standing firm on my opinion that same sex marriage should not matter. If they are in love and willing to make a commitment to each other for the rest of their lives then more power to them. I wish that we lived in a world where things like this did not matter. Over the past couple of weeks I have seen in the Collegian articles about the way LGBQT is treated in Uganda, I was appalled to find out that you can go to jail or receive the death sentence for being gay or knowing someone that is gay. That is completely outrageous! I have no idea how people can find this okay? The fact that people can sit by and let these travesties unfold makes my heart hurt. No one should be persecuted for who he or she is in love with, it, simply put, is not fair. My point is that love is love no matter your sex, race, height, weight, etc and each person should be treated the same!

I again would like to apologize if I misinterpreted what you were saying, I did not mean to offend you. And I hope that you read this and take my points into consideration as I have taken yours into consideration.

I personally cannot fathom why race has to come up in any situation ever. It does not make any sense. I do; however, agree that when race and color come into play it is mostly centered on black and white, completely excluding other races from the mix. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we did see black people's plight more forward in media ect. But what I really do understand is why it was an issue in the first place, why should it matter if a person looks differently from me, if we all looked the same the world would be pretty damn boring, if you ask me. I long to live in a world where the color of a persons' skin, hair, eyes, weight etc. didn't matter. Unfortunately it is a harsh, but true reality. If there was one thing I could change about the world it would be the fact that people are treated differently based upon how they look.
But back to the main issue at hand. Why when talking about race relations are we drawn to talking about black and white. A possibility would be that at the start of our "great" country we imported slaves from Africa so we know that aspect of black history, but I think a large part of the black vs. white talks take place on the east coast, more so than on the west coast. Because if you remember from history class we used Chinese slaves in that region of the country to mine gold and build railroad tracks. And what about the Midwest where we, the "foreigners", pushed the Native Americans to after robbing them of their home land. I wonder if instead of black and white in these other parts of our country it is white and yellow, or red, brown? I do take note in the fact that white is the common denominator in all of these race relations talks. Is it that the white man is so evil or that he discriminates against every one that does not look like him? Or it simply that he is the one with all the power, and therefore, capable of posting "right" judgment on people? That idea actually reminds me of Sam's lectures from the past two days. The one(s) with power determines inequality, I understand that I mean it makes sense, but that is only because the people in power tell me it should? I do not know, it is exceedingly hard to tell where values, or beliefs come from in this world, yes they come from our families, but how did our families obtain them? It blows my mind, the human race is so incredibly complex that it hurts my head to think about it for too long.

I for one saw the "white guys" as the "bad guys" in this movie. yes there were three, or so, main white people who were good but everyone other white guy was not good. This plot has been done over so many times it is not even funny. However, while watching this film I could not help but think about how awful the white man was to the Navi (the native people of the planet Pandora). The white man comes in and tries to take what is not his to have, because it has some value where he is from. Throughout the whole movie I could not help but think how similar this was to Pocahontas, in fact my sister sent me a link to something that made it plainer than day that it is essentially the same exact story. Check it out it is kind of funny:http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/31XWz9/www.boingboi... Again in Pocahontas the white man comes in trying to take what is not rightfully his. It is possible I did not understand what you meant by saying the white man is the hero, but as for Avatar I see the Navi people as the hero's and the three, or so, "good white guys" as the helpers. And again even in Pocahontas I would not consider John Smith as the hero, likewise, Jake is not the hero in Avatar. The Native people are the protagonists, and the white guys are the antagonists, and honestly there is nothing wrong with that, why should it have to be a white person that has to be the hero. I think it would be refreshing to see a different kind of hero now and then, I get tired of the same thing all the time. On the same note why does there even have to be a set hero, why can't people just get along? Yes, I am aware that is does not seem to be human nature to simply coexist without war or fighting. It makes me angry. Why can't we be happy and grateful for what we have, why can't we help the less fortunate? Why can't we just be content? We always want that which we do not possess, I really wish I new why money and power have to go hand in hand. If you ask me I would say that money and power more times than not leads to pain and corruption, and it drives me crazy. I would say that I identify my views on how the world should be with Socialism, I do; however, know that it does not work in practice because I believe that people are inherently greedy, which I think is very unfortunate for the fate of our species.