First off I do not watch South Park but I do know how often they make fun of other types of people. That is just what they do. I do not think it is really in good taste especially when they make fun of people’s beliefs. But I show that by not watching their show, I do not threaten to kill them. I know that religion is a very touchy subject and maybe that was taking it a b it to far. But killing or even threatening to kill people because of it is not the way to solve it. I think if they wanted to do something about it they could take them to court about it.
I believe that being respectful of people’s religion is important. If people want to believe in what they believe in then they should be able to without having people make fun of them or push their buttons. I don’t think that everyone else has the same values as me though. I wish that South Park and their creators would be a tad bit more respectful of what people believe in and what people’s morals are.
I know that in the past I have had issues because of the South Park show. They introduced the term “ginger” which refers to a red hair person with lots of freckles and pale skin. I have had many people make fun of me for it. It doesn’t bother me because what I look like is nothing compared to what I believe. If South Park made a show saying that what I believe was dumb then I would be really upset if people started to make fun of me because they saw it on South Park.
I think what the creators of the South Park show need to realize is that everything they put out into the world can have an influence on people no matter what. People believe what they see on TV. Or if they find it funny then they could repeat the terms they heard on TV to their friends and that is how these things get started. What the creators don’t understand is that they have a huge influence on the adolescents of the United States. If the people, students, or teens see that the show is making fun of people because they are Arabic, Jewish, Red Headed, from the South, From the North, Black, or Islamic then they will start to think that it is okay for them to make fun of these people publicly.
I still believe that threatening to kill the creators is extreme but it is their right to voice their opinion about what they believe. I hope they would be able to talk about this issue in a more peaceful manner.

I think the questions “what is point of race relations” and “what are we hoping to do in this world” have the potential to be two completely different questions so I will answer then separately. I believe that the point of race relations is to gain knowledge. Every time we are in class Sam talks about how the whole point of the class is to gain knowledge and to understand. But I think that understanding s not enough. I think what he really wants is for us to pass the knowledge on to people and the next generations. The more we spread knowledge the more we will do about the problems we have. But if we do not gain the knowledge we will go nowhere. We will gain nothing. At least by sitting in the classroom and learning about what Sam has to say we are opening our minds to things we may or may not have previously known. Without gaining knowledge we can’t spread it and without being able to spread knowledge we won’t be making a difference in the world. Everything would stay the same. No knowledge is as great or powerful as the knowledge we share with our world.
As far as the question about what we are hoping to do in the world I believe that the answer is similar to the answer of the first question. I believe that all we can hope to do is to make a difference. We can do this by making our little corner of the world a better place. There are all kinds of ways to do this too. It doesn’t just have to do with race in this situation. You can do so many different things to make the world a better place too. Treat people fairly, stand up for the beliefs and rights of others, teach your children to love everyone equally. Without teaching love and affection to children the human race could become cold. So really all we have to do is understand and then teach our understandings to the next generation. So they can start off one step higher then we were and maybe learn something more and teach it to their children so they can be another step higher. Eventually we could reach a world of understanding. The problems in the world today can be fixed. Maybe they wont be fixed today, or tomorrow, or even 10 to 20 years from now. Change takes time and if we give it enough time things will turn out all right. The world can be a better place if we just try. And the first step to try is to open our minds to new ideas. Because once we open our minds we can start to see things in a new light.

I don’t know if anything thinks that Sam has said has changed my mind so much as it has affirmed what I believe. I think that Sam’s main goal is to get us thinking and using the brains we were given. He doesn’t want us to just sit and watch things happen he wants us to realize that we can have our own opinions. But I think what he really wants us to do is to be able to really argue our point. You cant just say “I think homosexuality is bad.” You have to be able to say why you think it is bad or why you think it is good or okay. He wants you to realize why you think the way you do. Maybe if you try to argue your point and you realize you don’t know why you think the way you do, you will realize that maybe your ideas were wrong or maybe you just need to rethink your opinion. That is why he tries to argue all points, so he can make everyone rethink their opinions.
For example when Sam talked about religion at the beginning of the semester he asked Christians “if God created everything, who created God?” And he asked people who believed in evolution “if you believe in evolution, when did conscious thought and mind develop?” He wants you to realize that you need to be able to back up what you believe. I have this feeling that if religion comes up again in the class he will probably bring up the concept of the cross. “Why do Christians have a cross as the symbol that represents their religion? That is why Jesus died on. Shouldn’t you have something happier like a dove? Jesus died on a cross man. ” He wants someone to speak up. He wants someone to fight for what they believe. He wants someone to say, “we wear crosses and have them because it is there to remind us that he died for our sins. He died and suffered for humans so that we may some day go to heaven and have eternal life.” What he doesn’t want is someone saying “because that is what we do.” Or “That is just how it has always been.”
Believe it or not Sam is trying to get us to use our brains, defend our beliefs and realize that there are other beliefs out there that could help us understand the world more. But I do agree with the post above that said they felt like they learned more at the beginning of the class. I wish Sam wouldn’t repeat himself so much and he would try to bring in new topics because I would love to expand my horizons more.

I probably would not have even noticed the term ‘Nergro’ on the census, not because I am ignorant but because I would have just assumed that some people still use that term. The census wouldn’t put the term on there to be offensive. If you think about it really why would they ever put anything on it that could get them in trouble? That is something that the government wouldn’t do. Our government is about staying out of trouble. I have not seen what the census looks like except for the pictures that are in the video Sam posted but I think that they should just have a big long list that people can check off. If they are going to bother to do it at all they should just put everything on there and let people check off what they want. Sure the census would a million pages long but that is basically what people are asking for when they complain about these things. If a person is not willing to read through every single race (as opposed to the few races they have listed) then they should not even bother complaining. The census is trying to be quick and efficient when they send out these papers.
I understand that it is important for our government to do the whole census thing and I understand that they need to be able to understand who is where and things like that but I don’t understand why people care. Just check a box and send the form back. Or if you feel like being a rebel don’t send anything back at all. It isn’t going to kill them just to say, “Yes I am black, white or Hispanic.” We are all going to die some day anyway. The way I look at it is this: Will it mater in two years? In two years will you even be thinking about the census and how you were forced against your will to check a box that says the color of your skin? My guess is probably not. So why bother to waste your time worrying about it now?
But maybe there is something I am missing. Is there something I do not understand because I am white? Maybe you say yes. In that case should I be offended because you think I do not understand? White people only had one choice on the census but you don’t hear us making a huge deal of it. But what can the census do? They aren’t going to list every possible choice we have (German, Russian, Irish, blah blah blah). Its just the color of our skin. That doesn’t make us who we are, our personalities make us who we are. That is what is important. White, black, and brown are just colors. These colors aren’t who we are they are what we look like. Who we are is who we are on the inside. And like Sam said, “on the inside we are all 99.8% the exact same.”

I think that it is really hard to distinguish between Asian-Americans and Asian-Asians for myself personally. Although to be honest I do not really see a difference a reason to distinguish between them. The way I see it is that we are all just people and it doesn’t really matter where we come from it only matters where we are. But I guess that I would have to ask ‘what is the difference?’ Because I cant tell. I realize that Asian-Asians are the ones that were born somewhere in Asia and they came over here to live for whatever reason. And I also realize that Asian-Americans are the people who were born here in America but are of Asian decent. What I don’t understand is why there is a difference in the first place. If people are people of Asian decent and they are here in America then they are all living in the same place and they are all in the same situation. From what Sam has said I understand that heritage has a lot to do with it and how much they understand about their own heritage. The Asian-asians understand more about their heritage than the asian-Americans and that can sometimes lead them to believe that there is a difference between them. I would like to know if there actually is a difernce at all. Sure maybe the asian-asians speak their own language fluently and the asian-Americans do not even speak their asian language but that doesn’t mean that one is a better person than the other.
Is there a good reason for people to learn to be able to tell the difference? Because if there is, then I will attempt to do so. I hope people do not misunderstand what I am trying to say. I am not saying that it is not worth my time to get to know the difference. I am saying that I don’t think that people should be judged completely by their race. There are other factors that are more important to be able to determine what a person is like. For example, you need to know what the person’s personality is like and what their beliefs are and what their morals are. And I do not think this way just about Asians either. I believe this to be true about all people. Their skin color should not matter as much as their personality. I guess I am getting off topic.
To answer the kid’s question: I cannot distinguish between Asians and Asian-Americans. It could be just because I never saw the need to distinguish between them. Maybe that is ignorant of me. I honestly do not know. But I hope that someone will let me know if it is.

I am sure that the majority of the people in our Sociology class agree with me when I say that firing someone because they are wearing religious clothes is a completely absurd idea. This girl should have the right to wear whatever she wants. I say, “should have the right” because apparently according to Abercrombie she does not have the right. Despite the fact that they had already agreed to let her wear the scarves around her head, they fired her. As long as they were navy blue or other colors they had stated that it would be okay for the girl to work there. It seems like a fair compromise to me; she can wear the scarf as long as it complies with the store’s color code. The fact that corporate called her; met with her, and fired her blew me away completely. I would have thought it was going to be a local level sort of deal.
What really stuck me as disturbing or odd was the fact that she had to appear in silhouette because of threats that she was receiving. Now, at the beginning of the news broadcast they said that it was because of death threats she was receiving, but when she was talking she said it was because of physical violence threats that she was getting. Either way, I do not see why anyone would threaten her, unless it was someone from the store itself. And if they did threaten her not to go on the show, what is being in a silhouette going to do? She is still going out there and talking about it. That part I did not understand. But I still am very proud of her for going out and speaking for her right to work wherever she wants and to wear her religious headscarf. It takes guts to do what she is doing and I think that not very many people would actually do it. It would be so much easier to complain about it and not do anything. But she is fighting the good fight, she is going to work hard and make sure that her message is heard and she deserves to be treated fairly just like every other American there is.
I hope that Abercrombie learns their lesson from this and although they said that they wanted to “expand their cultural horizons” in the letter they wrote I have this feeling that they are just some pretty words that they threw out there to please the customers and make everyone happy. I do not think that they have any intention of changing the way they work, after all why would they? They are making a ridiculous amount of money and people are just going to keep buying their products. This girl standing up to them is the first step toward them treating people the correct and just way.

Yes, I agree that it seems that mostly white people have theme parties I agree with that. I think the reason we usually have a theme is because it is fun and gives people a chance to be creative. But as for the rest of what this girl said I think it is totally bogus. “And usually when they do have these parties it’s based on making fun of racial stereotypes.” Yes there are some parties that do that but I can name just as many f not more party themes that do not make fun of racial stereotypes; highlighter parties, rubrics cube parties, costume parties, foam parties, Mardi Gras, decades parties and around the world parties. There are so many more that I could name that have absolutely nothing to do with races at all whatsoever.
Parties in general are meant to be fun and social. I do not think that they are meant to discriminate against anyone at all. If you think about it people are generally good and the chance that the person who is throwing the party is racist is small. And if people were racist they wouldn’t want to dress up like the type of people they dislike so strongly, would they? College students will be college students, they will use pretty much any excuse that they can to have a good time and drink. Theme parties are just another way or them to do it. But I honestly do not think that they mean any harm at all.
I would be one of the first people to step up and say, “This is wrong” if the people throwing the party were meaning it I an offensive way. As far as the incident of what happened in San Diego I think that it was a matter of ignorance. The students who threw the party thought it would be fun and exciting to have a party that big. But when things backfired and people were upset they were surprised, which is why they aren’t taking credit for throwing the party. If they knew that they were going to get in trouble do you honestly think that they would want to put themselves into that situation? I do not think so. But they probably thought it was just going to be another party at their frat that people would come to, drink, and leave.
Overall the parties that are thrown by white people do have a theme. But it is just to be fun and creative. It is a chance to show off their different clothes or whatever it is that the theme entitles. The majority of the parties that I have been to or heard of are just harmless, non-race-oriented parties. People are good; they typically do not mean to offend others. If anything they are just looking for another excuse to have some fun.

I find it fantastic that she was able to make it so well and be such a business tycoon when her resources were so limited. She was able to succeed in a world where failure was expected. But Sam posed the question, what would Yvrose had done if she had the opportunity to walk in my shoes? I think that that is something that I would be able to guess at just because each person is the sum of their experiences and if she had had different experiences she would have been a completely different person. For all I know may be it was the hard life she had that led her to fight for the ability to be all that she is today. Maybe if she would have been able to walk in my shoes and have the privileges that I had she might have turned out completely different, in fact she probably would have turned out completely different. I suppose though if she was able to figure out how to keep a steady business going she would be a good business woman.
As far as how I would be able to do if I was in her situation, it would be the same thing. I would have grown up and been a completely different person. But if you were to take me right now and drop me off in the middle of Haiti and say, “figure it out” I would be in trouble. I know that I am too used to this way of life that I have to be able to make it while “roughing it” so to speak. I commend her for being able to make the most out of what she has. I think that to be able to make the business transactions she did while balancing a family, having food for them, and still being able to keep everyone happy would take a tremendous amount of energy and determination.
I think that if it were not for her trying situation she would not have found the motivation to be all that she was in the first place. I don’t see many American people her age figuring things out the way she did. I don’t mean to sound like I have some issue against American people and I am not calling them lazy, I am just saying that they don’t have to figure things out the way she did. And it all has to do with the way we grew up, where we grew up and how much money our parents had as we grew up. Like Sam said, it is similar to the king of the mountain. We are already above the people in Haiti, so to speak, and they have to work harder. We are just handed what we have.

I support the idea of gays and lesbians adopting a child. Last semester I did a project about adoption and the effects it has on children. I compared children who had been adopted by your average mom and dad family to children who had been adopted by homosexual parents, single parents and interracial parents.
There has been much controversy over the psychological effects brought on to a child by same-sex adoption. Some say homophobic bullying and emotional inconsistencies that a child faces are reasons enough to prohibit gays from adoption. Others argue children have shown no differences in psychological issues when compared to those raised in heterosexual households. They also claim that children can grow up healthy in a variety of family environments.
Critics of homosexual adoption claim there is no escaping homophobic bullying. Starting in adolescence, children adopted by homosexuals may experience harassment and even doubts of their own sexual orientation by their schoolmates. This emotional abuse can lead to a decrease in academics and attendance. The child forms a negative view of school due to the bullying resulting in a lack of motivation, and a wish to escape the ostracizing. Are homosexual parents forcing their adopted children into a sexual orientation that is not their own? Some studies show that children with gay parents are four times more likely to experiment with alternative lifestyles.
Another study performed at The University of Texas at Arlington shows different results. Educators at the university concluded there was no relationship between the sexual lifestyle of parents and that of their adopted children. Proponents of gay adoption explain that unusual behaviors of adopted children by gay parents may be linked with experiences the child may have dealt with before adoption. Also homosexuals are more willing to take those children that are harder to place due to age, history, and race. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, gay parents are not as selective when it comes to adoption. This is because it is obvious that they wish to have a child of their own and is unable to have one. If they are wiling to fight as hard as they do for the child we as a society should realize that they are going to want to treat the child the best that they can.
There are plenty of studies that show how gay couples are just as competent in being able to take care of children as any other couple. SO why shouldn’t we let them take care of a child that may or may not be taken by another family? I fully support the gay community adopting children of any size, shape, color, or age. They can provide for the children just as well if not better than any other couple.

I agree whole-heartedly that putting the term “Nergro” on the census should not be taken offensively. If that is how people identify themselves then they should be allowed to put it down. At the same time I do understand that maybe they could just take the term off the census and let the people use the “other” spot to write what they want. What I wonder is how the people who actually do use the term “nergro” would feel if it were taken off the census list. Would they be offended? Is this a lose-lose situation? I do not think many people think about how they would feel if the term they used would be taken off. I tried to put myself into the situation as best I could. I mean, for example if they put “ginger” as an option for the census I would be extremely surprised. Some gingers find it offensive when people call them gingers but the way I see it, it is just describing the way I look. I do not take it offensively but if the census had it on there or took it off I think it would be more of a surprise than anything else. I know that this is a poor example but it is the best I can do.
What I think that the census should do is just leave the “nergro” option on and let those people have what they want. Typically the people who use the term nergro are older black people. So what if the other people are offended. As Sam would say “they’re going to be dead someday anyway” so they should just chill out. It is not hurting anyone, at least physically, and there are a vast amounts of people who actually still do use the term so why bother to force them to change? It just does not make any sense to me. I suppose the whole situation could be alleviated by educating the people that the census means no harm in including this term. They would also have to describe the typical demographic that uses this term and how many of them actually use it. I feel like once people understand that then they will be more comfortable with having the term Negro on the census.
Overall this whole situation is completely overblown. This is not a matter of life and death, people will go on living their lives day to day, and people will forget about the whole thing (until the census comes out again but that is not the point). But if I had to pick a side I would just say leave the word “nergro” on there. That is what they want and that is what they use. It would be worse if you took that away from them.