en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/757092 Comments by mss5126 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69798305 Well there are a number of ways to go about this. It almost makes me laugh a little. The boy in the clip seems intelligent and what he said was a little ignorant. Of course people in developing countries because they do not have the means to make something out of themselves or their life. I feel like that is kind of a no brainer. I do think that he worded it kind of weird. I do not know exactly what he meant by asking if he thinks he is racist. I also do not think there needs to be any picking of one particular “side”. I think someone can make the statement he made and not be racist. I guess there could be a fine line about it but it is an odd subject to be honest. When someone asks you to pick a side it seems like you have to make a clear concise decision. Maybe some people have varied opinions. I know I do have gray feelings about this matter. I do not think that it was necessarily racist because there are people of all colors that live in developing countries. Unless he meant just the black people he saw. I do not know much of what he did and the people he saw but I am sure he had a legitimate reason to say what he said. When people are talking about racism it brings tons of different ideas to one’s mind and what not. Racism is having negative feelings or dislike for someone or some people of a different race. What this boy is talking about, is not that at all. He thinks he will be able to better help the world. Which he is, if he went to a developing country and maybe did some work there with the population of struggling people. Like I said I do not know exactly what he did there but I do not think he went there for a vacation of anything of that sort. Hopefully he was there helping people. By just doing the help can make someone help further others in life. He is most likely going to go further in life than people with no water or home. Unless by some miracle these countries get funding or miraculously get built back up to at least a meateocur standard then I do not think any of those people are going to get far in life. Most of them may die before they could even finish school. I believe I will go further in life and do more for the world than a person living in a developing country. I have an education and plan on becoming a psychologist, how many psychologists do you know in developing countries. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:57:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/how-am-i-not-a-racist__trashed/#IDComment69798305 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68090757 I really do not know if there is an “end goal” for everyone. I think that it depends on the individual. Everyone is going to have a different opinion on the overall ( meaning the meaning of life). I personally feel that I must have a purpose here. Why would God put me here if there was no purpose for me to be here? Obviously you can tell I am a bit religious, but I was not always. And I used to question why I am here and what my purpose is here on Earth. I used to think…oh well I am going to die anyway so why bother with some things. For example, I used to smoke cigarettes. My parents wanted me to quit really bad and I asked them what for and they said for my health and I will die from smoking cigs. I told them-everyone dies so what is the point? I eventually quit because cigs are bad for you and we do not know when we are going to die. I wonder sometimes still but I do know that I have a purpose. Personally I think I was put here to help people. I want to get my license to practice as a psychologist. I particularly would like to work with people who have drug and alcohol addiction. I know Sam says we’re all going to die and what not but while we are here we might as well make the best of it right? I do not see why he says that all the time because it kind of puts a damper on your life. It almost makes you want to give up on succeeding in anything if we are just going to die anyway…then why should we do anything at all? There are so many different ways to look at this question…why are we here? What is our purpose? Who the hell even knows. Some of us might dwell on the meaning of life forever until one day-bam! You are dead. I would rather not think about dying all the time otherwise I probably would not be motivated to do anything with my life. If I knew when I was going to die, I would probably would sit around and do drugs all day until I was going to die. Why would I bother going to school? Why would I bother getting a job? If everyone knew when they were going to die, don’t you think there would be extreme chaos? I think the world would be a complete mess to be honest. People would be robbing banks, stores, just basically wreaking havoc all over the place. If everyone had a set day when they knew they were going to die…what would the world be like? Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:19:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68090757 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment66433670 I think I have touched on the topic of welfare in a previous post in the very beginning of the semester. Some people are born into welfare, yes, but that does not mean they have to follow suit and stay on welfare for the rest of their lives. There are many different issues with welfare. People do try to "cheat" the system and then their children might follow along and continue to "cheat" the system as well. In regards to the socio economic social status, I think that welfare is looked at to be on the lower end of the spectrum (poorer people have welfare). I know some might judge others for being on welfare as being lazy or lethargic and not wanting to work and getting free money. If we took away welfare all together this instant then I am sure chaos would rear its ugly head. It would not be fair for the children who are born into welfare, to have it taken away right away. They should be given the chance to make their own decision about whether or not they want to continue being on welfare as they grow older. I think welfare is a very touchy subject. I myself have never been on welfare, although I do know others that have been on it. If it was mentioned around some friends of mine that they were on welfare they would be embarressed. I know some people have no shame whatsoever and could care less what people think of them and like to take advantage of the system. Welfare could be structured in many different ways if the government would be willing to get control over it. I know that it is a project in progress and things cannot happen overnight but the welfare issue has been an ongoing problem for a while now. As for taking away welfare completely, I do not think that is a good idea in any shape way or form. I think people would probably go into shock, seeing as welfare has been around for so long. It also would be unfair to have a child born into the welfare system then they do not have the benefits once they are of a certain age. Some kids might not know anything but welfare and that would be unfair to assume that these children would be ok without the welfare. Does anyone else think that welfare is kind of a scam to some people? Or could it be that everyone is taking advantage of the system? I do not think that every single person on welfare is scamming the system because I do know single mothers who work three jobs and still cannot support their family. But i also do know single mothers who work and spend their money on drugs and alcohol then use their welfare check for food and other necessities. I do not want people to think i am so against welfare, but I do believe that it is misused. Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:08:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment66433670 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64201552 First of all I have to say a few things...If men had their period and they would bleed out their penis or ass for five to seven days, they would NOT be able to handle it. Nor would they be able to handle the mind numbing cramps, mood swings, PMS, bloating, and much more. Plus we girls have to pay for these tampons. I spend about eight to ten dollars on tampons a month plus another twenty for my birth control which is supposed to help make my period lighter. I do not know if many men are educated on the subject of menstration but i know that any guy that I have dated knows about it :) They know what PMS is and what comes along with it ( for example: crying for no reason) This is one of the common side effects of PMS. Guys would NEVER be able to deal with that. Just because we bleed does not mean there are not other things that come along with being a woman and getting her period twelve times a year. Frankly, it sucks and sometimes I do not even know how I handle it. My body aches, my abs hurt, I'm bloated, I'm cranky; I do not know how I make it through some weeks. I do not think men want to discuss periods at all. Most men think it is disgusting and want nothing to do with a girl if she is on the rag. My boyfriend is a sweetheart and does not care usually but I know guys that think it is absolutely gross. I have known guys that if I tell them I am bleeding they take a step back like as if they're going to get blood on them or something. Now how could the blood from my vagina escape onto some guy? I do agree that more men should be educated but will they ever want to be? And to touch on the subject of tampons being free for men? I do not think so. I think that they should/would have to pay for them themselves just like women have done for decades. If a man wants to compare a condom (which is what they usually get for free) to a tampon, I'm sorry it is multiple tampons each day! ; then he is out of his mind. There is no way the two are even similar nor do they even go hand in hand. Most women do not have sex on their period so what do condoms have to do with anything? I am not trying to be rude when I say that, I just do not think the two go hand in hand. I wish they would give out free tampons to women because it would save me a hell of a lot of money and hassle. If we do not get them for free then why should men? Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:17:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64201552 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62824114 I find this post a little disturbing. I took a very interesting BBH 251class last semester which is called "Straight Talks I." It is a class that talks about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) issues. Some issues varied from racial LGBT issues to age group issues. I actually had to make a time line for an assignment on the history of LGBT community. The one event I remember seeing was a court case. It was Fricke v. Lynch. Aaron Fricke was a high school student in the late 1970's who wanted to take his male date to the prom. The school board would not let him so he took it to court. Fricke ended up winning and was able to take his date to the dance just in time. GLAD which is a program that is supposed to protect gay rights, particularly this one. In 1980 GLAD protected the right to same sex dates at the prom, that is why I am a little confused to why this is an issue still. I know at my school this would never be an issue. If i wanted to bring a girl as my date to the prom I would do it regardless of what people thought. Even if the teachers did not agree I would still do it.it. I cannot even believe this is still an issue. The girl should have been allowed to take whomever she pleases to the prom. It is her date, it is not hurting anyone. It may make some people feel uncomfortable who are homophobes or something but it is not doing any detrimental harm to anyone. This young teenage girl wants to go to the prom and bring her girlfriend. Why is this such a crime? Who knows, one could look at it in a different light and say they are trying to protect her from others. It could be that she is trying to be protected from hate crimes against anyone who is LGBT. Or people might be worried that they would just get teased. I also wanted to mention that the other girl was going to wear a tuxedo; therefore she would not be in a gown because there may be some issues with that. If there are two females in gorgeous dresses kissing and dancing close together then boys may enjoy to see that and the school would definetley not like that. I guess every school system is different. Even though GLAD is supposed to be protecting these poor students, it may not work everywhere. I just wish it did not have to be this way. It makes me feel really bad for the students that are LGBT. I guess they could bring other dates but just be together when they get to the prom. But would that not be disrespectful to their rights? Are these girls rights completely disregarded? How fair is that? Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:36:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment62824114 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59485850 This subject comes as a surprise to me. I never really realized that there were only white people on these bachelor/ bachlelorette shows. I do not watch these "finding your love or soul mate" shows in particular but I do watch other ones. When I saw the title of this post I laughed because it does seem to look that way- only white people want to go on national TV and act like idiots. I do in fact watch other shows on VH1 or MTV. For example: "For the Love of Ray J" that show had a wide variety of different cultured women from different ethnic backgrounds. Other shows such as "Real Chance of Love" , "I love New York", "Double shot of love", and "Daisy of Love"( although I did find in Daisy of Love the majority was white and there may have been one black guy) also have a different people of different races. I dont want to agree and say that it is only white people that make fun of themselves because I have seen many many different women of all different backgrounds and races act like fools on these shows. Skinny dipping? or having threesomes in a hot tub with Ray J?--not classy ladies. Now that I look back on it, all the women that participated in most of those escapades were white haha. I could not imagine if my mother or father or anyone in my family for that matter would see me in those positions; or participating in those acts on national TV! I would be mortified! The scandelous teasing and gossip that goes on with these girls makes them look like fools. I think that sometimes the people watch the show to watch the drama, not to see who Ray J falls in love with this season. Now the question I would like to propose here, is do I find this offensive as a young white woman? Personally, not really. I have seen people of all races make complete asses out of themselves and have no shame while doing it. It does not really affect me because I am not the one doing the act of stupidity. I sometimes hear about people classifying themselves as one of the girls on the shows or saying that they act like one or look like one; that is just sinking yourself to a lower level, in my opinion. No one should want to compare themselves to a girl or guy that is going to look for love after knowing a person for one month! I just think these shows are a little ridiculous and dare I use the word-humiliating. Even though I think these shows show idiocy and disrespect for oneself I still enjoy watching them. I never thought though to look into the race card more defined. Guess I'll be more aware of it now. Wed, 3 Mar 2010 04:39:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59485850 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58521672 First and foremost, I personally think that this man is a very attractive, good-looking man. I know that the stereotypes that he would assume he would be classified as are negative, such as some of the ones that he mentioned in the interview. I would not automatically assume that this man is a drug dealer or even a thug who goes around gang banging and what not. He could be an athlete because of the way his body is built. Being an athlete to me is not looked at as a negative characteristic. If he was a white male who had a large built frame I would think that he could possibly be an athlete as well. I do see where he would get the ideas of people thinking he is a drug dealer or thug. He does wear baggy jeans and all white fresh shoes; those are some stereotypes a dealer would portray. As for the rapper stereotype…there are so many white rappers now. My boyfriend is a rap artist and he is white. Some people stereotype him because of the way he dresses (baggy jeans, Nike shoes, etc.); I really admire this student for standing up and asking this question, for a couple of reasons. First, he had the bravery to ask the question what people think of him, which is a bold act in itself. I know that I would not be able to take some of the criticism from some people if I asked a wide variety of people what they thought of me when first looking at me. Secondly, I agree with him that most people or students at Penn State would think he is an athlete. Like I previously stated, he has a strong build and that is the stereotypical build in central Pennsylvania for an athlete. I think it is very common that people here at Penn State judge the way we look, regardless of color. For example, if I wear a north face, leggings, and ugg boots then people think I am in a sorority. I am the farthest thing from being in a sorority (no offense). Another example would be that everyone who wears a hemp necklace (white or black) is considered a stoner. That is not always the case. Since when does black skin color + baggy jeans+ specific name brand clothing =drug dealer? Or better even, who says that that is the case or why is that even the label? It is unfair and people of color should not feel like they are a threat to the community as a whole. It is unfair and unjust. A white person could just as well wear the same outfit he is wearing and they would probably call him a “thug.” But why? Who made these stupid cultural cues? Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:46:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58521672 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56042336 I agree that the South Carolina politician's remarks were highly offensive and have no place in government. While there will always be welfare cheats, many on welfare are in desperate situations. As for corporate welfare and welfare for the rich, you have the left wing liberal view that is all bad and the government should never give a handout to business. On the right wing conservative view, the argument would be that the rich that accept government assistance for their businesses employ other people, which keeps the economy running. This is not the first time these types of incidences have come up. Everyone has heard a politician say something ignorant before. This man obviously spoke without thinking first. Imagine how many people of the population he offended. I know people who are on welfare and are honest hard working citizens. Just because some people take welfare for granted does not mean EVERYONE does. There are single parents out there with five kids who have to work 3 jobs and still cannot support their family, therefore they receive welfare checks. I do have to agree with the drug screening before handing out "free money" as some people would say. Some individuals could be spending their extra money on drugs and making their children suffer or other family members. As for the parent teacher meetings-eh...I do not know about that. If these parents are working their ass's off then they probably do not have time to go to a meeting. I do not think it should be mandatory go to a parent teacher meeting to receive a welfare check. As a side note I think that this guy is an idiot for saying what he said and should watch his mouth because there could be a lot of angry "animals" as he would say out there that might want to kick his ass. As for the children being called "animals" I think that is preposterous. Most of the kids that are collecting welfare are because they are too young to work and it is their parent's check. It is completely disrespectful to call an innocent child an animal. As with all these arguments, the best approach is some sort of balance. This balance is probably unattainable and might never happen. There are always going to be people who want to cheat the system. There is virtually no way of avoiding it. It is sad to think there are parents out there who to to work, spend all their money on drugs, then collect welfare that can barely feed a family of four. I would love to think that there are individuals out there who go to work, take care of their kids, collect the welfare and get by. Sometimes that is not the case though. Corporate welfare is probably a little excessive, and there may be some welfare cheats who "game" the system. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 17:46:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56042336 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029143 Like I said I have not seen Avatar but I'm sure if they are using the Messiah Complex and Brooks says then it must be somewhat similar to other Disney movies. I do not plan on seeing the film, nor do I have much interest. Although, I could see it being a bit interesting in 3D, but like I said with the panic attacks, I do not know if I could handle all of it. I wanted to put a little tid bit in about how I actually feel overall about this movie people have been ranting and raving about. There are already video games out for the movie and it is still in theaters, there are action figures and other toys that go along with the characters of the movie already out. I do not think this is a movie for children either. I think it looks a little scary, imagine what a six or seven year old would think? A bunch of blue looking aliens that are from another planet, with weird faces and crazy items sticking out of their bodies? I would not take my children to see that movie, nor do I have any interest in seeing it because I would probably be scared myself. Tue, 2 Feb 2010 15:37:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029143 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029135 I remember the movie Pochohontas (although the film Fern Gully is a little rusty in my mind). In Pochohontas John Smith (the strikingly handsome young white man) meets Pochohontas and he tries to help save her native tribe. Of course there's complications with her father and what not, just like there is in every disney movie. Tue, 2 Feb 2010 15:37:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029135 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029094 Because I have not seen the movie I cannot really make a full judgment on it. But I do agree with Brooks about this whole Messiah Complex. Society has seen movie after movie that relates to it. A handsome young man goes to a colony of people who are not human but they do resemble a physique body: slim, muscular, and some sort of odd sex appeal for some people. Is this movie supposed to be erotic in a way? Brooks said that the man has sex with the hottest "women" in the colony, so is the movie supposed to portray some underlying subconscious idea that the "leader" of the pact always gets the hotties? Tue, 2 Feb 2010 15:37:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029094 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029020 I have not seen the movie avatar for many reasons. First of all I do not go to the movies that often because I think they are a rip off: and second I am not interested in all this Sci-Fi stuff. I heard people were also getting panic attacks from seeing the movie and I can not handle shit like that. From what I did hear, some people enjoyed it and thought it was the best movie of the year. Others said it was way too long and too weird for them to even understand. Tue, 2 Feb 2010 15:36:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55029020 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54248515 I do agree with Prof. Richards. There is no substitute for freedom. If women had to wear burquas, any who did not wear them would feel oppressed. Freedom of expression is just that, and is a cornerstone of our country. France's proposal to ban burqas will do nothing to suppress Islamic extremism, it would only take it more underground. I found it very strange that law enforcement would want to even try to enforce this policy. The video clip even said that they do not even know how they would enforce it. It also said that the fine of wearing a burqa would be around a thousand dollars! A thousand dollar fine for covering oneself because it is what they believe? I think that is a little extreme. I understand the concern for identification purposes but the women in the clip even said they would show their face for ID purposes. The man in the clip who was from the Masque said that there is nothing in the Koran that states women must cover their faces, but if they want to do it, then why not? If France expects these women (from the clip, or even other women who decide to wear burqas) to conform to the French style of dress, then I think they have gone off their rocker. No woman of that nature, who obviously wants to cover her body AND face is ever going to wear tight skinny jeans and a shirt that exposes their breasts or stomach. I do not really understand what the French are trying to get out of this. Are they doing it for criminal reasons? Are these people out committing crimes? Are they robbing banks and wearing burqas while doing it? I do not know the answer to these questions because the French government is not exactly giving a reason to why they MUST refrain from covering themselves. My mother is from Afghanistan. I asked her opinion on the entire ordeal and she thinks that burqas should be made illegal. She feels that it might be hard in the beginning, but women who would want to wear them would adjust. Her reasoning for this is because she did NOT grow up in a free Democratic society. In her mind, countries need strong leadership that sometimes sacrifices freedom for peace. There is a fear of too much freedom, that it will lead to chaos and anarchy. I do not agree with my mother, but I did not grow up where she did, nor did I ever have to wear a burqa or live in a society without freedom. I think that if women do not want their bodies exposed or their faces then they have every right to do so. If they believe (their religion) that they are supposed to cover themselves entirely, then they should not be punished for doing so. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:11:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54248515 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-s__trashed/#IDComment53868866 hey! Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:53:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-s__trashed/#IDComment53868866 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/is-that-negro-or-negra-harry__trashed/#IDComment53384481 I would first like to say that I enjoyed reading this blog because I found it very interesting for a number of reasons. I would like to start off by saying that there is a theory that the term "negro dialect" comes from far back slavery time. The term is derived from southern slaves who spoke in a southern accent. These slaves would supposedly (again this is just one theory) be raising white children and the children would start speaking in this southern "slang" that people call negro dialect. I feel that Reid's comments were ignorant and do reflect his being "out of it." If the same words were uttered by a Republican, he would be kicked out of office. Reid is given a pass because he has a history of supporting pro civil rights legislation. Either way, I feel the comments do not indicate racism, but rather older style thinking that is not relevant today. The term "negro" was the preferred term in 1966 to refer to a black person. If President Obama turns on the black accent before a black audience, he is doing nothing different than what Bill Clinton did when he turned on the Arkansas accent with Southern audiences, or when G.W. Bush turned on the Texas accent with rural audiences. I'd also like to bring up another topic. I stated before that there is a theory where the term negro dialect came from. But is that even true? What do people really mean when they say that? Or when they say someone is talking like a black person? I have heard many times people say "that person talks black." Or on the other side I have heard people say, "that black person talks like a white person." What does that really mean? It is an insult to black people by saying that because it is implying that the way black people speak is uneducated or not proper. I know many of my friends who are black, that are educated and speak properly get extremely offended when one says that to them. Basically, what I am trying to say is that people are not going to change; especially people who grew up in the sixties, which Reid most likely did. Their vocabulary is going to reflect the time when they grew up and that will not change for any matter. Another matter I want to bring up is the Micheal Richards situation. He said the most derogatory "N-word" associated with black people, which caused a huge uproar. After he apologized, mostly everything was all good but he still did it. I know that Richards is older but he did not have any excuse to use that foul language, especially in an audience with people who are black. This do not feel this makes him racist ( I stated before that I do not think Reid is racist either). He was at a comedy club and he crossed the line. Some people in the audience called him a "cracker," which did not make matters any better. Going back and forth between name calling is not the answer in this diverse world. All in all I do not think that racism is the case in the Reid situation, it is a matter of the time he grew up in and what words were used then. But I have to say he should get up to date. Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:47:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/is-that-negro-or-negra-harry__trashed/#IDComment53384481