en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/759746 Comments by pcommerford https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994977 So how about, besides being happy that we have what we have thanks to many decisions the U.S. has made, why don't we also realize that they also make very bad ones, like controlling immigration according to our needs. Immigrants deserve every right to join into our little "group". We had our chance to start a new life at one point and nobody stopped us; who the hell are we to stop anyone now? After all, this IS the "land of the free", right? Why should it cost anything to join it? P.S. Regarding the whole “if you want to come to America, speak English” people: Just so you know, the probabilities of your own family members that first came here, to America, being able to speak English are very slim. So, stop discriminating the rest, they’ll learn it eventually. If you still don’t want to see what I’m saying, how about you learn a language before you go to the country, even if it is to just visit… I mean, that IS what you’re trying to enforce on people that come here. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:13:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994977 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994851 The Native Americans DID NOT say anything about "illegal immigrant pilgrims". Not only because they clearly did not have a term like that back then, but also because they did the absolute opposite, they welcomed the pilgrims, fed them, and gave them everything they could. It was not until the pilgrims started to take their land that the Native Americans started to hate them (no shit, who wouldn't?). Now, with this said, if I came into your house and pointed at you with a gun and said, "leave, this is my house now", would you really just leave and think, "it's okay, this person is clearly stronger than me (hence the gun) and she can keep my house because 'life isn't fair'"... really, would you be okay with it? I don't think so. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:13:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994851 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994832 With this, it is the same thing... People keep trying to make up excuses for the U.S.'s actions, even if they are clearly not correct. I do believe that the U.S. has made many great decisions and taking many correct actions (otherwise, we wouldn't be here and in such good terms) but we have to accept that we are not perfect, we make mistakes. Stopping immigration and allowing it to happen only when is best for us I believe is the most unfair thing ever. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:13:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994832 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994758 I think you are trying way too hard to keep looking at this as if the U.S. was always right, no matter what they are doing. I love the U.S. and I understand why it is the best at many things, but not all. One thing I cannot stand is when people say that "America is the best country in the world and every other country looks up to us" (which I've heard, sadly enough, more than enough times). Have you not been to other countries? I can tell you now, not every country loves us and looks up to us, many actually hate us and think we’re actually stupid (which is exactly what most of us think of them because we have never seen them). Try and see what else the world has to offer before making your mind up so strongly. Being patriotic is great and I look up to it, but there’s a difference between being patriotic and being a total moron. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:12:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69994758 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68262332 I can't say that I don't find myself guilty in this. I've wanted many times to be just like the rest of the girls, skinny and perfect, but I've been over that for some time now. I think it might have been about a year or two now where I have given up trying to be something I’m simply not. I've come to the conclusion that we, men included, are the way we are simply because that is how we were made. Trying to change our physical appearance is just as changing your own personality... It is simply not who you are. I think people, women especially, should start realizing that we are beautiful in our own ways. One might not have the body of a super model, but you might have the nicest personality that anyone has ever seen. Be yourself. Who cares what other think about who you are. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:36:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68262332 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68262308 Every woman is beautiful the way she is, no matter what is popular and what is not. Although many people were saying that the main reason we, women, wanted to change ourselves was for friends or because we want to be like celebrities, I think it is just a sense of safety, in a way. If being overweight is the cool thing to be and you are a skinny little girl, you will probably try your hardest to gain weight and be like the rest, not only because you want to be like them, but because you don't want to be the one that is left out or different, nobody does. So, in the world we live in today, women are dying, literally, to be skinny and have lots of curves simply to not be the outcast in the group, to be considered average, or maybe even special. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:36:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68262308 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68262283 I think a lot of people who commented are absolutely right. The play explained everything in a more expressive or easier way. It is sad how many women get plastic surgery in some way to fit in or look "better" according to standards that could easily change in a matter of time. I mean, obese women used to be the "cool" thing way back then, when many women were skinny; the reason for this was because obese women proved that they had money, or could actually afford being and staying obese... That is how ridiculous the world is. People are willing to risk many important things in their life in order to just be another one of the bunch. If you think about it, popularity is just like food... the best things are the worst for you; in other words, just like the best, tastiest foods tend to be the most fattening, the achievement of a "perfect" or desired body (big boobs, big ass, small waist) are the ones that are worst or hardest, considering many of these require surgery since not that many people are naturally shaped like an hour glass. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:36:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68262283 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729125 I guess what I'm trying to say is that all these little kids seem to see, along with the other people, are only the advantages of being white and the disadvantages of being of a different race. They don't hear many stories about white "bad guys", but many stories about terrorists or murderes of other races. These kids aren't getting the full view; they're getting the good from the white and the bad from the black. I believe this is the answer to the question, I wouldn't know why else it would be. All I do know is that it needs to change. People have their good and bad sides, regardless of their race. Being white is not more than just being a color... no colors are better than others, it's about time we start realizing this. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:34:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729125 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729101 This video really opened my eyes to the fact that white is desired by most, if not all. It has been brought up before, the whole deal about "skin lighter" creams and what-not. It's ridiculous and crazy, but it's what is out there. If you would have asked me a while back if I believed that most people wanted desperately to be white I would have answered that probably some, but not many... I would have never imagined that being white was such a big deal to others. Yes, it brings many advantages, but also some disadvantages, just as any race does (although, to the white race, there are more advantages than disadvantages, I do agree with that). Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:34:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729101 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729067 As a white person I can't really explain why this happened the way it did, but I can imagine. I would think that these African American kids are making those decisions because of the environment in which they are growing up in. If you really try and realize it, this IS a white world. Most television shows, actors, singers, anything really, they are all white or light skinned. It is obvious that many celebrities are African American, but it seems like all these little kids see is that the white ones are "good" or successful in some way or another. Worst of all, it is not just these little kids, it's everyone. People all over want to be white simply because it's the "right" or "good" color to be... why? I don't really know because it doesn't affect me. It most certainly is wrong, though. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:34:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729067 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729003 I understand what this person is saying but I do strongly disagree. I believe this test was fine and proves what it was trying to prove. Although the dolls might have been dolls and not people, I think the children related their choices to race. Even if they didn't relate it to race, even if it really was about color, like this person is saying, I don't think their choices would have changed much... after all, African Americans ARE darker than white people, therefore, the whole "darker means depressed" theory would still apply. Overall, the video really shocked me. It was the first time I had seen it and I wasn't expecting those results. I would have thought that the African American kids would have chosen the African American dolls over the white ones, and that the white kids would have chosen the white dolls over the African American ones, simply because of a feeling of "connection", or relation to its color, or race. I was obviously wrong. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:33:26 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64729003 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64211648 I am really tired of all this shit, I’m not going to lie. People all over the world are all the same. No one is dumber or smarter, or better or worse… we are the same and we can’t pretend this isn’t true, just as we can’t pretend that there is no problem with race issues. People are NOT treated equally and we need to start stepping out of our comfort zone and saying something about it, asking questions. If nobody did this in the first place, if there weren’t people like Sam out there, blacks would still be slaves, women wouldn’t have rights and none of that “good stuff” would have ever happened. Who cares what people think… after all, we ARE going to die. Why care? I don’t anymore. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:52:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64211648 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64211529 Race should be talked about and I’m tired of not saying anything about it. I do, in fact, have many questions about it, such as why the hell are some people considered inferior and others superior when there is truly no difference at all, other than the color of our skins? Who decided that this is the way it should be? Why would anyone ever follow along? And this brings it to the whole “bleeding” concept. Yes, Sam was a little graphic when he said the whole “wait, don’t flush that, let me see it first” thing, but he got is spot on! Why don’t we talk about that, either? I understand that we shouldn’t go around telling strangers how much we “bleed” just like guys shouldn’t go around telling strangers how many times they jerk it a day, simply because it might be a case of “politeness”… but we all know it happens, regardless of it being brought up or not! Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:52:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64211529 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64211514 I agree one hundred percent with Sam. I can’t say that I do exactly what he is asking us to do and that I keep asking questions. On the contrary, I actually have always kept those many questions within my family or even to myself in fear of being pointed out. It is wrong, but like he said, it is just the way it is, it is “polite”. But this doesn’t make it right. I, as a white person, can’t say I have experienced all these race issues, barely any at all… but it is clearly there and I do somewhat suffer for those who have to go through it every day. Yesterday, when Sam showed us the video with the little black girl and the dolls, I thought I was going to cry. It was horrible seeing how a little girl like her could say that a black doll was “bad” and the white doll was “good” and then, when asked what she considered herself, she clearly struggled to point out that she was like the “bad” doll, but did it anyway. How can we let this happen? Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:52:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64211514 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720752 In my opinion, it is a racist matter. I'm not the kind of person who always relies on racism as the main problem for everything, to be honest, I rarely do, I always try to see things as something else since half the time it is not really racial.. but in this case, I believe it is. I think that people are pissedbecause these poor people are now making money and getting stringer.. well, good for them! Leave them the hell alonw and let them do whatever they want. They are NOT the only people running oil companies and they are NOT the first ones to do it, wither. This pollution problem is old news and, although it is a big deal, wither shut down ALL oil companies all over the country or none at all. Oil is needed by basically everyone in the country and it will continue to be needed. Nobody has the right to take this away from the Native Americans while allowing others to do the same thing. Leave them alone. That's all I have to say. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:17:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720752 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720738 I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel that people are pissed, not only because this causes pollution, but also because it is Native Americans (who are "supposed" to be poor) who are the ones making money now. First of all, I'm white and I don't have any more special feelings towards Native Americans as I do Asians or people of color. But I do get somewhat angry at the thought of these people, who have been treated like SHIT for so long now finally find a freaking way of making money and making a living in a way that many other people are making money all over the world. Why is their case being analyzed so closely and not other cases? Why aren't people focused on oil companies creating pollution somewhere in the South, which there are many, and not this specific one? Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:16:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720738 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720693 With this said, I don't think we have a right to stop these Native Americans. Like Sam said in class the other day, it is already bad enough that the first people to be here are now the poorest; it would not be fair for anyone to take this away from them, especially if it is being done in other parts of the country. As I understand it, oil companies make great amounts of money but, unfortunately, great amounts of pollution as well. Still, regardless of how bad this might be for the environment, there are still many companies out there going on and working and nobody seems to have tried to stop them, considering we NEED the oil, it is not just something that's done for money. So, I find it very unfair that people are trying to stop this oil company somewhat more eagerly than others. It is true that the whole pollution problem has been frowned upon for many years, but I feel that, in this case, it is even more attacked than others. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:16:29 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720693 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720667 I don't exactly understand how the whole oil company thing works. I understand that it causes great amounts of pollution, but I don't know if there is any other ways of doing this. So, what I am trying to say is that I only know of one way oil can be obtained and it generates great amounts of pollution, which we all know is bad. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:16:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58720667 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/the-xxx-bible-who-wouldve-thought__trashed/#IDComment57134669 Overall, I think this article got the bible, along with many other forms of script, spot-on. Although many might disagree with the article and some, im sure, will take it offensively, we can't deny the fact that it is a possibility. It doesn't necessarily all have to be erotic or sexual, but there are some parts in it that are very likely to be so. With this, I would like to point out, once again, that this just proves that we are all human. Humans have tendencies, as do all the other animals, and denying it wouldn't really make much difference. People will read the bible and every person will see it a different way; some as erotic and human-like, others as something to look up to and believe in. Both of these are right in their own way.. but which one is true? Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:14:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/the-xxx-bible-who-wouldve-thought__trashed/#IDComment57134669 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/the-xxx-bible-who-wouldve-thought__trashed/#IDComment57134640 When I read this article, I kind of laughed. It is so true how most of the things written in the bible can be taken in a "sexual" or erotic sense, just like anything can be taken that way.. If you want to make something sound dirty, you can find a way. But, in this case, I think they nailed the actual meaning of it. As respectful as religion is, we have to admit that every person, including those in the bible, has had "dirty" minds at one moment or another; it is only natural. So, when these people talk about how the bible is actually erotic in a way I absolutely believe it. It is not negative or bad in any way, but I believe it is true, regardless of how important this book might be.. afterall, it WAS written by humans themselves. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:14:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/the-xxx-bible-who-wouldve-thought__trashed/#IDComment57134640