en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/765086 Comments by psugal14 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment70001602 I am not the most knowledgeable about health care and the new health care bill that came out. But, I do not necessarily think that non-citizens should be reaping the benefits that tax paying citizens also receive. I think that if you are living in the United State illegally, you should work hard to be able to become a citizen and get health care. However, I hate to say that, because I do not like to think about people in our country living without health care. We are indeed the “land of opportunity” aren’t we? This is a pretty tough question, but in the end, I think that it only fair for the tax paying citizens to receive health care. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:34:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment70001602 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69999503 I think that we have already established in this class that a good work ethic is very important in life to be successful in anything. However, it is very difficult to consider the answer to this question in regard to immigration. I am not sure that if you cannot afford to immigrate to the United States, if there is another answer. Unfortunately, a lot of the world is based on how much money you have. But, I love to think that with hard work and determination that you will prosper in life and that you will be successful. But, there is the whole “king of the mountain” lecture that we had.. which re-opens that whole can of worms... Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:27:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment69999503 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69994411 I thought that this letter was absolutely powerful. I am sure that it was very warming to almost everyone who read it. I immediately thought that there is a lot to be said about the courage that some of these men must have to have this outlook about compassion towards the world. I can only imagine how easy it would be to be locked up in jail for life, and just give up on the world. But, the story about the men in the yard really shows how similar people are in any situation. Whenever you see someone in a lot of pain, people will break down barriers and build bridges to help ease that pain. This situation reminds me a lot about some of the time that I have spent at Centre Peace in Bellefonte. For those of you who do not know, Centre Peace is an organization right next to Rockview that sells used furniture and household items. Volunteers and inmates run the store. Inmates are there all the time cleaning, building, or moving furniture. I had a meeting with the Director of Centre Peace one day, and he told me how hard it is for prison inmates once they are released. These men are given no sort of direction, and then just sent out into the world the little belongings that they have. The Director is currently trying to work with the state to develop some sort of a transitional home near the prison, but the township is hesitant because of the fact that they don’t want ex-convicts living there. I think that this is so terrible, and I would love to know about more that I can do to help alleviate this situation. Why I really thought of this is that the letter clearly showed us that inmates demonstrate acts of compassion to one another on a daily basis. However, there is just a terrible stigma that is put on convicts that is so painful to even talk about. Some people have said in their blogs that they were raised to think of convicts as “monsters” and while I can understand how that happens, at some point we all need to realize that people are generally just the same. Many people in my family are Prison Guards, and I when I talk to them, they seem to have similar things to say that Sam does. Many of the inmates have amazing outlooks on life, and they can learn things from one another. Now I am not saying that everyone is prison is compassionate, and I definitely not saying that people who are not in prison are not compassionate; but this letter does help us understand what life is really like inside those walls. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:11:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69994411 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68400017 Well… it was an eye opener that’s for sure. No matter what, it is also good to look at things from the other side. If we don’t, ethnocentrism will just escalate even more, and that is exactly what we don’t want. I also agree with what a few others have said, that whenever faith become s an issue that is more than just your personal belief; i.e. how your government controls your country, and furthermore, how your country controls others, we have a big problem. I have the utmost respect for our military, but I think it was nice to further educate us about what’s really going on. That movie was scary, no two ways around it. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:22:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68400017 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68398188 That was a really nice comment about what she said, and I think it really ties in with a lot of what we are learning in this class. No matter what background you come from, we really are all women. But, I think a lot of people are right in that we are always trying to conform to whatever culture we live in. We are always trying to fit in, and that may not be the right way to live, but I feel quite sure that to some degree, everybody does it. However, I think that women have a really tough time trying to make themselves acceptable in the eyes of other people. Hollywood and mass media in general really does play a huge role on the way that we should want to look. But I really like it in class when girls stood up and said that most often; we are trying to look like our close friends or others around us. But, how do we alleviate this situation? How do we make ourselves feel like we are “ok” just the way we are. Laurie asked, “if body image was taken away, what would make us women,” besides the basic anatomy answer, I really feel like what makes us women is the way we live our lives, and the common goals that most of us have. However, it is really hard to define what makes women differ so much from men. Is it our natural instincts to want to take care of people? Not really, because a lot of men have the quality. I really do not know. However, one thing that I did just think about, is that whenever you think about a “man” you think about how he proves his masculinity to other men. Whether he has a lot of girls who are in love with him, he is very athletic, or he can beat people up; ultimately, they are trying to prove themselves to each other. However, with women, I often think that they are also looking for the approval of men. They are either looking for love, friendship, or approval that they can be accepted just the way they are. I am rambling now, but I think there is this hidden secret that a lot of girls do not look for approval from other girls because they are hard to trust. If you ask them if you look fat in a dress, and you clearly do, they will say you don’t. Because, they do not want to hurt your feelings and they do not want you to look good… so you get the approval from the other guys. Bottom line, I really have no idea about what makes “women,” apart from the fact that we have female body parts. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:07:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68398188 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64290993 I’ll be honest, I have never really thought about the whole Asian vs. Asian American thing until this class. It is not because I thought everybody was classified into one group, but it was just something that I never ever had in my head. I guess if I had to look at someone, or talk to them, I would not be able to tell right away. (unless the person spoke English with an accent) but I would really not be able to tell. I am not sure though it he is asking about that, or if where we put Asian and Asian Americans in the whole black/brown category. When Sam mentions that, I always think that Sam put Asian and Asian Americans in the brown category. Is that wrong? Sat, 27 Mar 2010 03:36:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64290993 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64290554 This whole bleeding monologue was ironically hilarious for me. I was one of those girls in class who was a little uncomfortable talking about this whole period thing. However, when I watched this video, it made me start to think. When did getting periods become normal for women? Why is it just a part out worlds like thinking and breathing. I get that it is something we cannot control, but if you think about it, the whole process is kind of astounding! If anything, you would think that girls would go around using it as an excuse for things. Which reminds me that my grandmother told me that she was not able to go to school when she had her period! … wish we still did that… ha. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 03:31:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64290554 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64289948 This video really really surprised me. Not only did I find it very difficult to watch because I would have never expected it, I wish I could figure out a way for it to change. I have always noticed that there are more white dolls than black dolls, especially when we were growing up. However, I could not handle seeing these kids saying that the “bad doll” was the black doll, and the “good doll” is the white doll. I do not think that I would have ever thought that as a child, but maybe that is because I am white. Somebody mentioned in a blog that Sam hit the nail on the head one day in class when he was talking about how white people just do not know what racism is. As a child, I probably would have played with the white doll because that was what I was exposed to the most. However, I was asked to differentiate between the “good” doll and the “bad” doll I really think that I would have been confused. How does this get placed into the children’s’ minds at such a young age? Why did 15 people not choose the doll that looked most like them? It made me wonder what would happen if this experiment has been conducted on white children. If it has I would really like to see the outcome and how they responded the “good” doll/ “bad” doll situation. The big question for me is how to make this situation better. How can we get rid of that stigma, and are we ever going to? I was really surprised by this because up until right now, I used to think that race was never an issue, or really ever in existence when you are a kid. People always say that racism is something that you learn as you get older, and while that is true, it seems astounding to me that these kids are picking up on the differences so quickly. I doubt their parents have told them to play with a white doll, and I feel quite sure they did not tell their children that black people are bad and white people are good, so where did they learn this? It has to be from the public, and the way we just live out our daily lives. I do not really know how make this situation any better, but I guess we just have to keep fostering diversity in all aspects of life. If children are exposed to all things, maybe there will be some sort of hope for the future, and we can try breaking down the barriers and building bridges. In the meantime, I think awareness like this is the best option. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 03:24:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64289948 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63095306 I have actually thought about this in the middle of lecture as well. I often just assumed that this multiracial people either just do not answer the question or answer the question where they perceive themselves the most. But I understand the question, because why do they need to perceive themselves as anything? Black, white, brown whatever it is really just all a color, and why do they need to associate themselves as anything just to answer a question? Hopefully Sam will address this issue in class at some point, and we will see where he stands on the multiracial issue. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:06:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63095306 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63092540 I was also a little bit confused about the question. I really do not think that we can just pretend that it did not happen in our history books, but maybe that is not what she was getting at. However, I do really appreciate what Sam said in this post. I had the honor to work with the Lakota people this Spring Break in South Dakota, and one thing I learned was that their sense of pride is a little different than ours. To them, the past, present, and future are all the same, so what we have done as white people to their great great grandparents is considered to have happened to them as well. Just thought I would add that part as well! Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:57:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment63092540 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63089571 First of all I think that this woman is amazing! But, I agree with the news anchor that the coach was really downplaying this entire situation. She seemed to not think that this was a momentous moment and that she is so brave and making the mark for the future of football. This reminds me of an event that happened at Penn State a few years ago. I think I was in high school, and I remember hearing about a woman trying out for the Football team. It first made headlines that Joe Pa even let the girl try out, but then for the next week or so, people were looking at the newspaper seeing if she would make the cut. Unfortunately, she did not become our next punter, but what she did was still groundbreaking. One thing I have always wondered was if Joe Paterno did this because he was pressured, or because he thinks that it was the right thing to do. I would really like to see what the man (I’m assuming it was a man) who interviewed this woman would like. Did he have any questions? Did anyone question his decision because he did choose a woman to hold this position? What I think is really funny is something that Sam already pointed out. I would really love to see what this girl can do on the field. She must be one tough cookie. When did football really become a man’s sport anyway? I think it is really exciting that there is a women’s league and I wish we could see more of this! I think this woman should talk more about bridging the gap between men and women. One thing that I would have liked to have seen in this newscast was a little bit more about the challenges this woman has faced in her football career. She briefly mentioned that her father did not let her play football in high school, so she was forced to run track. However, I have to almost assume that she has had to overcome a few obstacles as a woman in this department. Especially when she is running for a full-time position that is highly dominated by men. I have to wonder if she is going to allow girls to play on her team. She may even recruit women to try-out just to show that there is not really much of a difference between the athleticism between men and women. I also wonder if the high school boys are going to have a tough time with having a women coach. There has to be some trouble with her trying to get some respect. Either way, I think that it is very exciting, and I hope we hear more about her in the future! Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:44:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63089571 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59953825 Even as a newly found “Bachelor” fan, I have noticed this myself. My first thought was that maybe their pool of applicants are almost entirely white, but that is most likely not the case... and even if it was, I would hope that their casting crew would make an effort to make sure the recruitment of applicants more diverse. Do we think this is any sort of reflection on the audience who watches this show? Even so, I would hope that they would still try and make the show more diverse so they can have more viewers. Maybe someday the Bachelor will learn. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 23:10:22 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59953825 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59952614 This is just crazy, how did Abercrombie and Fitch come of doing this? Why does the fact that she is wearing a headscarf even matter? Clothes are clothes. I am also surprised about the fact that Hollister and Abercrombie have been sued already by African Americans, Asian Americans and people of Latino descent because these stores were known for only putting Caucasians on the sales floor and keeping the other employees in the stockroom. This is uncalled for, and I cannot believe they are using their “look policy” as a means of defending themselves. To me, I would think that it would only be good marketing to shoe your clothes on a diverse group of people, in hopes to increase sales. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 23:00:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/fired-for-a-scarf__trashed/#IDComment59952614 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment59950646 I find all of this really surprising and completely ridiculous. Never in a million years would I have thought that a themed “Compton Cookout” party would be funny or even appropriate. To me, the fact that a fraternity put it on only makes matters worse. Regardless of how funny they wanted to be, there is no doubt in my mind that the fact that this could be a little offensive would have crossed their minds. To me, that means that this is just completely insensitive. Now, the matter of the noose in the library and the hood found, that is just scary. I really find it hard to believe that the noose was just “accidentally” created out of playing with some rope, and there is no reason in my mind that the hood would be created except to elicit fear in others. Even it was also intended as a joke, the person (or people) that did this had to have known that this would scare people and cause a stir. The article said that this may have been a cry out for attention, which I feel is very true, but I wish that there was another way that they could get it. In reference to the video that CNN did, I totally see where Sam was going about the “dead end” in the conversation. I thought it was really funny at the end of the piece whenever the professor just kept reiterating about the necessity of “utilizing the resources on campus and making sure that the children are educated.” I am not saying that I do not agree with this, but I wish they would talk about more of the actions that they were going to take, and less about the fact that actions need to be taken. I was also confused about the student who told them that people did not want to go to the “teach out.” First of all, I do not really understand what that is, but it sounds like a way for the student body to engage in conversation and figure out what is going wrong and see what needs to be done. The student expressed concern with the fact that the chancellor did not allow them to take matters into their own hands, but it seems like the “teach out” sounds like a pretty good first step. Maybe I am missing something with this, but usually adhering to policies in the university and making sure that the students all feel safe and that their voices are heard is the first step. These incidents are not the first hateful actions we have seen on a college campus, and they are certainly not the last, but I feel that it is necessary to find some way to keep these problems from happening. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 22:44:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/this-is-getting-to-be-too-much__trashed/#IDComment59950646 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58902969 The learning experience will be expanded for me over spring break I am planning on going on a mission trip to south Dakota to stay and work for a week on a native American reservation with the Lakota tribe. While here I will be rebuilding homes and buildings working with children doing things like tutoring and after school programs as well as food and clothing distribution. We will also be able to learn first hand about subjects like Sioux history,culture, health issues, social issues that are still around today . I will be doing all of this while learning more about the native Americans that are still living on the land. So as for me I am looking forward to learning more about the native Americans that I don’t know and what better place to learn from then the source. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:52:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58902969 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58902927 Learning about the native Americans for me started when I was in about 4th grade and it was just a very brief lesson that didn’t amount to anything because I remember very little from that class. Everything today focuses on local and state history more then on the history of our country and our land. Many kids associate Native Americans with Thanksgiving and pilgrims because that is basically all they know about them. It seems like the teachers when they do talk about the native American history like to focus on all the good and cheerful things like the pretty headdresses and dances that are associated with native Americans. Instead of telling kids about what really happened back then. Now I know kids shouldn’t learn about the really bad things at a young age but maybe focus alittle more in depth when kids are in middle school and into the early stages of high school. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:51:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58902927 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58902904 The question of when to start educating kids about native Americans is actually pretty interesting. I personally think kids should start learning about the native Americans at an early age. Not necessarily about the horrible killings and bad things that happened but about the history of the land, how they survived, what they had to eat and drink and who these people really are instead of thinking of them as just an Indian with feathers and leather dresses. I think that it is really sad that kids today only have limited knowledge of the native American culture and what they do know comes from what they see on TV or in movies . Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:51:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-one__trashed/#IDComment58902904 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment56595323 It is funny when you think about the way you viewed race when you were a child. Because I think it is true, that yes, race is never really even a thought when you are younger. My one professor for another class always talks about how “race” does not really exist, and it is really just how other people perceive others who look different than them. And yes, I also agree with the previous statements about how it is sad that there are people who agree that some races are really better than others. What do we do about it? I don’t know, but I wish that everyone could take this class so we could all learn about how to have a more open mind. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 04:24:25 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-the-conversation-always-about-black-and-white-people__trashed/#IDComment56595323 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/swinging-past-the-other-end-of-the-ideological-spectrum-on-the-way-to-the-intellectual-gray__trashed/#IDComment56594658 I agree with what you are saying about the Oprah clip. It is absolutely astounding that two schools less than two hours apart from each other would have such polarized resources. It really sums up what we talked about in class on Tuesday. We are all dealt with certain cards in our life and the way we use that hand really defines who we are. We cannot control our foundation, but we can choose what we do with out life. What I took most out of the lecture on Tuesday was that we are all really the same, and no matter what we do or where we come from, life will have its challenges and we need to take charge of them. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 04:15:53 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/swinging-past-the-other-end-of-the-ideological-spectrum-on-the-way-to-the-intellectual-gray__trashed/#IDComment56594658 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56593830 This whole situation has really surprised me! Why in the world would he compare people on welfare as stray animals in an alley? The fact that this metaphor would have actually popped into his mind is baffling to me. It is absolutely unacceptable and ignorant for him to say this statement, primarily because he has no idea about each individual story of the families on welfare. However, I am still a little confused about the statement that Sam made about how we all collect on welfare subsidies in of some sort. Is this whole situation based on welfare as like a general term? I get that lobbyists argue for money for their respective organization or department, so are we just talking about that we all use that money in one way or another. Are we actually taking the welfare money from the true intention of why that supply really exists? If somebody could clarify this for me, I would really appreciate it. I also would like to comment on Andre Bauer’s sorry excuse for an apology. Where does come off thinking that he just wished he used a different metaphor? This nation is one of the richest nations in the world and we cannot just go around letting people dying in the streets. Is Bauer proposing some sort of a survival of the fittest mode? Only the strong survive? This reminds me so much of the lecture yesterday, and how Sam talked about how if you start off at the top of the mountain, it is so much easier to stay at the top. Also, what does he propose we do about this situation if he does not like welfare? We are a democracy, so we cannot exactly just enforce a one -child rule or anything like that. Lastly, what does Bauer mean about how welfare recipients being required to take drug test and attend parent-teacher conferences? I can almost see at least his reasoning behind the submitting to drug tests, not saying I agree with it by any means. But, why in the world would he think that recipients would need to go to parent teacher conferences? Is this just because he thinks that parents need to make more of an effort to be involved in their children’s lives? If so, that is by far just as outrageous as the animal statements? Why in the world would he think that people on welfare do not have any interest in their family? Some families just do not have the resources to live in the Unites States’ high standards of living. It really offended me when I read that statement; because to me, there is absolutely no correlation between your income and how you raise are capable of raising your family. For me, I think that Bauer has a lot more apologizing to do. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 04:05:26 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56593830