en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/758173 Comments by psupupil https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment71139793 Lines in the sand. That’s how it all started. The world that we live in is not divided by anything other than the lines that we divide ourselves by. An image that has always fascinated me is the view of the globe from space. When looking at the earth as a whole from afar, you don’t see and boundaries that separate one county from another, all you see is the land and the water. No flags, no political boundaries, no sense of separation, just the land and the water. Over time it seems that the conquest for power and “order” over social control has caused humans to develop these lines in the sand to organize and control some of the uncivilized actions of man. We’ve established boarders to separate Americans form Mexicans, the English form the Irish. With so much that divides us, stories like this bring a refreshing reminder of the humanity that every person posses. Many people find it hard to hold the door for the next person exiting the coffee shop, but this story of one man donating part of his body to another person –another person who he had no immediate connection shows the real power of the human spirit when challenged. Two things amaze me about the human condition; One, that we can learn to hate so blindly. Mass genocide comes as price of one people who simply can hate another for being different. History has taught us that the cost of human life can be measured by the desire for one person to rule another, without the regard for human life. Two; that acts of human kindness like this may happen far more than we know, and other are not regarded as news worthy. I’m far from a bleeding hear t liberal that wants to sing and hold hands around the campfire, but I understand that random acts of kindness are needed in the world more now than ever. The case of young love that is described in the second video is so cool because it knows know boundary of the way things work, how things are “supposed” to be. It is innocent; it is unknowing of the realities that past generations have caused. Did you ever take the time to stop and think about little things in life that can cause tension between people, and then realized how strange and dumb that they are? Isn’t that what this entire class is about? Looking outside of the box, from that OTHER point of view that you may seem to fighting against. I don’t have all of the answers, that’s for sure, damn, I don’t even have some. All I know is that this class has made me think, and a better person for it. Maybe we can all learn something from these people. Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:17:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment71139793 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70678727 It’s hard to find compaction for someone who is serving life in prison. The majority of the blog replies have stated how awesome it was for them to find that someone is prison could right about something “deep”. I need help with this however, given that by nature I feel that all criminals are the “animals” that most people think that they are. I’m a Crime, Law, and Justice major here at State, and I have worked with criminals during internships and such over the track of my college career. No doubt that these people are real human beings, I’ve seen the emotion of families that have been separated by people incarcerated in the court room. Not only just with lifers, when faced with the prospect of incarceration many people and their family members cannot handle the reality and lose their posterity in the courtroom becoming violent or irate. Here’s the idea that I can’t wrap my head around. Why do people feel compaction for people that have been incarcerated? I understand that this blog and letter are not about generation of sympathy for those convicted, but rather about how persons convicted of crimes are people too, and they demonstrate human characters even after being convicted. OK, so they still have emotion. But, that emotion can and will be used to manipulate in a prison society where humans operate on a basis as animals, where the strong survive and the weak perish. A close family member of mine was a CO at a state prison for over forty years; I grew up every day with him coming home from prison. It’s hard not to bring that home with you when everyday it’s your job to preserve order amongst the dysfunctional of society and stop this population from killing each other, or the other CO’s that help maintain the order. So please understand me when I say that it seems that I have little sorrow for someone who ends up spending life in prison. I understand that true Shaw-Shank Redemption stories do exist; I’m not saying that our justice system is perfect. What I am saying is that the person who committed whatever crime they did to spend the rest of their life in prison is means to an end for their punishment. Someone who commits manslaughter should have thought of the repercussions of their bank robbery before they committed the crime. Some of the worst punishments ever, such as not being able to see your family grow up, or missing the birth of a child, or even a high school graduation are all what needs to be considered before the act occurred. What about the families of the victims? They may have lost the life of a family member due to the crime that was committed by the convicted. It’s not black and white, but shades of gray, many, many shades of gray. Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:42:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70678727 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68853012 Over the past 100 years the world has increasingly become a smaller place. It seems that as history has passed technology has acted as a catalyst that has increased the speed at which the world shrinks. International relations in all facets of the work place have made the demand for multilingual individuals even greater than it has ever been. This can be seen in the relationships that form between different businesses and the parts of the world that they primarily involve. We see this in example how Chinese (particularly Mandarin) has moved to the third most popular language for the AP test according to the College Board. This shift can be accredited to the current economic situation that the United States faces and its strong tie to the Chinese Government and economy caused by current political international relations. Chinese has become the second language of business, the way that Spanish has for the longest time been the second language of the Criminal Justice System. A second language has become a standard option for high school students across the United States, exposing students to new cultures and languages that may allow them to excel in whatever field that they tailor their education to. Once again our example of how Mandarin is the second language of business further emphasizes this. Figuring I wanted to be a Criminal Justice Major in my high school days, a logical choice for me was to take Spanish as a second language. Once I completed my two years I had no desire to further my second language skills (I feel to the tribute of a poor instructor) but being bi-lingual in Spanish and English is almost a guaranteed high ranking position in the Criminal Justice field. (At least my two years may let me know when someone is talking about me.) The point being that relations today between peoples of varying language types is so common due to the now small global market, and high school is the place to start not only offering second languages, but encouraging their importance in many of today’s mainstream job markets. The world shrinking as it has, it is important to remember that the primary language is still English, and not the proper Queen’s English (colour, etc.) is the main staple of all of international relations. This may be very ethnocentric, but if you come to the United States of America, lean to seek ENGLISH DAMN IT! It is the dominating language of the world because the United States is the dominating superpower of the world! I would not go to Germany and expect for the people there to cater to an English speaking American, so I would lean German. Second languages are indeed a useful tool that can open doors and break down barriers. So, if expect to be a business major learning Mandarin would be a good idea, the same as a Crime, Law, and Justice Major learning Spanish. They may be very use full someday in the ever shrinking world. Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:36:06 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68853012 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64898884 There has been a lot of people taking sides on the issue of the U.S. 2010 Census is offensive or not. Some seem to think that whoever is in charge of designing the census did not take the time to accurately assess the questions (particularly #8 and #9) and are concerned that some people might be offended due to a racial issue. The other half of the opinion seem to think that the Census is just a survey that needs to be filled out so that the federal government can take an accurate measurement of who is living where, and in analysis of this information to distribute funding. We’ll I guess that I’m on the side of the people that say just fill the damn thing out and mail it back. Seriously, if you’re losing sleep over what box to check on the Census from, than you really need to get a life. This is a Government designed form that has been constructed to get a measurement of people, not make sure that they feel OK about checking one box or another. Some people might be concerned that they don’t know what box to check because they come from a mixed race family and may have difficulty picking one box or another. If I was in this situation, I would pick the box that closest represents who I am and move on. If you’re really concerned about it, check both boxes and let the Census counters figure it out. There is a clause in the beginning of the form that if you provide your phone number they will call you if they need to ask questions about your responses. The purpose of the U.S. Census is to count people, and to use that information to distribute funding to where it’s needed based on where the people are. It is so open ended that being offended a choice that needs to be made. If the Census offends you it’s because you choose to let it. I really don’t hope that the Census makes you feel rejected or confused, and if you do, I really don’t think that the government should care. Your letting a piece of paper ruin your day because you can’t make a decision about checking one box or another? Sorry to hear that. I hope that’s not your biggest problem today. We Can't Move Forward Until You Mail It Back. (Unless it offends you, then I guess we’re moving backwards.) Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:12:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64898884 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/native-hawaiians-ever-think-of-them__trashed/#IDComment64080877 The Native Hawaiian culture has fallen casualty to the most common episode of the American landscape. Just the same as the native peoples of the lower 48, the European expansion and domination of the Americas has become the common root of American settlement. In a nutshell, the Europeans came to America and calmed the land as their own, eliminating the competing indigenous population through disease and gunpowder. What population managed to survived has been forced onto reservations managed by the Federal Government, that at one time was the deciding body of their genocide. This same Federal Government that governs all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii has now been challenged to grant the same “rights and privileges” of Native Americans in the lower 48 (and Alaska) to the Native Americans of Hawaii, allowing them to establish their own government on their native soil of the Hawaiian Islands. With the legislative act all but law, the establishment of a Native Hawaiian government will be reality not soon before long. Based on the premise of the establishment of Native American governments for the Native Americans of the lower 48 states and Alaska combined with the current liberal Congress and Presidential positions, establishment of a Native Hawaiian Government seems very likely. The only hindrance that would contribute to the abolishment of the bill becoming law would be the cost of funding for the newly established government. Even in the midst of a national recession, most likely enough pork will be added to the bill to convince the needed conservative vote. One part of this story that I don’t like is the emphasis that the Native Hawaiians deserve some type of restitution for the overthrowing of their empire in 1893. The establishment of the Native Hawaiian government itself is a throwback to the “wrong” that has been committed by the government in the natural history of the nation. We know the state of affairs the American Indians live in the lower 48, and I hardly doubt that the conditions for Native Alaskans are any better than that of Native Hawaiians. So by establishing a government for the Native Hawaiian people some advancement is being made to fortify the existence of the Native Hawaiian population, however this “advancement” will find the Native Hawaiians in the same position as all other lower 48 and Alaskan Native Americans. – Placing them at the lowest position in our American society today. So now we find ourselves asking the same questions that we had when discussing how to solve the problem of white guilt for the taking of red land, that is all Native American land from the native peoples of all 50 states, Alaska and Hawaii included. Establishing a Government for the native peoples of Hawaii is a step in the right direction, but as will all US Government actions for Native Americans, more like a band-aid on a broken leg. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:15:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/native-hawaiians-ever-think-of-them__trashed/#IDComment64080877 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-world-is-full-of-surprises__trashed/#IDComment62495500 I can understand why someone would be surprised to find a Jewish community living in Zimbabwe. Would you really expect to find a group of Jews living there? According to oral tradition of the Lemba, their ancestors fled the holy land over 2,500 years ago bringing with them Jewish culture from where we would expect to find it in modern day Israel. Although hard to believe, the science that had confirmed this tradition through DNA evidence is concrete providing more than an oral legacy for the Lemba people of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Practicing the traditions of the Jewish people through their food selection and preparation as well as the non-typical practice of circumcision the Lemba have found a niche in Africa that does not follow the typical culture. With their sacred payer language having roots in Arabic and Hebrew, the Lemba continue a tradition that has been handed down from Israel and Yemen. One of the most intersecting features of the Lemba is how they have adapted to practice other religions whale maintaining the Jewish culture. Not only are this people descended from people from the holy land, they chose to practice different religions other than the Jewish faith and still maintain the Lemba identity. Some Lemba are Jewish in culture, but Muslim or Christian in faith, yet adding to the complexity of this group of non-typical Africans. Another point of interest is the “ngoma lungundu” that the Lemba keep in their possession. Although not as old as the Ark of the Covenant, the replica that is kept in their position is more than 700 years old, confirming that the tribe has been established for some time. How did the tribe manage to remain for such a long time however? Such a small population in relation to the surrounding area had to have made the preservation of the religion somewhat of a struggle without the majority being married off to another religion or the newer generations becoming more liberal. Maybe because the newer generations are more liberal the tribe continues to flourish and maintain a culture. The concept of a transplanted Jewish culture that is more than 2,500 years old is not that hard to believe once you take into account the scope of world religion that has existed in the past. Marco Polo brought stories of Christian communities that existed in the Buddhist Asia more than 2,000 years ago, and some of those communities still exist today even if they are by far not part of the majority. There is no doubt that the Lemba are an example of a sub-culture that is a mixture of tradition and new thought that represents how diversity will show up where you least expect it. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:53:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-world-is-full-of-surprises__trashed/#IDComment62495500 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59782515 What if a black man wanted to start a black hockey league? The sport of hockey is dominated by white people the same way that basketball is dominated by black people. If a black man or woman wanted to form an all black hockey league of which the players had to meet qualifications that deemed them all black somehow (now we get into the question how much black is black, yikes) that would be OK. We have the Miss Black Penn State pageant that competes every year to represent an unrepresented group, and by forming a black hockey league you would be doing the same. So in a sport that is dominated by all black people Don “Moose” Lewis is advocating to start an all white basketball league to represent an underrepresented group. I think that if Moose wants to create an all white basketball league, let him do it. What is the big deal? Let someone else make an all black hockey league to represent black people in a sport where they are underrepresented too. If you’re offended by something like this, my question is why? We are many years past the civil rights movement and segregation, everyone has a fair shot at whatever they want to do, so let them go and do it! Don’t hold anybody back, equality is the key. Even when this is true, people are going to excel in some areas in not in others, and band with other people that have similar interests as you do. Obviously some sports are dominated by blacks and whites, what is the problem with that? Just because a sport is dominated by one race of people or another doesn’t mean that all races can’t participate. I bet there are a lot more white hunters than there are black hunters, because it’s traditionally been a sport that has been carried out by rural people that are dominantly white. That doesn’t mean that black people don’t hunt and fish, just a lot less of them do than white people. Think about when you were back in High School and you had to pick a lunch table to sit at. Different groups of people self-segregated themselves in small clicks that usually sat together all the time. That didn’t mean that you couldn’t sit where you wanted to, you just did so and that’s the way things worked out. Maybe an all black NASCAR division should be established and an all white NFL. In my opinion this argument is ridiculous and even though race has become one of the most important issues of any sport, segregation of any type is a step backwards. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 20:06:33 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59782515 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918794 Sorry I had to brake up my comment, I remembered to do it only in time to submit it on a computer without Fire Fox. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:37:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918794 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918696 I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t know a lot about Native American culture, but I was under the impression that the American Indians worshiped the earth as something spiritual in itself. That being said, how can drilling it and pumping millions of gallons of oil out of it be considered OK for them to do? If someone was to be stealing this oil out from under the Native Americans, I would assume that they would use the argument that whoever was harvesting the oil from the ground was killing the earth in doing so. If I am right, (which I may not be) isn’t this an irony not only that the Native Americans have become rich on a piece of land that was deemed out-of –the-way for the people who put them there, but one in the fact that they are making money by robbing the earth of a resource, and that resource causes pollution that in return once again kills the earth? Funny the way stuff like this works out. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:36:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918696 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918684 If the work and money that is brought into the community is of a bust nature, what will happen when the oil bubble pops, so to speak? Is the community ready for the consequences of the downturn of the income and job level? How can we prepare a people that have been deprived of so much for so long for that? Is this too much of a good thing at one time for the Natives that live in this area? Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:36:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918684 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918662 Such sudden wealth to a community that has known being poor for so long must come as a shock however. The local casino under Native American ownership has been affected by the increase in wealth as well, and one can only hope that the majority of the earnings of that the oil business has brought to the community is not ill spent. It appears that the majority of the money is being used to purchase new vehicles and pay off debt, but what percentage of the money is being used to invest in meaningful entities such as non-material goods, in example education and land, or even stocks and bonds that can be used to further improve the community once the oil boom is over? Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:36:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918662 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918650 The Native Americans have always got the short end of the stick so to speak in the history of our nation, and how ironic it is that they now have the upper hand in such a prosperous economic situation. Over fifty years ago when most of the people left the reservation to find jobs because of the poor conditions that the Native Americans were left with, no one knew that the reservation was sitting on top of a mound of Texas Tea. Today, with advanced technology and the ever increasing need for energy, these distinct ironies has brought wealth and prosper to the community. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:35:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58918650 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56376889 I deal with the public everyday at my place of work and see people from all over the state college area. I deal with their personal information including their finances and insurance, as well as their health care records and other sensitive information. That being said, a majority of the people that I serve at my place of work are on one type of assistance or another from the government. They come and use our services for free or at the most pay just $1 out of their pocket. Most of the people that are on assistance and get our services for free have no idea how much our services really cost, which people without assistance from the government can pay in excess of hundreds and sometimes over a thousand dollars a month for. I don’t mind the people that really can’t afford our services and are temporarily down on their luck using the government’s help to help them get back on their feet; it’s just the lazy people that really bother me. I just have a huge problem with the people that see this assistance from the government as a lifestyle. I understand that some people are disabled and cannot work, but this assistance has become far too easy to qualify for. To be a beneficiary of the benefits that I have described above plus more, all that is required is for the individual to prove that he or she is making less than a set amount of income. (This is really easy to do.) Therefore, the majority of these people do not have jobs (because if they got a job they would no longer qualify), and they live on the assistance that they receive from the government (which working people like me pay for). A vast majority of this same audience is perfectly capable of getting jobs but choose to not to because of the free living that they take from the government. It is of no coincidence in my opinion that these people are the people that often try to abuse our services, as well as think that the world is going to end if they don’t get what they want when they want it. From this retrospect, I can see how those on assistance have been called animals, more like parasites that feed off of the working class in the middle who support them. The rich have their buy offs and handouts, and the poor have theirs, but who gets to pay the piper and pay for all this mess? The working middle class that pay into the social security fund, the working middle class who support themselves and pay for the handouts to the other classes. Like I said before, I am all about helping those who need help to get back on their feet and help themselves, I just feel used when some people take advantage of the help that they are being offered. I am all for covering children with assistance because it’s not their fault that their parents were not responsible enough to cover them. The children that are on assistance need to be educated so that they can work to better themselves and eventually gain employment to pay into the social security fund and not withdraw from it. So if you are on assistance because you have a disability form working or if you need it because circumstances beyond your control have kept you from working, that’s what this is for. If you perfectly able to get a job to support yourself and/ or your family, get one, earn an honest living, and don’t live off the taxes that the rest of the working world is earning for you. The biggest argument that I hear from people on assistance is that I “Don’t know what it’s like.” They would be right. My parents worked their entire lives to support themselves and myself as a child as they earned a retirement, and they deserve every damn cent that they have. I entered the working world since I have been old enough to work to support myself as I go along, and work hard to do well in college and earn a degree, to earn a better job, which will support me and my family throughout my life. I make decisions that allow me to advance my life and move around the obstacles placed before me. More people should choose to get off of assistance and yes, get a helping hand to move around the obstacles in front of them. The comment about all people on assistance from the government are animals was inappropriate, but for some people abusing the system, understandable. Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:09:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56376889 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite__trashed/#IDComment55370455 I need help with understanding something. What is such the big deal that the census use the term African American, Black, or Negro? What is the correct thing to address a person by; African American, Black, Negros, or even Person of Color? Are these titles deemed as offensive, do they degrade the people that they have been used to historically label? All of these titles that are assigned are just labels used to differentiate on type of people from another. I just don’t understand how these terms not used in a derogatory term are offensive to the people that they represent. Obviously I’m not black myself and want to figure out why these terms are offensive. (If they are) There are far worse racial terms that have been associated with black people that are obviously negative because of the connotations and associations that these racial slurs have historically carried. Radical activists such as the Reverend Jessie Jackson seem to always have an answer to questions like this, and seem to always change their minds as to what the correct term is. Or maybe that’s just it; the correct label to use changes as the times change. Nero is cool with older folks because of the society that they grew up in, and that’s what they identify with, but now maybe newer generations find the term offensive because it starts with and N, and we all know about the N word. Look at the picture associated with this article – ALL NEGRO COMICS – the term here is used proudly as proclaiming the connection of accomplishment of a periodical written, produced and published by all black people for all black culture to enjoy (in 1947). Today, it appears that Negro has a different meaning. Same as People of Color, the biggest most successful organization for black people in history is the NAACP; yes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Here colored is proudly dominated as an identity of being black, but once again the NAACP was formed in 1909. What would it be called if it was formed in 2009? What can be said about the use of a term that we all know is bad, yes the N word. Obviously this is derogatory in nature to use, but the N word has become a large part of the culture of black people. This is defiantly something that has changed over time. The N word in County Grammar by Nelly (who is black) is used over twenty times in reference to friends (who are black as well). This is just one example of many in the lyrics of hip-hop music. We see it in movies too, TV shows, etc. I guess it’s OK to use that word if you’re black and talking to other black people or yourself, but it’s considered taboo anytime else. Are all of these terms used and taken on a personal level? It must be offensive to some and not to others. Talk about walking on egg shells. I guess I’ll just stick to the basics, white people and a black people, that’s what the majority of blacks and whites want to be called anyway according to the survey projected in class. Or maybe it’s African American and Anglo Saxon, guess it all depends on when you ask the question, or if there is a spot to write it in on the census. Also, Sam why did you change the title of the article to Negros of the World Please Step Forward from Negros of the World Unite? Thu, 4 Feb 2010 20:29:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite__trashed/#IDComment55370455 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/i-guess-it-pays-to-learn-a-bit-about-other-people__trashed/#IDComment54251804 I am glad that I was able to come across and article that I would learn something from! Not that the other articles are un educating, but this one really made me think about the differences between our religious beliefs and practices as a whole, and how society as a whole sees and interprets what they see. I am not Jewish, and herd nothing of the practice of Morning Prayer or Prayer in general with the tefillin. It is however interesting to determine how paranoid us Americans have become about anything that has to do with air flight safety, and how can you blame us? With terrorists’ placing bombs in ANY part of themselves, (shoes, underwear) this throws up red flags without a doubt. Education is the answer to ignorance to help us explain the differences of other cultures. Some may say that the crew or pilot of the commercial air flight may have been too involved or may have overreacted by grounding the flight because of the unknown activity. Also, it may be interpreted the police may have been over zealous to remove the boy from the aircraft with weapons drawn. I believe that the police were just trying to be prepared for the worst possible situation, and once it was determined that there was no threat it was treated as an entire different incident. I ask myself this question: If an very “strict” or “conservative” (for lack of a better term, sorry) Jewish Police Officer (who would have known what was happing) was entering the plane to interpret the situation, I bet he or she would have had their weapon drawn as well, not knowing the entirety of the situation. Better yet, what would have happened if the person who has first observed this (the air stewardess) would have known what was happening and was not concerned, and some passenger freaked out because the stewardess did nothing? Should have they grounded the plane if the pilot knew everything was OK, (but as could have been assured) at least one person on the plane did not know what was happening and became concerned? A major point that I think that has been overlooked is the sole fact that the boy is Jewish. What if the boy had been Muslim? If this same incident would have happened and the boy had been of the Muslim faith the media would have immediately shouted “RACIAL PROFILING” at the top of its lungs, once again highlighting the ignorance and intolerance of the public. The main point that I walked away from reading this story with is that the failure of once culture to recognize another most often causes widespread panic, because people are afraid of what they don’t understand. The cure, my friend, is Education. With education, people can at least make informed choices that have a premise for description. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:46:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/i-guess-it-pays-to-learn-a-bit-about-other-people__trashed/#IDComment54251804 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-s__trashed/#IDComment53975133 We Are! Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:33:11 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-s__trashed/#IDComment53975133 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52829748 Even though it might seem that my internet is to post a huge bashing session on Rush and Robertson, it is not (Olbermann did that enough already). The meat and potatoes of my blog is to make the point by how perverted it is to use something as awful as a natural disaster as an excuse to raise a decree about religion or race. The people of Haiti need help for several reasons: One, because it’s the right thing to do to help those in need. Two, because of the reality that the Haitian Government cannot do help itself on its own due to its “third world” standard of living. (Look at the tags on some of your clothing, you’ll find where it was made, etc.) Right now help, not hate is needed to rescue the Haitian people, and bickering amongst ourselves to advance personal agendas is, in my opinion, stupidity. Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:17:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52829748 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52829693 Going back to what Rush Limbaugh commented on: How can he use a natural disaster to relate the actions of our president to the people that he opposes (obviously the black community)? If this were to happen in a county that was predominantly populated with white people, for instance let’s say some place in the Netherlands’, Rush would undoubtedly find a way to condemn president Obama for not helping the people of the Netherlands’ fast enough because they were white and of a darker complex. Why is he tiring to relate a natural disaster that happened in a place in the world that is occupied by dark skinned people, to a dark skinned president of our nation, to the different dark skinned people in the United States? Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:16:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52829693 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52829672 It amazes me that still today, in the year 2010 some people can be as narrow minded as Rush. What amazes me even more is the fact that people like Pat Robertson can be bold enough to bastardize religion in order to market themselves as leaders of religion. As a devout Catholic I can see that the church has its share of hypocrisy, but calling a natural disaster the work of a pact with the Devil is an act that takes the cake. As pointed out by John Stewart in his daily show highlights, the principles of Christianity have more passages about the salvation of people in need that should be used in times of toil, not some “That’s a Fact” crap that some TV preacher comes up with out of the thin air to be used as an excuse to strike people in need. Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:16:46 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment52829672