en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/758273 Comments by roflcawpter https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69976128 Right away I see that this guy isn’t just some worthless idiot killer. In his first sentence he says “a few years ago, when I was much younger,” implying that he has grown a lot in a relatively short amount of time during his prison stay. It makes me think about how I would handle a life sentence in prison. That’s a lot of alone time. I would probably go insane, but I’d like to think that I would retool my whole way of thinking, as this man seems to have done. He is obviously an articulate person who has done his share of thinking. After finishing the letter, I realized that this is way better than any composition I have ever written, and this guy didn’t even finish high school. I find that pretty impressive. I had never heard stories of humanity in prison like this before. I never thought about the image of two convicted criminals hugging and crying in the prison yard over a tragedy. But, I guess I can’t expect them not to. I mean, they don’t stop being people just because they get thrown in jail. They are like everyone else, except they made mistakes, which they are paying for now. What was really surprising was that the two men hated each other, but the one was trying to comfort the other anyway. A lot of people on the outside who aren’t hardened criminals do not show this kind of compassion. It made me think: Do they really deserve to be in there? Why must we lock up people who can be so caring? I don’t think it matters how compassionate someone is. If a man offers his heartfelt condolences and sacrifices his phone time for another man who is going through a tragedy, it doesn’t mean that he can’t possibly turn around and harm someone else or commit another crime. It is a natural human response to try to ease someone else’s suffering. It was nice of the man who wrote the letter to put his hand on the other man’s shoulder and offer his sympathy, but it doesn’t mean he should be released. The last sentence hit me pretty hard too. This dude is a very good writer. He says “we all suffer and any relief, no matter how small, is of great relief to us all.” That sentence made me think of the tragedies going on in the world today, like the earthquake in Haiti, and how every little thing we do to help counts. When a disaster of such magnitude occurs, everyone needs to pitch in. With 7 billion people on this planet, we should be able to overcome anything if we band together. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:05:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment69976128 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68437248 (This goes in between my last two posts) In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:46:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68437248 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68471196 (This goes in between my last two posts) In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:46:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68471196 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68432101 This is the big dilemma in the United States’ “War on Terror.” It’s the Americans (mostly Christians) versus the Muslims in the Middle East. It doesn’t matter who strikes first. The other one retaliates with what they believe to be righteous wrath against an evil enemy. This is then repeated in a vicious cycle, with each attack inducing an even more passionate response from the attacked party. So, where does it end? Can anyone ever win? America gets attacked, and then they invade and bomb. Middle Easterners get killed and their family and friends have that much more motivation to fight the Christians. I guess the only way to make things better is to take the hit and be the first one to stop, but is it right to endure an attack and not do anything? An enormous amount of people would be absolutely outraged if America received an attack like those of 9/11 and sat back and didn’t take action. The country would then be perceived as weak and might lose its status in the world, but maybe that’s what it takes. The problem is, nobody wants to be the one who backs down first. We always think “well why don’t they stop, it’s not our obligation to stop first.” In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. However, I feel like many people may have changed their minds very quickly, which I don’t think is necessarily right. I am afraid that too many people automatically believe the most recent opinion they’ve heard about a subject. We need to take everything we hear and read on an issue and take it all into account before we form our own opinions, not just spout back the last thing we heard. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:18:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68432101 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68440925 I'm missing part of what I wrote above, and I can't get this damn thing to accept what I want to post. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:00:26 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68440925 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68440292 (This goes in between my last two posts) In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:54:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68440292 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68439181 (This goes in between my last two posts) In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:44:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68439181 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436519 (This goes between my last two posts) In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:22:03 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436519 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436142 However, I feel like many people may have changed their minds very quickly, which I don’t think is necessarily right. I am afraid that too many people automatically believe the most recent opinion they’ve heard about a subject. We need to take everything we hear and read on an issue and take it all into account before we form our own opinions, not just spout back the last thing we heard. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:19:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436142 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436126 In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:19:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436126 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436095 In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. However, I feel like many people may have changed their minds very quickly, which I don’t think is necessarily right. I am afraid that too many people automatically believe the most recent opinion they’ve heard about a subject. We need to take everything we hear and read on an issue and take it all into account before we form our own opinions, not just spout back the last thing we heard. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:18:40 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436095 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436081 This is the big dilemma in the United States’ “War on Terror.” It’s the Americans (mostly Christians) versus the Muslims in the Middle East. It doesn’t matter who strikes first. The other one retaliates with what they believe to be righteous wrath against an evil enemy. This is then repeated in a vicious cycle, with each attack inducing an even more passionate response from the attacked party. So, where does it end? Can anyone ever win? America gets attacked, and then they invade and bomb. Middle Easterners get killed and their family and friends have that much more motivation to fight the Christians. I guess the only way to make things better is to take the hit and be the first one to stop, but is it right to endure an attack and not do anything? An enormous amount of people would be absolutely outraged if America received an attack like those of 9/11 and sat back and didn’t take action. The country would then be perceived as weak and might lose its status in the world, but maybe that’s what it takes. The problem is, nobody wants to be the one who backs down first. We always think “well why don’t they stop, it’s not our obligation to stop first.” Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:18:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68436081 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68433869 This is the big dilemma in the United States’ “War on Terror.” It’s the Americans (mostly Christians) versus the Muslims in the Middle East. It doesn’t matter who strikes first. The other one retaliates with what they believe to be righteous wrath against an evil enemy. This is then repeated in a vicious cycle, with each attack inducing an even more passionate response from the attacked party. So, where does it end? Can anyone ever win? America gets attacked, and then they invade and bomb. Middle Easterners get killed and their family and friends have that much more motivation to fight the Christians. I guess the only way to make things better is to take the hit and be the first one to stop, but is it right to endure an attack and not do anything? An enormous amount of people would be absolutely outraged if America received an attack like those of 9/11 and sat back and didn’t take action. The country would then be perceived as weak and might lose its status in the world, but maybe that’s what it takes. The problem is, nobody wants to be the one who backs down first. We always think “well why don’t they stop, it’s not our obligation to stop first.” In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. However, I feel like many people may have changed their minds very quickly, which I don’t think is necessarily right. I am afraid that too many people automatically believe the most recent opinion they’ve heard about a subject. We need to take everything we hear and read on an issue and take it all into account before we form our own opinions, not just spout back the last thing we heard. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:59:32 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68433869 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68432417 This is the big dilemma in the United States’ “War on Terror.” It’s the Americans (mostly Christians) versus the Muslims in the Middle East. It doesn’t matter who strikes first. The other one retaliates with what they believe to be righteous wrath against an evil enemy. This is then repeated in a vicious cycle, with each attack inducing an even more passionate response from the attacked party. So, where does it end? Can anyone ever win? America gets attacked, and then they invade and bomb. Middle Easterners get killed and their family and friends have that much more motivation to fight the Christians. I guess the only way to make things better is to take the hit and be the first one to stop, but is it right to endure an attack and not do anything? An enormous amount of people would be absolutely outraged if America received an attack like those of 9/11 and sat back and didn’t take action. The country would then be perceived as weak and might lose its status in the world, but maybe that’s what it takes. The problem is, nobody wants to be the one who backs down first. We always think “well why don’t they stop, it’s not our obligation to stop first.” In order to break the vicious cycle, we, meaning people on all sides of the conflict, need to stop looking at things as being so black and white. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the enemy and see from their perspective, as Sam made the class do on Thursday. We need to see that maybe the things they do are as justified in their minds as our actions are in ours. We also need to realize that the Muslims who commit especially heinous crimes are an extreme minority, just as the Americans who torture prisoners represent a tiny number of disturbed individuals in a sea of good people. I believe that the lecture on Thursday got a lot of people to really start thinking about it. However, I feel like many people may have changed their minds very quickly, which I don’t think is necessarily right. I am afraid that too many people automatically believe the most recent opinion they’ve heard about a subject. We need to take everything we hear and read on an issue and take it all into account before we form our own opinions, not just spout back the last thing we heard. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:46:46 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68432417 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66865603 Pardon my French, but this game is crazy as hell. Whoever makes this one really likes to push the envelope. I consider myself a gamer – I have an Xbox 360 and a Playstation 3 – and I have seen some crazy stuff in games that would make some people cringe and make others furious, but this is something else entirely. I’m not sure who buys a game based around rape, but they obviously have problems that they need to sort out. I have heard about, but never played, other sex-themed games, like Leisure Suit Larry and the Playboy mansion game, and yeah, they’re kind of sleazy, but if they depict sex, it is between consenting adults, so they aren’t really doing anything wrong. Plenty of people still speak out against those games though, when this RapeLay game is the one with truly offensive material. This game makes rape seem like an accepted act when it is absolutely not. Rape is not cool, ever, under any circumstance. I think that’s what separates RapeLay from other more popular games it is being compared to. People are drawing parallels to the Grand Theft Auto games, in which the player is free to roam the city and kill people if they wish. Many people automatically mention the killing of prostitutes in the game when they talk about its violence, but that is not an objective of the game. It is simply a choice that the player can make. Choices are what make games like Grand Theft Auto so good. I see two major differences between sick games like RapeLay and great, but mature-themed, games like GTA and Call of Duty. One is that the ultimate objective of RapeLay is rape, but the senseless violence we associate with GTA is not the objective of the game; it’s only an option that the player may or may not choose. I can’t believe that someone would spend enormous amounts of time and money designing and producing a video game in which the main themes are stalking and raping women. It’s just sick. The second difference is that, like it or not, killing is better justified in our society than rape. Taking a life is sometimes necessary and is legal under the right circumstances, but rape is never okay. As for the question of whether or not we should push for these games to get banned, I’m going to have to side with the British gamers in the video. Video games are a form of escapism. If some guy gets his jollies by watching a virtual girl get groped against her will, that’s weird, but it’s not my business. And, if he can get those strange desired satisfied by a game instead of molesting a real woman, maybe it’s for the better. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 20:12:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66865603 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment65694426 I think this is the main concern that people have with affirmative action. We all want the people we rely on to be good at their jobs, but with policies that look at physical characteristics instead of paying attention to skill and qualifications, we can’t know if they are. All professions are not created equal, however, and affirmative action hiring is less concerning in some industries than in others. Still, no one wants a crappy fry cook making their burgers, but going off of what the guy in the video said about the health care industry, even fewer people want a bad surgeon doing their bypass procedure. There’s just something inherently wrong about not choosing the person who would perform their job in a superior way. The best person for the job should get the job, not the person who fills some fake quota. The government’s job is to work for the greater good; to make sure what happens is best for the posterity. The question is which is for the greater good: hiring the most qualified people so aid society now or hiring the disadvantaged people now in an effort to bring equality to everyone down the road? Is giving a hand to the poor and oppressed even going to help at all? We can’t know the answer for sure unless we try and we wait. But why don’t we just employ the best and let survival of the fittest sort the rest out? Won’t that make for a stronger, smarter posterity? It depends how you look at the big picture. I think that things tend to even out in the end either way. However, the largest group of affirmative action beneficiaries is not made up of poor minorities anyway; it consists of middle class white women. That may be because the largest group of people who aren’t white men are white women, but still, white people aren’t losing that many jobs to minorities because of affirmative action. Maybe, as Sam was saying in class, the real problem in the unequal job market is nepotism. People in power can pull strings whenever they want and give power to whomever they choose. It’s fantastic when you are the one getting the job simply because you know someone. It’s a piece of cake. You didn’t have to do anything. But when you’re the one being denied in favor of the nephew or the family friend, it is unfair and infuriating. If we could just eliminate nepotism somehow I think we could get rid of a hell of a lot of good-for-nothing employees in a lot of high places. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 03:39:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/is-quality-the-question__trashed/#IDComment65694426 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64280899 Ethnocentrism is a word I know I’ve heard before, but not until now have I actually looked at its meaning and thought about it. It’s not a good word. It’s not as ugly as “racism,” but it’s not good. I guess it’s kind of like passive racism on the grounds that that’s the way it has always been. That got me thinking about the whole “that’s just the way it is” notion. The idea of “that’s just the way it is” is everywhere. It’s extremely pervasive, but it’s so weak. It is one of those things that people say when they are unable to think of a real reason for something, like when your parents answer with “because I said so.” I suppose for a lot of people, tradition is enough of a reason in itself to continue something. They think along the lines of “that’s the way my father did it, so that’s the way I have to do it too.” Everything has a reason behind it and sometimes we need to reevaluate why we think or do something. People who justify something by simply saying “that’s just the way it is” are afraid to reevaluate it because they know they might be wrong. This makes me think of the typical conservative mindset of opposing change for the most part. I consider myself a conservative, so I’m wondering: if I’m writing these things, am I really a conservative? I think it goes deeper than that and I think there is a difference between being a conservative and being a reactionary, so I’m not really having an identity crisis over it. Sam made an interesting, albeit controversial, point concerning the “that’s just the way it is” mindset that had to do with ladies’ menstruation. It’s something that I never talk about, being a guy and all, and it’s something that I almost never hear other people talk about, so it’s surprising to hear Sam talk freely about it. It isn’t wrong, it’s just surprising because I am not used to it at all. It’s like someone talking about their irritable bowel syndrome. It doesn’t inspire the most pleasant of images in one’s mind, but we can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist. If people just talked about it more, it wouldn’t be such a taboo subject. The same thing goes for race. So many people accept race inequalities because “that’s just the way it is” and it’s so wrong. We don’t talk about race because “that’s just the way it is” so when it does come up, we become uncomfortable. We have to push ourselves to start talking about it so we may become more comfortable. Then maybe we can make some progress. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:39:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/flip-the-script-for-a-moment__trashed/#IDComment64280899 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63037302 I think this guy poses a great question. Why are the text comments received differently depending on the color of the sender? This is another example of inequality based on race, and it’s in our own classroom. Personally, I think most of the text comments are rather hilarious. It’s amazing what anonymity will do to a person’s willingness to speak. It lets you see what is on people’s minds, what they really think, and it can be pretty shocking. Some internet message and image boards are the same way, and I’ve seen my share of content on those, so the vulgar comments in class don’t bother me much. Although, I do disapprove of the comments about Sam’s wife. They are too personal and are not necessary. If someone should choose to be offended by the comments, as many do, that’s fine, but it should be because of the comment and not because of the color of the sender. If it is not okay for a white person to say whatever they want whenever they want, then why should it be different for a person of color? I thought we were striving for equality. Black or brown people shouldn’t get a free pass because of the color of their skin. Why is it a double standard? Is it because we think their people have suffered enough in the past, so they deserve some kind of pity or leniency to compensate? Is it because white people think that a minority will pull the race card if they say anything to them? Is this another symptom of white guilt? White people are so afraid of being labeled as a racist that it’s paralyzing sometimes. I think we just have to suck it up sometimes, get past it, and just be relaxed like Sam is. Being apprehensive or ashamed doesn’t help anything. I think the same situation occurs on all different levels. Minority celebrities and public figures have a little more leeway in what they can and can’t say. Public figures who are white see no tolerance if they say something wrong. One insensitive remark and they’re crucified. I feel like it’s overcompensation for the past. Nowadays white people have to be super nice all the time, or they are seen as racist, and if they don’t issue a public apology immediately, there will be hell to pay. So yes, I do think “this rudeness thing” does go both ways. I think everything does. If we only apply certain restrictions to one type of person because of race, then we’re back to square one and we haven’t made much progress since the 1950’s. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:19:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63037302 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61796468 Some things are just different in the deep south. They don’t like “them queer types” down in those parts and they’ll do whatever it takes to try to suppress them, apparently even canceling prom. Those people down in Mississippi are really set in their ways. Canceling prom on account of one pair of lesbians would absolutely not fly here in the north. I think any school board member who even suggested such a thing would be labeled as a homophobe. I feel like most institutions, at least in the north, try to be extra tolerant so that they get kudos from everyone else who is trying to be extra tolerant. Still, it isn’t right to abandon a school’s prom because a homosexual couple wants to go as a homosexual couple. The school isn’t just ruining the fun of the two girls, there ruining the fun of the entire school. What would be worse for the lesbian girls – being harassed at prom for being together or being harassed everywhere else for getting prom canceled? The school’s decision is only making things worse. I like how they called it “distractions to the educational process,” as if two lesbians being together are a huge distraction but three hundred teens grinding on each other is nothing. Honestly I think the sexuality of modern dancing is really distracting and if the school should call off the prom for any reason, it should be due to excessive bumping and grinding. And do they think it’s too weird for a girl to wear a tuxedo? I think she should wear what she wants, as long as it isn’t too revealing. I also don’t see why they couldn’t both wear dresses. This article does seem like it could be rather one-sided though. It’s based on the McMillen girl’s suspicion that the school’s cancelation of prom was an act of retaliation. There is no input from school officials in the article, although it does say that the school had a policy banning same sex couples from attending prom which isn’t right. It says the school canceled prom after Ms McMillen asked to attend with her girlfriend, not necessarily because she asked. This is another example of clever wording by the press in order to put a spin on something. I’m fairly sure the school is indeed in the wrong in this case, but I would like to see more of their side, just to be fair. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:01:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61796468 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59931626 The girl in the video has a good point. Why are the Bachelor and all the other shows that are like it the way they are? Frankly I think they are all trash and I don’t really understand why people watch them. The only reason I would watch the Bachelor is to laugh at how dumb the people are, or at least how dumb they’re pretending to be, if they’re actors. I think if someone gets emotional over a show like that, they must have some problems that should be addressed. As for the question posed, I’m not sure why all of the contestants are white. Maybe it’s because the bachelor guy is primarily romantically interested in white women. Maybe he’s a flagrant racist off-screen. I think it’s probably because the most ditzy, dramatic women the network interviewed happened to be white. Then again, black and Hispanic women have a reputation for being dramatic and outspoken, but there are other reality dating shows geared toward minorities, like “Flavor of Love,” with the always appealing and gentlemanly Flavor Flav, that they would have a good shot at. The day a reality dating show casts a conservatively dressed woman with a career is the day hell freezes over. They want a bunch of dolled up airheads who will start drama at every chance so they can get ratings. It’s kind of like Jerry Springer but with wealthier and better looking people. I feel like sometimes, white girls are more starved for attention and that’s why they do this kind of thing. They’ll do anything to get on TV, usually because they don’t have any real talents to get them anywhere in the real world. Maybe white girls are just more delusional, and they actually think they can find true love on a TV show and live happily ever after with whatever arbitrary douchebag the network picked that season. Here’s another question – why is the bachelor himself such a quintessential white jock? He’s always the square-jawed, supplement pounding, iron pumping quarterback type; the perfect corn-fed Nebraska high school football state champ. The overwhelming whiteness of him and the contestants paints a picture of traditional white America that would appeal to an older white demographic, like Sam says in the blog entry. I just went to Hulu to watch some of an episode from the most recent season of The Bachelor and I noticed that they pull from different groups across the white population, but not from across the country’s population. They have the suburban blonde cheerleader, the crazy redhead, and the southern belle with a kid, but no discernable minorities whatsoever. It’s kind of odd, seeing as America is considered a melting pot. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:02:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59931626