en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/758771 Comments by ryanscherer https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70087972 I agree, I think that a lot of times hard work still cannot cut it. Some people are just more fortunate than others, or come from a family with money. Others may have all the right tools to succeed because they work hard and have determination, but they will not see any wealth just because they did not catch a break. In our society, it is easier to get rich if you already have money. This means better schools, better colleges, better career opportunities. If you do not have a lot of money to begin with, then you face an extremely uphill climb. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 03:56:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70087972 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70083724 I agree, these shows like South Park and Family Guy hold nothing back when it comes to poking fun at any group possible. What makes it not as severe is that they do it to every group imaginable. Maybe it would be a little more offensive if, say, the shows put Christians in a positive light but constantly makes fun of Muslims. It is not like this show. Every religion, racial group, and sexual orientation is up for ridicule. How can people be offended by South Parks stance when they don’t even have a stance, because they make fun of every possible group one could identify with. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 03:40:25 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70083724 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70082978 I think that it can be such a hard cycle to break for someone to become wealthy in America. Most of the time, people get rich because they already have money. For example, a family with a lot of money can put their kid in good schools in good areas, and then prestigious colleges. With this college experience, kids can get good jobs after they are out of school and start to build their own wealth. Now, for a kid that grows up in the ghetto with a low-income family. Most of the time, they live in a bad area, with under-funded schools. The chances of these kids attending a well-respected university are a lot less than the kid that lives for a suburban middle-class family. Therefore, it is a cycle that is really hard to break into. Not surprisingly, immigrants face these same problems, and maybe even to a much more difficult extent. Immigrants that come into this country illegally face an incredible uphill battle. They get no government aid, and have a hard time finding places to live. A lot of the time, they are coming into the country with no money. They literally have to start from rock bottom. Because of this, they have to fend for themselves and work their asses off just to scrape by. What makes it even harder is knowing that they probably will not reap the benefits of their work, and many will never be considered wealthy. They just work for the fact that it’s better than their home, and they are also giving their children and grandchildren a better opportunity. While I believe that hard work can benefit people, in the end it usually comes down to what kind of money you already have. The cases where people do make it from poverty and become successful are usually attributed to good luck, good fortune, lots of hard work, or a combination of the three. It is this way because of the way our society is set up. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. The impoverished and immigrants stay in the slums and most of them can’t make it out. It is a brutal cycle but is the way of life here. It really is amazing to think that these immigrants would come to live a life like this. Many of us consider it so bad, but they are coming here because they think it is BETTER than the life they lived. I could not even imagine what kind of poverty or living conditions they had lived in in their previous country that made them want to come to a place where they worked for a miniscule amount of money and awful living. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 03:37:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment70082978 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68400185 I agree, I think that when people experience a traumatic event, like losing a loved one, they sometimes take a course of action that many people consider "crazy." However, many of these people may be thinking rationally in light of what has happened. They may feel so angry at the people who took their loved ones life that they feel they are responsible for making them pay the price. Also, they may consider suicide because they do not want to continue living without their partner at their side. I think many people are quick to label suicide bombers as psychotics and insane (and many of them may be) but there are also those that feel the need to act as revenge. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:24:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68400185 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68399836 I really liked this lecture because it made everyone step back and take a look at the situation from a neutral perspective. I am very patriotic and support my country, but I also have to say that I could understand what many of these insurgents feel. They are defending their homeland and their families. I have to say, I would definitely do the same if something like that occurred on our home soil. Sam did a good job of making people look at it through the eyes of people that live in the Middle East. I think that it made many people realize, including myself, that this war is a lot dirtier than politicians let on. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:21:14 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68399836 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68398571 I think that most men feel the need to conform to society just as women do. This comes from one of the basic human instincts to “fit in.” For the most part, people do not want to be viewed as strange or weird. Therefore, they act, dress, and try to look a certain way in order to appear normal. People make a big deal about how women feel the need to conform to society. For example, women feel pressured to be rail-thin and have long flowing hair because they see models in magazines and commercials with the same look. However, I think the fact that men feel the need to conform is overlooked. One of the main stereotypes of men is the “macho” characteristic. This persona is thought to be tough, strong, and good-looking. He also likes sports and loves good-looking women. This kind of stereotype is the kind you see all over TV, whether it be in commercials or shows. For example, body wash and shampoo companies like Old Spice portray men that are well built and attractive. By using these men, the companies are conveying two images. One is easily visible, while the other is subtler. First of all, they want men around the country to think “Wow, these men use Old Spice and they are considered great all-around guys. Maybe I should use it too.” The second message is “Old Spice is using men that look like this to sell their products. Maybe I should try to look like that because that is the ‘ideal’ man.” I think this all comes down to how men want to be viewed by women. For the most part, men would like to be attractive to the opposite sex. It is primal human nature to appeal to a mate. Therefore, when they see good-looking men on TV, they feel like they need to act and dress and look like these men. If men are watching a movie with their girlfriends and a good-looking actor comes on the screen and the girlfriend goes “Oh my god, he’s so hot,” don’t you think the boyfriend is thinking to himself “Damn, I need to workout to look like him/do my hairstyle like his/wear the kind of clothes he has on.” People may not acknowledge it, but men feel very similar pressures to conform to society that women do. The reason that it is a more serious issue for women is that by conforming to society also means getting skinny, which can bring on certain health risks like malnutrition or eating disorders. Thankfully, men do not have to sacrifice their health in order to look like the all-American guy. However, there could be a point in the future where they may feel the need. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:10:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-the-men__trashed/#IDComment68398571 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66501976 I think the saddest part of this story is the fact that our world is going to these sorts of entertainment outlets. Even worse, the makers of these games would not make them if they did not think people would by them. This rape game is about as bad is it can get, but where will it stop? In the future, will there be games where you can torture a virtual person, similar to the movie Saw or Hostel? Or a slasher game where you can massacre a family like Jason Voorhees? With games immersing players using 3-D technology and advanced graphics, these games start to cross the line into reality and it could cause a severe problem down the road if players continue to play them. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 02:27:16 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66501976 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66501563 When I first started this class, I thought to myself “Alright, this teacher is pretty chill, but it sounds like all of the stuff he’s saying is just preachy B.S. and it can get pretty boring.” As the semester has gone on, however, I have noticed that I have come to realize a lot of things regarding not only race, but also discrimination in general. In my every day life, I can specifically point out to instances where a year ago, I may have said or done something different. One of the main points that stood out to me was towards the beginning of the year, when we were discussing race. The little “fun fact” kind of summed of my belief: that we are closer to chimpanzees than African elephants are to Asian elephants, and that we are so similar to other human beings of all races that it is an insignificant difference. I was interested in learning about why certain people from certain areas of the world looked a certain way, like why black people actually have dark skin (increased melanin). Because of this, it really started to make me think “If people are so similar, how can one group honestly admit dominance over another.” It saddens me that we still live in a world where people judge others so quickly just because of the color of their skin, or some other feature that is found in a certain ethnicity. We are all so similar, yet you would think that each different race was from a different planet if you looked at the way people act. Another topic that Sam covered dealt with race and its effect on the real world. I was shocked to see the numbers on both juveniles and adults and how many more blacks and Hispanics were being convicted than white people, even though they committed the same crime. I can’t say I was surprised, because many people discriminate. The most interesting fact, to me, though was when researchers submitted resumes that were exactly the same, and the results came back that showed that companies were more willing to hire a white person with a felony conviction of possession of cocaine with intent to sell, than they were to hire a black person with no criminal record. That alone absolutely blew my mind that people could be that racist, yet act as if nothing was wrong. It shows we still have a long way to go for equality. Even though Sam’s lectures may get repetitive, and people may not like to admit it, I feel as though this class was definitely worth it. At first I was skeptical, but some of the information that I have learned in this class has definitely made me look differently at some of the things we do as a society. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 02:23:26 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/i-really-want-to-know-also__trashed/#IDComment66501563 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65702792 I'm with you, I do not think that I have ever thought to myself "You know, I deserve this because I am white." White people may get more in our society, but I think that, for the most part, white people do not really have a sense of entitlement. Also, like you said, I don't think that an increase in minorities is really going to cause some power shift to another race. This country is becoming more and more multi-racial, so in fifty years there may not even be a dominating race. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 04:19:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65702792 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65701760 I agree, I think that in this time period, with the United States becoming such a multi-cultural country, it is important that we come up with a universal way to label people for the census. It is different than 50 years ago, where most people could point to a specific country or region where they were from (African, Chinese, Irish, etc.) Now, people do not really know how to label themselves even. If a person has a mother who is a Native American and a father who is from Kenya, what do they mark down on the census. In reality, it is difficult for people to put one specific race down, so there needs to be a better way to categorize people in order to make decisions. Sat, 3 Apr 2010 04:08:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment65701760 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64914218 I think that with the increase in births to “minorities”, or non-white races, there really will not be that much of a change in society. I could see it being different if, for example, a mass immigration into this country by a certain race occurred. All of a sudden, a specific race would be in the majority instead of white Americans. This is different though, because it’s not like a specific race is increasing in number. All that is happening is more and more people are having kids with people of other races. With an increase in globalization and the ability for people to easily travel and move across the world in the past 50 years, it’s no surprise that this is happening. I would not be surprised that in a few centuries, there will not be a “white” race anymore. Eventually, everyone will have blood in them from Asia, Europe, Africa, and South and North America. It is jus the way things are shifting. As a white person, I am not really concerned at all about this stat. I do not relish the fact that I am in the majority and that my race has most of the power in this country. I do not think that the increase in the multi-racial population will have a negative effect on white America at all. Like I stated earlier, these mixed races are everything from white/African to Hispanic/Asian. There will not be a true dominant race, because almost everyone will have blood from different parts of the world. A specific race (for example, Asians) could not dominate American society even if white people become the minority because most “Asians” will also have many other races in their ancestry. If you want to, you could say that every “race”, like white, African-American, Mexican, Chinese, etc. will be in the minority. The majority will be a cultural melting pot, with people that can easily claim up to 20 different ethnicities. The reason that all of this is happening has to be due to two main factors: The steps that this country has taken in order to achieve racial equality, and also the advancements in technology. A hundred years ago, the only way you could get from another continent was by boat, which was time consuming and expensive. Therefore, people did not really see the point of packing up and moving to a whole other continent. Today, families can easily move and start a new life in another country. Because of these, more and more people are moving to the United States from all over the world in order to start a new life. It is only natural that these people meet people from other races and have kids. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:12:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment64914218 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment64285787 I agree, it seems that all the history books I have ever had in school just gloss over the United States government's oppression of Native Americans. You can tell that we, as a country, are ashamed of this event. We try to erase it from people's minds by not mentioning it in the history books that kids learn from. Therefore, they grow up never learning quite how much mass murder was committed on these Native American tribes. I think that if we accepted the fact that we treated these people this way, and moved on, there would be less guilt and awkwardness towards the topic. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:34:23 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-to-do-about-white-guilt__trashed/#IDComment64285787 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64283622 The thing that really hit me about this video was the struggle that you could tell these kids had with the choice they made. After the inverviewer follows "Which doll would you play with?" with "And what doll looks most like you?", you could see their faces make a complete change. They sink, after they realize that they look like the doll that nobody plays with. It's a shame that these kids already, at such a young age, see the subtle discrimination in our society. It's like it's putting a negative self-esteem on them, because they think that white people are more appealing. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:09:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64283622 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64112055 I think that the girl in the video is right in the fact that men really do not know that much about what goes on during a girl’s menstrual cycle. The reason for this is the middle school/high school sex education we received before we got to Penn State. I know I’m not the only one, because my roommates (who went to high schools from different states) agreed. When it comes to talking about parts of the body and the processes they go through, guys and girls are basically split up. The guys learn about the male reproductive system, where girls learn about the female part of the system, and also about the menstrual cycle. This makes sense for people putting the courses together, because the first thought is “these students need to know how these parts of their bodies work.” The problem is, these sex education classes only scratch the surface of the workings of the opposite sex’s reproductive system. When it came to the female anatomy, I really only learned about its function and how it affected reproduction. I never learned about it as a separate entity, but instead as part of a relationship with the male anatomy. Therefore, the guys in my class and I only knew a little about the menstrual cycle, and it was the most basic of facts: Something died inside the girl every 28 days, and the body discarded it, which explained the blood. We never really learned why this happened, how it occurred, or the effects of it. Like, why do girl’s bodies change during their period? Or why does their mood get affected? I think if guys (myself included) learned these parts of the menstrual cycle in our class, we would have a better understanding of what girls go through whenever they are menstruating. Now, I think the comment that if guys wore tampons, they would be free is a little ridiculous. There are plenty of products (deodorant, toothpaste, condoms, etc) that benefit both males and females. It all is a matter of supply and demand. If guys needed to wear tampons, do you really think that some company is going to say, “You know what, out of the kindness of our heart, we are going to mass produce tampons, give them out, and eat the cost.” It is just the simple facts of business: no one is going to make a product just to give it away. I think that the topic of the menstrual cycle is somewhat of a “touchy” subject in our society. The reason for this, I believe, is that not everyone really knows exactly what’s going on, so it is almost like a foreign topic. Since many people do not know what is happening, it makes them uncomfortable. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:14:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate__trashed/#IDComment64112055 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63094058 I agree with you on your stance that it would really be hard to relate to a woman coaching a men's football team. As a football player, for some reason I think it would be hard to accept a woman as a coach because of the fact that it just seems like football is a male sport. It's not like basketball, where almost every university has a men's and women's team. I have to say though, you can't deny her passion and hunger to succeed at what she does. She obviously has the determination (and knowledge) to succeed at the school. It will be interesting to see how her players respond. If they do, it really will be an amazing success story. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:02:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment63094058 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63092531 I have to say, that is a pretty petty reason for a school to cancel a prom. Having lived in Mississippi and seeing the old-school, conservative beliefs of the citizens there, I’m not surprised of the uproar that was caused. Still though, that is an extremely mild “offense” for the school to cancel prom for. I mean really, what decade are we living in where a school has a rule that prohibits same-sex dates to prom? While some states are already allowing legal same-sex marriage, it is a shame that there are still backwards towns that don’t allow two girls who like each other to attend prom together. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:57:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment63092531 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62879564 I have to say, I was a little surprised when I saw on the news that a female was going to be the newest head coach for the football team at a D.C. area high school. While I had always figured that eventually a woman would break the gender barrier and take over the reigns for a football team, it still came as a shock that it actually happened. The first thing that came to my mind was “How can she relate to the players?” I know that she played in a professional football league, so she has to have a pretty extensive knowledge of the game. But also, football is different than almost any other sport in the fact that it is almost dominated by men. It’s not like basketball, where both men’s and women’s teams play in a nationally known league. I guess I am just under the impression, even if it sounds sexist, that football is a game that has always been a male sport. I have played football since middle school, and am still playing, and I tried to imagine myself in a situation where a female was named the head coach at my school. I have a hard time agreeing with the fact that my teammates would respond well to this decision. For some reason, it just does not seem like a natural fit. Now, I know that Natalie Randolph has a passion for football that most people do not, and seems like a smart and genuine person. It just seems hard to believe that she will be able to relate and get her point across to 15- to 17- year old boys. In any other sport, I wouldn’t really bat an eye if a woman were chosen to coach a boy’s team. Going back to basketball, a women’s coach would be a much more normal fit than a women’s football coach. This is because that basketball is known just as much as a women’s game as it is a man’s game. Almost every university has a woman’s basketball team, and the NCAA Women’s Tournament is televised nationally on ESPN. Therefore, there is somewhat of a level of respect for women’s basketball in this country. I think that would be the hardest part for Natalie Randolph to overcome. I don’t think people, especially young men, would respect her when it comes to her knowledge and overall understanding of the game of football, due to the idea that football is a game for men. I hope that Natalie Randolph can prove me wrong and has great success as a coach, because it will open the door for more women to do the same and take steps towards gender equality. I just think it would be difficult for the players to respond positively to her. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:57:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62879564 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59759715 You make a good point about how a white person would feel if they join this league. Yeah, they are playing a "different" style of basketball, but in reality they really are pretty much saying "I just don't have the skill to play with the big boys." What person in their right mind would go around town proudly saying that they were a star in the AABA? They would get laughed at right to their face. There is no way that this league could catch on in America. Why would people spend their money to see, simply put, inferior talent play basketball. I would rather sit at home and watch guys like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant play on TV then go watch an AABA game, even if tickets were free. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 17:00:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59759715 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59745487 I agree, the very first thing I thought of when I read this was the shows like "For the Love of Ray J" and "I Love New York." on channels like MTV and VH1. Like you said, I think the reason there is more diversity in these shows is because they cater to a younger audience that is probably multi-racial. Therefore, stations like MTV and VH1 know that having main cast members be different races won't have an effect on ratings. Like the video states, the Bachelor is on network television that is mostly watched by suburban America. This audience contains many people who may still be set in their ways when it comes to race. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 15:05:01 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59745487 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59665993 I am not usually one to call people out for being racist if they make a controversial statement, but for some reason this idea rubbed me the wrong way. An all-white basketball league just leads to another instance of segregation. Also, it is done purely on skin color, not on the size of the athletes or their abilities. He also sounds like an idiot when making the statement about professional players “carrying guns, fighting in the stands, and being lazy.” You can pretty much hear him saying, “Those nice, sweet white boys would never cause the uproar that these black professionals are.” I really don’t understand how he can make that statement, especially if he is trying to promote this upstart league. Lastly, there are plenty of basketball players who don’t have the overall athletic ability to play at the next level, no matter what ethnicity they are. Why should un-athletic blacks or other people of color be barred from this league? In both Pee-Wee football and youth basketball, I have seen there be restrictions on the sizes of kids and a separation of leagues because of it. For example, some football leagues are actually two leagues, with one being for smaller kids and one for bigger kids. This is done for not only safety reasons, but also competitively as well. Something like this would make more sense than a league with restrictions on race. There is a reason NBA players are “professionals.” They do something, or some things, extremely well. Whether it is shooting, defending, passing, rebounding, or other skills, they excel at these things and it is the reason they are in the NBA. Now, it helps to have more raw athletic skill. This is true for any sport. It makes you a better defender, more of a threat to score, and a better rebounder. For Moose to say that having just white players play would be a better brand of basketball is just dumb. Why would people pay to watch a product that is lacking in quality? It would be like saying there should be a football league where lineman can’t way more than 200 pounds and quarterbacks can’t have the arm strength to throw the ball more than 30 yards. Another thing that bothers me is that the league is for people who aren’t athletic enough to play in the NBA. But Moose restricts these people to one race: white. There are plenty of basketball players, even in the NBA, who “play like” white guys. They pass really well, they shoot really well, and they don’t’ ‘wow’ anyone with there athletic ability. Players like Reggie Miller come to mind. On the other side, there are white players who are very good athletes and can jump out of the gym. So who’s to say that a black guy that shoots really well and plays “white” basketball couldn’t fit in this league and play the same way as everyone else? Thu, 4 Mar 2010 02:05:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59665993