en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/762900 Comments by serendipity26 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69945159 I took a class about environmental tourism and global citizenship. I feel this issue has a lot to do with being a global citizen. I think many people have the opinion that when tragedy strikes another country, it is their problem and not ours. But we have to realize we are all connected. We are all humans. And yes we have our country, and yes we can take pride in our country and our people, but we a cannot forget and turn our heads to others who need help (especially when we are in the position/have the ability to help). A lot of people in this world don’t see it that way, and it is unfortunate. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:53:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/300000-whats-it-mean-to-us__trashed/#IDComment69945159 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69944637 I completely agree with your comment. The perspective brought up in class is a good one and I understand what is trying to be put out there. However, it isn’t the same situation. It is a different day and age, things like that can’t happen anymore. I am not an expert on that era, but in that point in history people were slaughtered for land all the time. Conquering new lands that way was normal. I do not in any way agree with what happened when the pilgrims came to America. I don’t think it was fair and I don’t think it should ever happen again. I understand the parallel, but I don’t think it’s the same situation. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:48:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/isnt-migration-conflict-inevitable__trashed/#IDComment69944637 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment69943160 First, I want to know if you meant illegal immigrants or immigrants. Since my opinion is different concerning this matter on the two. For true immigrants, those who leave their country to permanently reside in another, they are following the rules, settling down, and abiding by the laws of that country (like paying taxes). Just because a person has immigrated does not mean they shouldn’t receive the same rights as those who have been in that country for years. Immigrants are citizens, too. At one point all of our family members were immigrants, and we need to remember that. Illegal immigrants on the other hand, are not citizens. If you’re asking if illegal immigrants should receive the same rights as citizens concerning health care then no they should not. They do not pay taxes. They may follow most of the laws but are breaking a very important one. I have always been against illegal immigration. I can understand and sympathize with these people. And Sam brought up a great point in class yesterday about business and the free market. Yes they could be providing a great service and boosting our economy, but most of what they’re making is going to their family in a different country. I understand that illegal immigrants for the most part are cheap labor, and are the sole reason to having low prices on fruits, vegetables, and most textiles, but I do not think they should receive health care benefits since they are not citizens. If illegal immigrants were provided with free health care, do you have any idea what would happen to our borders? They would be swamped as soon as the news hit the television or internet. Our issues with illegal immigration would grow exponentially. As much as I wish we could provide the world with health care, we can’t. And it’s probably true that the people in our country in need of health care are better off than most in other parts of the world. But we can’t do it. Our country is having enough of a problem trying to provide health care to its citizens; we don’t need to add on illegal immigrants. This has got me thinking about why other countries don’t have the opportunities we do. What makes America so different? If anything, I think our country has little opportunities for immigrants. Sure they may get a job but unfortunately it is not likely that they will move up (as in be promoted to a higher level job) any time soon. I guess in a way I’m trying to understand why other countries can’t make opportunities themselves like the pioneers did for themselves. This country wasn’t always what it is today. Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:39:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment69943160 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68262307 I hate to say this, but it is pretty ignorant how lacking we are in knowledge of other languages. It is like we don’t need to know any others, because the one we speak is what everyone else should. I think languages should be taught to children as soon as they learn to talk. That’s when it’s easiest and most fun. I don’t know anyone who took a language in high school and managed to speak it fluently. Offering Chinese is also a great step. I hope kids take advantage of this because it truly is a one way ticket to a full-time job. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:36:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment68262307 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68259329 Maybe I am naïve or in my own world, but I do not look at other women and think to myself “god I wish I looked like her,” or “why can’t I be skinnier.” It’s stupid to look at people on the covers of magazines and wish you looked like them (because for the most part, they didn’t look like that originally). It’s sad that people need “perfect” bodies to feel good about themselves. Girls. Realize your potential. Be happy and proud of who you are. Your body is only a part of who you are and yes it’s important. But it’s such a waste of time to dwell on such little things. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:10:10 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68259329 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68258727 I think men and women are beautiful. I think plants and animals are beautiful. Buildings and mountains are beautiful. This computer I’m typing on is beautiful. I think beauty can be found in anything. Maybe you aren’t beautiful in the sense that society says, but you may be beautiful to someone. You will always be beautiful to your parents. And you should always be beautiful to yourself. I completely agree with the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It is an opinion, to be beautiful. There is no one type of person or thing that is beautiful. For example, I find the ocean beautiful while others might find it to be nothing special, people love sunflowers and I think they’re hideous, etc. I thought when I graduated high school girls would stop comparing themselves to people in magazines and become comfortable in their own skin. I could have never been more wrong. How can you be twenty years old and not love who you are? Your body is a part of who you are, no matter how much people tell you it isn’t. I am athletic, muscular, and broad-shouldered. I used to wish I had curves, was more petite, more girly in general. But that ended in middle school when I figured out that people aren’t going to love me for my body. They’re going to love me for who I am inside. And that my body is only a fraction of everything I am. And the fact that I love my body and am completely comfortable with it even when compared to cover girls on Cosmopolitan magazine, makes my personality that much better. We are all human; we were all created without any say of what we look like or who we came from. We should be proud of our bodies and happy that we are healthy, living, and able to be here at all. Not everyone is so fortunate. At first in class I was wondering what body image had to do with race relations. I just figured it out after I wrote that paragraph. We have no say in how we are made, whether that’s being athletic, muscular, and broad-shouldered, tall, skinny, fat, short, light-skinned, dark-skinned, etc. We are born the way we are. And we grow and develop inside as well as out. Being comfortable with who you are is imperative to your well-being. And part of being comfortable with who you are is being comfortable with your body. Loving your body. Appreciating your body. It is your body, and it always will be. It is beautiful . Don’t want to change it for anything. It is a part of you, and nothing can replace that. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:04:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/women__trashed/#IDComment68258727 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment66880961 In reality, there is no step two. I have come to this conclusion, as difficult as it was. I have accepted that even though I drink from a reusable water bottle, buy organic/fair trade coffee, and make an effort to buy American made clothes, I will always obtain a product that was made by a slave. And if you want to feel better about yourself and your effect on the world, then you can go out of your way to buy organic/fair trade things. I am not being a cynic and saying there is anything at all wrong with that. I feel better about buying organic/fait trade products. But the fact is that in most things there are fractions of slave labor and people who aren’t getting fair wages or working in awful conditions. Practically every technological product on the market is made in countries like India or China. The things we “need” as Americans are no doubt going to be touched by a slave before they reach our doorstep. No matter what there are going to be people buying things as cheap as they can because they have to save as much money as possible. Even though our poorest population in America is better off than two-thirds of the world, we still feel the need to save money where we can. And that includes a dollar or two on a pound of coffee and even 25 cents on a bar of chocolate. Imagine the video of the Ohio woman who worked at Burger King being asked to buy more expensive products based on their origin. She would not be able to afford it, even though to many the difference seems miniscule and almost insane that you wouldn’t after watching the video about the boys in the Ivory Coast. There is no doubt that Americans, including myself, reap the benefits of others misfortunes and hard work. I love chocolate. I love almonds. I drink coffee and I eat shrimp. I truly wish there was a way to turn it around but don’t think that buying fair trade products is enough. People are always going to want to make the largest profit. Some people are always going to consider themselves higher than others. People are always going to prefer imported coffee beans, wines, cocoa, etc, over United States grown products. As much as we all wish there was a way to make a difference, there isn’t. It’s interesting too that if we tried to steer away from many of these products cultivated and/or produced by slaves, we would doing the environment a huge favor, as well. Think about the amount of energy that would be saved when distribution got cut. And then furthermore the amount of money companies would save on distribution costs. Those savings alone could go straight to the workers in the fields and create a decent living for them. I think the only way for this type of slavery to end is if we all became content with the goods and services near us. And we all know that will never happen. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 21:50:59 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-might-be-the-second-step__trashed/#IDComment66880961 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65588805 Does this mean that when whites are the minority they can be proud to be white without being considered a white supremacist? And colored people will be considered supremacists if they continue to be proud of their skin color? I think a lot more white people are concerned with this than will say. I think the guilt that is left inside is causing a fear that white ancestors’ actions will be paid for when the power of being white no more. I don’t think anyone knows what’s coming and people naturally want to know what to expect and in this case they may be unnerved for quite a while. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 18:46:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65588805 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65587651 I totally agree with you in that I don’t believe the structure of the country will change. It’s unfortunate but I think the image of white beauty is engraved in our minds and social norms. I think since whites have most money and power they will remain there, as well. Also, it bothers me that it may embolden some colored people because yes you can be proud of your heritage and your culture but if you do not want to be discriminated against for your skin color then you shouldn’t make it an aspect that makes you better than anyone else. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 18:37:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65587651 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65586878 I am not an expert on welfare, but for some reason it has always been a topic of interest when brought up. I understand what it is in place to do. But I really feel, and I know I’m not alone, that it is extremely overused (especially by people who don’t necessarily need it). It’s a hard discussion because we can’t seem to find the person of blame; since it’s true that being born into welfare probably isn’t going to give you much of a chance for getting out of it. Where do we cut the line? Could we get rid of it completely? I’m trying to think of all the things that could happen if welfare didn’t exist anymore. Would people just do what they had to to make it? Would they die? Would others be willing to help? I also feel like our country has so many problems it’s trying to fix that are more important than funding welfare. Maybe welfare processes should be made stricter. How hard it is to receive welfare, I’m not sure. But from the number of people who receive it/how much it’s costing our taxpayers, maybe we should make it more difficult. Then I thought about other countries. What do people in other countries who are poor do? Do they have welfare? India is the first country that came to mind. No. They do not have welfare. They have people living in tents doing whatever they can to make a living. And a lot of them die and unfortunately a lot of them become slaves. This is not what anyone in America wants to happen to its poor but can we really keep handing people food stamps and checks monthly when they aren’t giving anything back? This also makes me think about who the real people suffering in most welfare situations are. And that is the children. Most of the blame can be placed on parents. You always hear stories about families on welfare, 6 kids, living in a small shack of a house, having nothing to eat, but their Mom drives an Escalade and has designer clothes or uses the money strictly for drugs. Maybe we can do more by figuring out on a more personal level what is going on in these homes that need all of this help and REALLY help them. Hell, some of the people in this system who are really trying to make it, maybe this could be a job for them! And even better, by making it more personal the kids would have a better chance of getting out of it when they see the rest of the world. Hopefully after this we’d be able to remove welfare or at least minimize it. Fri, 2 Apr 2010 18:31:06 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-if-we-got-rid-of-welfare__trashed/#IDComment65586878 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64257261 I totally agree with you. I am a woman and don’t like talking about my period. I could talk about pooping, peeing, farting, whatever, all day every day. And I hate talking about my period. I do mainly hang out with guys but don’t think that is the reason. I honestly think it is gross. I do not enjoy having it and if there was a way I could stop having it and still be able to have children in the future, I would take that opportunity in a second. It’s inconvenient, annoying, painful, gross and generally not fun. It makes everything more difficult and honestly, it gets pretty expensive, too. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:06:38 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64257261 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64256269 I know this isn’t intellectual or anything but I wanted to respond to what your Dad told you and tell you I think that’s hilarious, too. Dads have such a funny way of showing they care and that is a true example of that. My Dad was also my coach for many sports and coaching all girls was a definite challenge for him- especially in our menstrual years. Whenever he would catch us in a conversation about it he’d just close his eyes and walk away. I think for not having to experience what we do, he’s very understanding though. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:57:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64256269 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64254194 Period. The word itself doesn’t really sound nice. But neither does menstruating, or bleeding, or whatever anyone else calls it for that matter. I know that if you look at it from a different perspective, it is beautiful and incredible in the fact that it creates life. However, most people don’t look at it that way. I don’t even look at it that way. And I definitely wouldn’t expect a guy, someone who doesn’t ever have to experience this, to think about it that way. I don’t think until the time I plan on having children I will ever think of it as a miracle/beautiful occurrence. Ever since that awful day in February of sixth grade, it has been a burden. It has made me feel tired, irritable, weak, and caused my skin to break out every month for the past eight years of my life. I don’t like talking about it for the most part. To me it’s gross and I have nothing good to say about it. I see it as a sign of weakness to complain about something the rest of females have to deal with, too. Yes, some have it worse than others, but either way it’s going to come every month so you might as well make the best of it. However, I do have to admit, it makes everything a little bit more difficult. For example, when I go somewhere for the day while I have my period, I have to remember enough tampons. I constantly worry about bleeding through or hoping there’s a bathroom where I’m going. I still do all the same things I would on a normal day but feel a little shittier. I hate when people know I have my period though so I try to act normal. Maybe that is because I always hang out with guys or because I generally don’t like seeming unhappy/in pain. Here’s my tangent. The main reason I think “men run this world” is because having a menstrual cycle is a disadvantage. I am a woman and truly believe that. I can’t pee standing up. I can’t fight in a foreign country for months without having some form of sanitary napkin. Having a period holds women back and I think to be equal we have to act like it doesn’t affect us. We need to deal with it and now have the so called technology to do so. Tampons are one of the best inventions ever. As an athlete I wouldn’t have been able to compete without them, swim without them, and honestly feel comfortable while menstruating without them. Yes it is an honor to be the carrier of and give birth to a child but it is a legitimate disadvantage in this sense of equality to be a woman. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:48:06 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/whats-the-big-deal-with-periods__trashed/#IDComment64254194 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63049311 I have also recently thought about this topic because a friend of mine is half black and half white, with his white half being Jewish. I’ve never really asked him what he considered himself, but we’ve discussed how it has helped him to be mixed. He goes to Yale and is convinced the main reason he was accepted was because he put African-American as his race. It also makes me wonder why if people are half black/half white, why most of society considers them black. President Obama is only half black, yet he is known by most people as being black. If everyone thinks whites have it easier, wouldn’t you want people to think of you as white? Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:09:07 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people__trashed/#IDComment63049311 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63046136 I was also trying to explain the difference between whites’ and people of colors’ reactions to the comments. I agree with the point you brought up about blacks being more sensitive to stereotypes because they have been issues in the past. It is kind of similar to someone who had weight problems and is now fit, but if they were made fun of about their body they would probably be much more sensitive than a person who has been fit their entire life. It is hard to erase the past, and even if the past is behind us it is harder to erase memories. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:59:27 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63046136 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63045195 I also thought about this topic in class that day. Firstly, I am a white female. I come from a relatively diverse area in New Jersey, and have extremely open-minded parents and friends. Taking Race Relations, however, is opening my eyes to a lot of things I’ve never noticed before. This class in particular made me realize that I brush a lot of white stereotypes off as if they’re no big deal, but most of the time it is opposite when similar remarks are made about people of color. Also when Sam talked about the Wal-Mart story he stated his thoughts on how if someone came on the PA system and asked all the whites in the store to leave this wouldn’t be on the news (which I completely agree with). It really bothered me that someone sent a response in about whites being ignorant. It bothered me that someone wrote about “loud black girls in the computer lab.” It bothered me that white people are stereotyped as benchwarmers. Pretty much every comment made I laughed off, and then once it sank in I wondered… why the hell am I laughing? It’s not funny. No one person is the same and I am coming to realize that generalizations are so incredibly wrong. I am white. I am in no way a bench warmer. I was a Penn Relays champion and All-American. I won several state championships and played year-round varsity sports. I would never consider myself to be ignorant. I am taking this class, aren’t I? How many white people are in race relations? Probably about two-thirds of the class is white. How does that confirm white people being ignorant? Why does one group of girls in a computer lab make you think all black girls are like that? They aren’t. There isn’t a single group of any race/color/ethnicity that has people that all act, talk, walk, etc, the same. Writing this blog made me ask myself why it is that white people brush insults off like that. Is it because we know/understand they really are just stereotypes and don’t take it to heart? Then why do other people become outraged when they hear stereotypes about their race? What makes us different? Maybe it’s because we feel guilty. Maybe it’s because white people think they’re better deep down and don’t even let things like that bother them. But maybe it’s because we have never really been hurt by them. We have never been oppressed or discriminated against. In all honesty, whites have had the upper hand in pretty much everything; whereas African Americans have had to deal with decades of discrimination and unfairness. Maybe if we, too, had to go through years and years of being held down and abused, we would take to heart things that make us look worse than we truly are. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:51:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways__trashed/#IDComment63045195 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58912761 My ancestors also didn’t immigrate to the U.S. until the early 1900s, however I do feel bad for the Native Americans and feel like I owe something to them. Here is why; the European settlers would have never modernized America if it weren't for the Native Americans. The first settlers could barely SURVIVE. Native Americans were gracious enough to help them by teaching them how to grow crops, hunt, fish, etc. You forget that it takes simple needs being sustained for a society to grow and become more advanced. If anything, we should be bowing down to the Native Americans. It’s sad that people don’t appreciate their knowledge and respect them. They deserve it more than anyone. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:35:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58912761 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58910618 I feel like the only way for this to be put in the past is if it is a mutual effort. That may sound unusual and even insulting to some but I think steps need to be taken from both sides. Be it with Americans and Native American's, whites and African Americans, etc. There has to be a simultaneous movement towards the center. Where those whose ancestors have done the wrongs accept them, and those who have been victims forgive/accept that it wasn't directly the people of this age who they are upset with. I have no idea how this would happen but think the only way it’ll work is if both sides make a move. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:13:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-two__trashed/#IDComment58910618 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58907734 As a business student, reading that was slightly harsh. But then the more I thought about it the more I agree. Albert Einstein was quoted saying; “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” I truly agree with that, also. I came to Penn State because they have one of the best business schools in the country, and knowing the alumni network- I would have a much better chance of getting a job after I graduated. I feel like our society is all fixed. How does a business school become so “good”? Businessmen are individuals and I feel they succeed no matter what school they came from. However, our society today believes that your education is the most important. The education we’re receiving, all 10,000 of us in the business school, we’re all learning the same thing. We’re all learning the ways to do things. We’re all doing the pointless projects and proposals and mock interviews. And we are doing this so a company can look at our resume, see we came from the Smeal College of Business and hire us on account that we received that certain “education.” We have never been forced to learn anything ourselves. We have never had to find different ways to do things. Honestly, none of us have even been out in the real business world. Or should I say the fixed world? Companies in the U.S. are simply going through the motions. They recruit “talent” that they feel comfortable with (in regards of past employees and alma maters, friends of friends, etc). They want the people who have gone through society’s motions; graduating high school, going to an expensive college, maybe grad school, etc. And would never, ever, even consider interviewing a woman like Yvrose Jean Baptiste, even though she would probably be more qualified to conduct business in any environment than me or one of my classmates. She has something many people in our generation do not, DRIVE. She has made a living for herself out of absolutely nothing. She has clients, businesses that count on her. She herself has ripple effected probably most of the economy in Haiti. I know that may sound a little excessive but think about it. She is a wholesaler (irrelevant that it’s small level) to more than 10 different shop owners. And those shop owners provide goods to their markets and so on and so forth. Yvrose is a true entrepreneur. Something our country has very few of today. Her story is most humbling and inspiring, especially because of her situation. I can only imagine the difficulty of starting this business and keeping it going can be. In America we have millions of opportunities, even in this so called “recession.” Haiti’s condition all year round is worse than our pitfall of the century. If any one of us were sent to Haiti to try to survive financially, even with our “high-class business education,” I doubt we would be able to succeed in the ways Yvrose has. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:41:41 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58907734 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-three__trashed/#IDComment57571317 My senior year in high school I had sex ed with an openly gay guy. After talking to him a while I found out he wasn’t just gay but bisexual. He told me he’s liked boys, girls, and people from all types of backgrounds in the past. Then he said possibly the coolest thing I have ever heard. “I just fall in love with the person; I fall in love with their personality. It doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or a girl or whatever. I fall in love with YOU.” That statement made me think about so many things and that if we could all be a little more like him maybe we’d all be a whole lot happier. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:37:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/lgbt-class-question-three__trashed/#IDComment57571317