en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/760064 Comments by sss5237 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment72105281 I personally feel that healthcare should be an equal right to everyone just because it’s just not right to me knowing that there are people out there who can be seriously hurt or in dangerous working situations with absolutely no assurance that they can do anything about it if they get hurt. However, I see lots of problems and objections to this sort of idea. People who pay taxes would object to allowing illegal immigrants to receive these sorts of benefits. A lot of people who believe they shouldn’t even be here would also object, because as it is they don’t believe they are here, what if they are getting rights. I hope that healthcare for illegal immigrants is a possibility but I’m currently skeptical of its feasibility. Mon, 3 May 2010 17:37:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-health-care__trashed/#IDComment72105281 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment72103984 I think that immigrants who do put in the hard work, especially those who do the work that most Americans are unwilling to do (evidenced by the crop growers in California who let all these fruits rot because there was no one to pick them) should be commended for what they are doing. If you think about it from the perspective of many of these immigrants, I’m sure they don’t want to be illegal. I’m sure they’d want to work jobs that pay more and allow them to do more with their lives, but they simply can’t because they can’t afford to become citizens. So then they are penalized for coming here illegally just so they can make some money to typically make a better life for themselves. If you were in that situation, isn’t that what you’d want? Mon, 3 May 2010 17:32:16 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-about-people-who-can-only-afford-hard-work__trashed/#IDComment72103984 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment72103036 I think that sociology is somewhat of sad field, since most sociologists it seems don’t seem to focus on all the good things in society but rather all the bad things with the conscious awareness that many of these things can’t be affected or directly changed. We see all the negative stereotypes people build up with one another, all the prejudices and hatred and it becomes slightly depressing knowing there’s all this animosity in the world. This whole class was really showed the student’s in the class some of the biggest problems with society and they’ve made it so that I think most people in the class have learned and appreciated a lot of new information. It’s slightly depressing, but seeing video’s like this are uplifting and really make at least me feel better about the way things are. Mon, 3 May 2010 17:28:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment72103036 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment72102400 First off, watching the video in class almost made me cry because of everything we’ve learned in class, and yet how there is still so much good stuff happening. This video made it hard to think about race, and I think that’s something most everyone who watched it would agree. There are something’s, like this little boys interest in the little girl, that just precede all the perceptions, stereotypes, and prejudices we all build towards others. If people began to focus on these similarities more than our differences, race relations would be at a whole different place right now. If people were just more willing to see the good in people instead of their color, the world would definitely be a lot better. Mon, 3 May 2010 17:25:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/stories-for-uplift__trashed/#IDComment72102400 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment70060747 These tent cities quite amaze me. The ventures, businesses, and the growing “economy” are actually very good for Haiti and it’s just great to me that these people are getting up from this big mess, wiping off the dirt, and trying to create something for themselves. That’s something that takes so much strength and character. From what the visitor in class told us, this is exactly what they need and the funny thing is they are doing this for themselves and by themselves and no one is providing them with the clean water, and bags of rice and it’s just amazing how everything is working out. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:12:08 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment70060747 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment70060626 .The only thing that saddens me, is that at the end of the video they said that most of the people in the tent city won’t be leaving for years. It amazes me how these people will never really be able to pick up their lives and make them what they were before. It’s just not possible for them to do that unless outside help provides them with the means to stimulate the economy more and really work to create a new thriving country. The only thing we can hope I guess is that they can be happy with the way things are going, because in the end that’s what matters the most. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:11:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/tent-cities-in-haiti__trashed/#IDComment70060626 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70055944 Quite frankly, I was really surprised by this letter just because it really gave me the opportunity to challenge all these preconceived notions, stereotypes, and prejudices most of us, including myself, towards prisons, prison life, and the people in there. We all automatically think prisoners: barbaric, probably not educated, usually not very kind, we typically see them as “dirty” and as people we would never see being able to function in society correctly. Obviously that’s not true for a lot of those people, and this letter really exemplifies that. The first thing it does is completely throw away this notion of everyone being uneducated. I was just amazed by his prose and his writing style, especially for someone who had never even been through college. In my head I was thinking, I don’t know if some of my peers or even I can write that well and convey that much sincerity in our writing. Furthermore, the content of the note itself was incredibly surprising. It’s hard to imagine the scene he described in the letter. Two men, two men who hate each other giving helping one another out. The funny thing is, I don’t even think that kind of compassion happens that often outside of prison walls. And maybe that is true, maybe these prison walls facilitate this sort of growth in a person. I mean this man does not sound like a killer, and at this point he sounds remorseful, and a good person. We all make mistakes, some are more severe than others, and cannot be excused, and that can be sad, especially when people make as many amends for them as possible. And maybe it’s the prison itself make people who have caused suffering, to really see the suffering they have caused, and that is what causes this extreme sincerity this man writes about in his letter. People in the real world have walls that they build up, and even when they see someone they hate going through something terrible, something usually keeps them back from helping them I believe. Sometimes its fear, other times anger, bitterness, or spite. The thing is, all the men in this prison are somewhat vulnerable. They’ve all been thrown in the same situation, with the same regrets, and remorses, and same terrible event they’ve caused, and so what they share in common still connects them no matter how much they hate each other. So when things come down to it, they are there for each other, because it’s a sad understanding and mutualism because these walls are broken down in a sense. Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:53:55 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/letter-from-an-inmate__trashed/#IDComment70055944 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68453771 What is the point of all this? We venture into these topics attempting to explore the hatreds, fears, prejudices of people around the world and particularly this country (blacks and whites) but it seems to me from all we’ve looked at and especially Laurie’s book, we aren’t getting anywhere and what progress we are making is incredibly slow. Personally I believe this is because race relations asks everyone to shed every sort of shield people carry and asks people to put them at their most vulnerable. For as many people that are willing to put it all out there, there are just as many people that are just too scared because I feel like people don’t believe they have the courage to do it. Maybe, if people begin to see that the point of all this is to make peace, not to create more pain, that people’s intentions are really not that bad in nature then we can go somewhere with race relations. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:07:51 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/what-are-we-doing-here-really__trashed/#IDComment68453771 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68453730 Throughout class yesterday Sam kept saying that these Muslims react to what they see as a threat to their religion, their friends and families lives and theirs and so are moved to do things we all see as immoral and unbelievable. Sam continued to say that they didn’t know all sorts of things that we knew, like how soldiers weren’t all bad and all of them didn’t do the terrible things they particularly reacted to. And that George Bush and others phrased things and exploited words to make everything into something these other people hated so much. And Sam kept saying that although we know that these people are only a minority they don’t. The thing is, if they instilled so much hatred, was this really a minority? I don’t know anything about this subject so I won’t speculate, but how far did this unkindness and hatred filled behavior did these people have to suffer just from our soldiers alone. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:07:24 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/creating-terrorists__trashed/#IDComment68453730 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68453688 Yesterday’s class was actually one of the most thought provoking classes I have ever been in. The way the questions were prompted, and the class layout really brought out the best in the topic and really appealed to me and the people around me. I mean I’ve always known of sociology as looking at the way people think and the way they act and understanding it, I’ve never thought to apply this to the insurgences and the fight overseas, it seemed to be a topic in a realm very different from the one we’re looking at and so one of the most interesting things was how intriguing the topic was once integrated. It was such a different outlook, it was just absolutely so different to see from their perspective. They are humans too, and all humans are the same, no matter how much we refuse to admit it. We all have similar fears, things we hate, love, etc. It makes perfect sense now why these things would happen. The funny thing is, this topic is slightly different but it lies in the same general area of religion and holy wars/ land: the Palestine issue. I was always against Palestine, not thinking about the actions from their point of view and really critically analyzing what was going on. Furthermore, the media doesn’t help at all with their case, the patriotic themes of our media kill neutrality and I personally believe it makes our country look terrible. The things people see and hear and believe are absolutely ridiculous. But anyways, now looking back at the whole debate, I see from the Palestinians point of view and some of the stuff I thought they were doing and that was horrible makes more sense to me. It’s really sad how separated and isolated people make themselves by forming groups, factions, divides all because of different believes when, when it really comes down to it, we’re all the same. We all feel the same about things and it’s sad that it’s not the thing that connects us all. I think that as a Jain I would absolutely never partake in war or condone it, but I understand the other side now, even though I had known about the poor treatment from soldiers and the terrible attitude and outlook the world has towards these people. I just never really gave it thought, I always just took what the media gave me and showed me and took it for granted. I understand why people would join the insurgency. We all can understand the hatred, the pain, the weakness these people must feel, except in a different way then them. A lot of times these are the things that drive us the craziest and make us do things that we don’t necessarily want to do or even morally agree with. It’s all the hatred and pain and anger that drives the way the world works. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:06:56 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/christian-invaders-the-turnaround__trashed/#IDComment68453688 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66926398 Obviously we all find this game to be outrageous and hte premise behind these types of things to be immoral and inhuman in nature. However, I am sitting here trying to understand why? after reading what sam wrote, I'm trying to find this connection to all of us about the premise behind this game. What about it appeals to people? Is it really some sort of weird twisted outlet for those people around us. Or does it simply just represent this universal idea that women are inferior. Because it seems to me that this this type of game has to be directed at men. The fact that in japan these games are so widespread means that these things are accepted. Maybe women subservience is just so innate to the countries culture that these games just don't seem as messed up to them as they do to us. Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:05:13 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66926398 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64286255 Having gone to an incredible diverse school with asians from many cultures, I don't automatically look at an asian person and categorize them into one big group. However, I realize that when looking at a person and seeing that certain characteristics make them look similar to someone else, and so they should all be grouped tog3ether makes sense. I just think it would make more sense to look past that. I read a comment above about asians versus asian americans and while reading that all i thought about was, why does it really matter? And also, I find it interesting that asians never really get brought into the race discussion, obviously something is there and personally I feel like negative feelings towards asians are growing. I feel as though talking about those issues would make sense so we can avoid building up more and more stereotypes and prejudices and create another entire race dilemna like that between black and whites. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:39:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians__trashed/#IDComment64286255 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64285888 It never really occured to me that for alot of black women straightening their hair was actually a bad thing. I find that interesting and I wonder does it always have to do with trying ot be white, will it always subconsciously be an effort to make the naturally curly hair of african americans look more like their white counterparts. To me these looks both look equally fine so I find it interesting that theres this divide between black women about whether or not they should straighten their hair. Also, this video reminds me of a study or story I once read in which a girl was asked to choose whether a black barbie or a white barbie was prettier and it was saddening to know that the young black girl said that the white girl was prettier. It really is saddening to see that the concept of attractiveness even extends into racial inequalities. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:35:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64285888 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64285439 I think it's funny that you call the vagina a mecca but it's hard to believe that the vagina is such a holy place when it can't even be discussed. Guys talk about penis's all the times, and hate to say it but the process of ejaculation may not happen on a monthly cycle, but it happens often enough and it's a pretty gross concept in and of itself. So i dont understand why it's perfectly to talk about those kinds of things for guys, but or a girl to mention bleeding is completely unacceptable. I mean we have phrases, even words, although crude words, that people use on a daily basis that somehow revolve around the man's penis. It's so normal for us to talk about a penis, even for girls, but a vagina, particularly a menstruating one, is a whole different story. It doesn't make sense to me how it can be so holy yet the topic is almost always avoided Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:30:48 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64285439 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64284920 Never have I considered the inequality women face just in people’s attitudes towards well, being a women. I’ve never thought about this, It’s not like race or typical gender issues that we almost always know about but typically don’t talk about or really recognize as a problem that plays some role in our lives. It’s so under the radar, something so intrinsic to our nature, that when it’s questioned it evokes so much questioning because well it isn’t typically questioned or thought about or considered and that really doesn’t make sense, especially when it is so damn integral to the way we as human beings function. It really bothers me that no girl has ever seen this issue, that we continue to be ashamed when we get our period, afraid that other people might find out, afraid that people will find us gross once a month for the rest of our lives, and afraid that people will make comments like “oh, she’s being terrible today, it must be pms.” The thing that stuck out to me the most in the entire dialogue were the lines about the tide, the sunrise, and the seasons. The way she compared this “burden” we have to the different cyclical processes of nature makes me realize just how important this is, just how essential this really is. And the funny thing is when I heard Sam say that if men had periods they would celebrate them in a holiday, I thought that was really stupid. But looking back at it now, it’s funny how “bleeding” plays into gender and the dominance of males in all our societies. IF men had their periods, it would be celebrated, and looked at as something important, something necessary and the gift of life. But for women, a period is gross, something that should be kept hidden. Many religions and societies refuse to allow women into places of god, mosques, temples, churches, when they have their periods because they are considered unclean or dirty. It’s something to be ashamed of in our world and that is just so ridiculous. The world keeps spinning not caring that we have this burden come to us once a month, it doesn’t matter how much pain we’re in or how it affects our emotional state, we need to keep trucking along, because this is a men’s society, and I guess it just doesn’t matter that we’re bleeding from our crotches because men don’t deal with it, and it’s probably not that bad. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:24:35 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/in-her-own-words__trashed/#IDComment64284920 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59762335 I had never ever seen the racism in these kinds of shows before, but it's becoming increasingly clear as I think about more and more shows like these that racism is rampant in the marketing and entertainment industry. Shows like the bachelor seem to cater to the older white person, whereas other shows seem to cater to minorities. There are of course shows that don't seem to show any preference to race, and those I think are the best kind. The other ones are somewhat upsetting when you think about how far we've come as a country in terms of racism because they show that for all the people that don't care about race, there are also those people who do still. However, the shows that don't show a preference to race are on channels that are for younger americans such as VH1 or MTV which also says something good about the younger generation I think. It shows that we are more open to race, obviously things aren't perfect, but I think it reflects changing attitudes among the younger generation. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 17:24:37 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves__trashed/#IDComment59762335 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59761598 I think he does see that he the whole concept is racist and i think that is what he is playing with. I think thats the controversy he wants and needs for this league to work because he's playing on the emotions of people who hate this idea, who secretly or subconsciously like this idea, and who outwardly think this is a good idea. I think that people who do actually subconsciously harbor prejudices towards people of color are beginning to realize that black people, after being kept down for so long, are finally beginning to reach their full potential, because when it comes down to it, we all have potential, it's just what we do with it and factors around us that influence us. i think for alot of people who've never seen the black man on top, this is hard to understand and hard to see as a good thing. To them this seems like our culture is being taken over, and is changing in a bad way when in actuality our cultures our finally integrating and things are changing for the better. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 17:17:42 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59761598 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59761095 To me this seems just a little bit off. I understand he thinks he is filling a niche and I think if this reason were really the case, for as controversial as it seems, we would have to give this man the benefit of the doubt. However, I just think this tradititional brand of basketball he’s talking about isn’t a niche for white guys, but a niche simply for slow, somewhat worse basketball players. So in that case it would make sense that this type of ball allow all sorts of men to play, because men of different color can all equally be bad or mediocre at basketball. So in that case, the concept of an all white league is racist. From a marketing standpoint, this racist concept works in. Who wants to watch a bunch of mediocre basketball players play basketball? I know I don't when I could watch faster players pull of some amazing things. So I think by putting the controversy in it he plays on the prejudices of certain white people, those who hold anti-black sentiments and in a way appeals to them not by way of interest in mediocre white men playing basketball but by way of uniting those who more openly harbor prejudiced feelings. Similarly, he plays on the feelings of those who feel this to be completely wrong. I mean look how much attention he’s generated already. His small league, only to be in certain southern cities, has made news all the way up here in Pennsylvania. Maybe this man himself harbors or does not harbor anti-black sentiments, I don’t really know if we have the right or are in the place to make that assumption based on what he has said. However, the concept itself, a game excluding people of color, is morally wrong to most people. I mean we’ve learned from class, that race is predominately a political category ascertaining power to a certain race. So what does that say about this group? Is this an attempt for the white man to regain their power, ascertain their rights as the “king of the mountain” and rule the basketball court again, because as we’ve all seen there is a growing number of men of color (and that doesn’t mean just African Americans) in the game of basketball. Obviously, I don’t think this is because people of color are better at basketball, but instead they’ve had the opportunities to play and have really taken advantages of these opportunities. We’ve also learned that race is a constantly changing, very blurry subject, a lot of times categorizing a person into a race just doesn’t work. I can’t think off the top of my head of an exception, but I’m sure there are Caucasian men, born in America, that technically fit the rules of playing in the league, but don’t fit this man or other people’s image of the American-born Caucasian. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 17:12:46 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59761095 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-five__trashed/#IDComment58910751 That’s definitely a very difficult circumstance to be in. I feel as though all non-whites probably have a similar issue. Should we be trying to become equal with the white person, and all the while still allow the native American to stay at the bottom, what do we do to help ourselves without stepping on the hardships and almost aggravating the situation with native Americans? I think maybe in some ways it’s in all of us to help all non-whites rise to equality not just ourselves. We do have the power to do so, there are so many things we could be doing for native Americans and other groups like them. It’s just, are we willing to do these things? Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:14:57 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-five__trashed/#IDComment58910751 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58910214 I think that sometimes people don’t find this upsetting because of multiple reasons. One of them is that people believe that because the main genocide happened so long ago the blame shouldn’t be put on anyone’s shoulders at all. Another main reason people don’t feel as bad I believe is because a lot of people especially immigrants or kids whose parents are immigrants see this as the white man’s problem and by white man I just mean the people who immigrated here when this genocide was taking place. They see it as not their concern because it’s just not fair that they have to worry about something that they didn’t cause. This is wrong in my opinion but it is understandable. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:08:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/native-americans-question-three__trashed/#IDComment58910214