en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/765211 Comments by zef5006 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68916952 Memorizing terms that mean nothing to me doesn’t raise my IQ, but gaining understanding of a complex idea definitely does. It helps you gain perspective and maybe see a viewpoint you never understood before. This is what education should be based on. Normally, I would be insulted if a guy tried to tell me that I couldn’t think for myself because of the education system I was brought up in, but I can’t really disagree with that, either. Don’t get me wrong, I can think for myself, but I certainly wasn’t taught that in school. I learned that outside of school through socialization with my family and friends. I definitely agree with this guy in the sense that public education needs reformed. Maybe not to the drastic degree that he would like, but I do believe something needs to be done to improve the current system. Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:37:30 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68916952 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68916932 One great example of this was a chemistry teacher I had back in high school. He was a great guy and a great teacher, but he really didn’t like when students ask questions. I remember one specific time when I asked him why a certain chemical reaction took place, and he responded, “It just does.” In other words, he really didn’t want to answer my question, he just wanted me to trust that the chemical reaction was correct and to accept it that way. Most of education today, in my opinion, is just memorization and regurgitation. I’m guilty of it myself. Us students cram the night before a test to remember all of the required terms, regurgitate them on the test the next day, and then forget them until we are forced to learn them again. We don’t really know what they mean, but hey, as long as we pass the test we’re happy as can be. I think asking questions should be encouraged in the class room, because that’s when learning really occurs. Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:37:21 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68916932 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68916913 I had never heard of this guy until I watched this video and I don’t consider myself a “leftist,” but I really could not agree more with what this guy is saying. I believe the education system now is flawed-there is too much emphasis on just getting a passing grade and not enough emphasis on actually learning. One thing he said that I think really hit the nail on the head was near the 5:40 mark, when he was talking about teachers discouraging students from asking questions. He said, “A lot of teachers say ‘These are the correct thoughts, all the others are rubbish. I’ll pick the right ones and you memerize them.’” This, to me, is 90% of education today. Maybe not so much in college, but it was definitely the case in high school. Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:37:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68916913 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67588498 This never made sense to me, because the Chinese population of my school and the surrounding areas are much higher than the Latino population. So how can you justify teaching one and not the other? You can’t really, in my opinion. It goes for other languages, too. How can you justify teaching French or German and not Chinese? What about Latin? I mean, that’s a dead language, nobody even uses it anymore. If I’m a student and I want to learn a language, my mindset is going to be, which language will look the best on my resume if I can become fluent? In reality, that would be either Spanish or Chinese. Being fluent in those two languages are extremely marketable traits. I’m not saying German and French aren’t, but not to the same degree. I think when it really comes down to it, Chinese never has to be more universally taught simply because doing business with China is inevitable and we could always use more people fluent in the language. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:00:39 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67588498 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67588383 In the current system, the only positive really is that it could spark a student’s interest in a language and they may choose to continue their studies after they graduate high school. With China becoming such a world power, I think Chinese should be offered more widely in high schools. Yes, that article talks about how it has increased. But if you read through the article, it goes on to say that Chinese is still only offered in 4% of high schools. Compare that to 88% for Spanish. Now, I’m not saying that Spanish isn’t important, but I certainly don’t see it being that much more important than Chinese. If anything, they should be taught an equal amount. Maybe we could make it required for a school to teach Chinese if it currently teaches Spanish. Just an idea, I don’t know if it’s doable. For me personally, my high school did not offer Chinese, but it did offer Spanish. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:00:28 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67588383 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67588363 To see that Chinese being taught in public schools here in America is on the upswing is definitely encouraging. China is a major business partner of the U.S, whether we like to admit it or not, and being able to speak Chinese fluently is an extremely marketable trait for any business person to have. That being said, however, I think the way that public schools go about teaching foreign languages is flawed. I know that at my school district, languages are not even offered until high school. And even at that point, every student is only required to take two years. Students know that, and most are lazy, so most only drift through the minimum two years just to earn the grade, and really learn almost nothing about the language. In my opinion, basic language instruction should start in elementary school and be continued about high school. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:00:16 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67588363 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64747930 Another thing I disagree with is that white people have only one option, which is white. As stated in the video, Hispanic people have the options Puerto Rican, Chicano, Mexican, Cuban, etc. So, why shouldn’t white people be able to check off Italian, German, or Polish? That doesn’t make much sense to me. I also feel that there should be a box for mixed race people to respond, and they should be able to write in what races are represented in them. If somebody is fifty percent black and fifty percent Hispanic, what box do they check off? Both? I don’t know, maybe there is an option for this and I just don’t know about it. Either way, I think this issue just comes down to a matter of generations and what terms are deemed “politically correct.” Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:00:17 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64747930 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64747908 It’s all generational. I think the people at the census bureau simply included all three terms because there are different people who relate to the different terms. So, from that point of view, I can see where people are coming from. However, the whole reason I disagree with this controversy is because on the census form, the terms are interchangeable. It explicitly states next to the box “Black, African-american, or negro.” It’s not like the only term listed is negro, as if to force all black Americans to label themselves as a negro. They are simply three terms that mean the same thing. It would be the same thing if, next to the white box, it stated, “White, Caucasian, non-Hispanic.” Like I said earlier, these are all interchangeable terms, they all mean the same thing. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:00:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64747908 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64747878 I think this whole issue about the census is a little ridiculous, but at the same time I can see where people are coming from. As far as the whole Negro/African-American/Black issue, all it is is a generational divide. I’ll give you a personal example. In my neighborhood back home, there are only 2 black households. One is an old man, he’s over 70, who lives up the street from me and the other is a whole family. The parents are in their 40s, and all of their kids are my age or younger. The old man refers to himself as a negro, and calls other black people negroes. Why? Because as he was growing up, his parents told him that’s what the proper word was, because that was the preferred term at the time. The younger black family, however, gets offended if he calls their children negroes, because society has told them that that is not an acceptable term anymore. If negro was the term that was deemed acceptable today, I bet you would have a lot of people upset with the fact that African-american was included on the census. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:59:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/nothing-about-the-census-is-easy__trashed/#IDComment64747878 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63559990 Personally, I think this whole situation just represents everything that is wrong with politics today, and is one of the reasons that I choose to stay independent. But either way, I guess every person is entitled to their own opinion. Protests like these, however degrading they may be, aren’t technically breaking any laws, and so I guess there’s not much you can do. This is a country where free speech is encouraged, and when something like this happens I think protests are to be expected. Protests of this nature definitely shouldn’t be encouraged and I think there are measures that can be taken to slow them down, but at the end of the day people are going to have their voice heard. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:43:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63559990 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63559968 I understand that people are angry about the new health care bill, I know I’m not a supporter of it, but I guess I just don’t see what personally attacking senators and vandalizing their property does to help the cause. If you disagree with the bill, there are other ways to get your point across and have your voice heard. Write up and circulate petitions, do some research on the bill so you can have a well educated protest. I feel like when something like this happens and personal attacks are thrown out, it’s because the attacking party is uneducated and simply disagree to be stubborn. In this case, I bet a lot of the people protesting were Republicans and didn’t even know anything about the bill that was passed, they just knew it was supported by the Democrats. If anything, this violence is hurting this party’s credibility. I’m sure by doing this they’re just trying to get publicity, but I don’t see how publicity like this could possibly help. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:43:36 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63559968 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63559929 I’m all for freedom of speech and freedom of expression, it’s one thing that makes our country so great. I don’t even have a problem if people want to protest something that they don’t agree with, because I mean no matter how you spin it, you’re never going to make anyone happy. With that being said, these protests definitely take it way too far. I understand that healthcare is one issue that’s at the forefront of Americas conscious right now, but what did any of those senators do to deserve a personal attack? It’s not like these guys came up with the plan. Hell, we don’t even know if these particular senators voted yes to pass the new bill. As far as the legality, I don’t think these personal attacks break any laws, but I don’t know if anyone noticed the update at the bottom about Rep. Louise Slaughter’s campaign office in New York being vandalized. THAT is most definitely a crime, and once again that definitely crosses the line. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:43:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/is-this-just-a-few-bad-apples__trashed/#IDComment63559929 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62284983 I don’t think this school was trying to prove a point by hiring a woman football coach. I think it just came down to the fact that she was the best candidate for the job, she just happened to be a woman. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, because I feel like a lot of high school boys, especially football players, would have an issue listening to a woman coach. I don’t know if she will be taken seriously at first, so she will have to work hard to gain her players respect, just as any coach does. All that aside, I wish her the best and I hope she makes the most of this opportunity. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:18:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62284983 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62284953 Being from Pittsburgh, I hear a lot of talk about woman’s football because the local team, the Pittsburgh Passion, is one of the best in the country. I played football in high school, and when I watch Passion games on tv, I see a lot of girls on that team that I would never mess with. So I definitely have respect for woman’s football, and I think Natalie is correct when she says in the interview that it was only a matter of time until this happened. As woman’s professional football gains popularity and more women become interested in the game, I think you will see more woman coaches get hired. Not that it will be a regular thing, but I don’t think this is the last time it will happen. Just because Natalie is a woman doesn’t mean she can’t be knowledgeable about the game. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:17:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62284953 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62284901 Wow. That was my first reaction when I saw this video. And I don’t mean that in a sexist way, implying that she should not have gotten the job. I mean it in the sense that it is incredible to see that a woman has been named head coach in a sport that pretty much epitomizes masculinity and what it means to be a man. She is very well spoken and very humble in the interview, and she gives off a very good first impression. But honestly, I don’t care what she says in the interview, I am willing to bet she had to work harder than any man would have to in order to be named a head football coach. Because quite honestly, if a school board was looking to hire a new football coach and was interviewing a woman applicant, I can almost guarantee that most of the members of that school board would not take her seriously, just because it is such a male dominated game. For her to overcome that and impress a school enough to hire her says a lot about her personal character. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:17:31 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62284901 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59435229 Not every NBA player carries guns, and another brawl in the stands hasn’t occurred since that last one, which was in 2005. Another thing that bothers me is that he picked those incidents because the guilty parties were black, but not all white NBA players are what you would call upstanding citizens, either. Chris Andersen of the Denver Nuggets was in and out of trouble with the police for drug trafficking until a few years ago. Multiple NBA players, of every race, have been arrested recently for DUI’s and disorderly conducts. Lastly, I’m not sure I agree with Moose when he says that there is a market for the “white” brand of basketball. Say what you want, but American basketball fans have come to love the up tempo style with high flying dunks and alley oops that is common in the NBA. I don’t think this whole idea is racist, but I am pretty certain that it won’t be successful. Tue, 2 Mar 2010 23:18:19 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59435229 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59435177 That’s saying something. Any white superstar today (Dirk Nowitzki is probably the most famous) is European. Even Steve Nash is from Canada. So, I can’t blame Moose for wanting to give white Americans the chance to earn a living playing the game they love. What I don’t agree with is his choice of words. I think if he expressed himself differently, I don’t this would become a racist issue. The quote that Sam posted in his article is a perfect example of this. He mentions, “players on other professional teams carrying guns, attacking fans in the stands, and going through the motions of playing the game…” The gun statement is obviously directed at Gilbert Arenas, a black man, who just got suspended for the year for bringing a gun to the arena. The other part is talking about the incident a few years ago when a few members of the Indiana Pacers, all of whom were also black, jumped into the stands and attacked a few fans. However, what Moose needs to recognize is that these were ISOLATED incidents. Tue, 2 Mar 2010 23:17:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59435177 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59435149 Don “Moose” is teetering on the line here of being racist. There’s a lot in that video that is said by him and the representative from the NAACP that I can agree with. Let’s start with Moose. First off, he does have a legitimate point when he says that white, American born basketball players are slowly disappearing from the NBA. I mean think about it, who is the last white American born basketball superstar? You have to go back 20 years to find the answer, which would be Larry Bird. There was a report about this issue on Sports Center not too long ago, and one stat that really stuck out to me was that there is not a single American born white man in the top 100 scoring leaders of the NBA. Tue, 2 Mar 2010 23:17:44 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59435149 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58531613 I think that says more about her character and intelligence than anything else. Think about everything they talked about in the story-the advance lending, the interest, the foreign exchange rates-there is no way Yvrose was taught that in a formal educational setting. She taught herself that, which is something a lot of bright Americans probably couldn’t do. I think a lot of us take for granted the opportunity we have been given to get an education. A lot of us drift through school, don’t really take it seriously, and just assume we’re going to get a good job when we graduate. I think Yvroses’ story should be motivation to work hard in school, because there is a lot of less fortunate people in the world that would be extremely grateful to be in our shoes. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:25:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58531613 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58531586 A lot of business men drift through their schooling just doing what they’re told, and then once they get a job they continue to do this because it’s what they know. And just to single out business men is wrong-we all do it, actually. I know I’m guilty of it. As Sam said in class, we’re all just “good sheep who jump through the hoops.” And that’s all well and good, but what did we do to be put into this fortunate position? I guarantee Yvrose would do much better than 90 percent of the students here at Penn State if she was given the opportunity. But then the issue comes back to the “level playing field.” We were put here in America and given the opportunity to get an education, while she was put in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. And the remarkable thing is, in a country where most people live below the poverty line and some don’t even have an income, Yvrose has made the most of the life she was given and makes a modest living in a country where it is rare to do so. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:24:50 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/who-could-compete-with-this-woman-on-a-level-playing-field__trashed/#IDComment58531586