en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/766337 Comments by Msi5013 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70907963 For those of you that are not familiar with the show South Park, it is a show that likes to make fun of very controversial issues. The main characters are even controversial. There is the overweight child who all the children make fun of for his size. There is the poor child, Kenny, who they always choose to make fun of for his poverty, and kill off (showing his life is worth less than the others). There is the Jewish boy who they always make fun of for being cheap. There is also a handicap child who they make fun of, and countless other politically incorrect personalities. Having watched this show for many years, I personally have not found any of the episodes particularly offensive. I think the reason for this is because they do not eave any racial or political group untouched. They are equal opportunity racists. When they make fun of my religious group, I understand that it is only in good fun, because if I can laugh about they making fun of other people, then I should be able to laugh about them making fun of my group as well. The reason that this show even has a following is because it is so risqué and also has a lot of truth and fact behind what they say. Of course much of what they say is highly exaggerated to make it humorous, but still, it is very intelligent. In my opinion I do not believe that any group should be mad at them, because they have made fun of everyone. If this show were to be politically correct, then no one would watch it. In the flip cam question it was said that now certain groups have made threats on the lives of the writers of South Park. The people who made these threats may be upset, but need to understand that killing someone because they made fun of them using a hand drawn cartoon is not grounds for punishment by death. Yes, I understand that their prophet is holy, and they don’t want him to be made fun of, but they are not doing it to personally offend people, they are doing it to get a response out of people, and ultimately make controversial Television. The reason why such a racists and politically incorrect show has had such success for such a long time, is that there is not topic that is off limits, there is no group that is left un-picked on, and there is no digression to who will be offended. This show just takes current topics and exaggerated them to make a humorous story. People need to take the show for what it is and stop being so sensitive. This show is made in good fun, and its writers should not be killed for speaking their mind. This show is not made with evil intentions; it is simply made to make people laugh. Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:13:02 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/south-park-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment70907963 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68792617 When watching this video, it was interesting to see his view on the education system of the United States. At first I was appalled by what he was saying. How could he insult our education system like that? We have teachers who go to great lengths to teach their students useful knowledge. There are a lot of teachers who truly care about their students and education, and he is blatantly insulting them. But then I decided to stop judging him for going against convention thoughts about education, and found that there may be some truth in what he was saying In his speech he is talking about how obedience is rewarded in school and how if children want to get ahead they need to comply with the teachers orders. Thinking back to my days in elementary school this is actually a valid point. I remember walking into a classroom and having our seats assigned. You could not choose where to sit in a classroom, a classroom that your parents tax dollars pay for. You also had to ask to go to the bathroom, you had to ask you go to your cubby and get your own belongings and you even had to ask permission to get a tissue. In school I always listened to the teachers and this got good grades. The students who disobeyed the foolish rules were actually, as he said in his speech, seen as behavioral problems; they were not being bad, they were just not conforming. Another good point that he has was that the school systems breed conformists by making us complete foolish assignments. In middle school I remember doing a lot of foolish projects, just because I wanted to receive the coveted A. I remember in third grade having to do book reports, where I spent more time coloring the cover, and attaching decorative ribbon to the sides than actually reading. I remember doing a science fair project where I attached soap to a rope and called in an “invention”. There were countless pointless projects I did out of obligation, rather then out of the acquisition of knowledge. Sometimes I find that the most controversial people are controversial because they are dangerous to conventional thinking. If they had nothing of importance to say, they would not be dangerous, but rather irrelevant. “Dangerous” people are those that challenge our thought process and make us clearly see the other, less socially acceptable side. I found his speech to be quite accurate. He dared to expose the downfalls in the education system that most other people would dare speak about. Sometimes speaking out against one of your own systems is seen as betrayal, but people fail to see that looking at things from a different point of view can give us insight; insight which could eventually lead to change. Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:26:09 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/were-being-educated-for-stupidity-and-conformity-really__trashed/#IDComment68792617 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67486910 I find it interesting that you suggest learning Chinese, because when I was in middle school I remember my dad asking me if Chinese was an option to learn. Since its emergence as a dominant force in business he had always told me that this language would be a useful resource and would come in hand if I wanted to have a prominent edge in business. I never learned Chinese, and now after seeing this article I feel that might have been a mistake. I took Spanish language class all through middle school, high school and during some of my time here at Penn State University. When I had the choice to choose between Spanish, German, Italian, and Chinese in my high school, I stuck with Spanish since I had already learned it in my middle school classes. I felt that Spanish would be an essential tool since the language is so widely used in the United States and in other Spanish speaking countries. I feel that both are important, and having either one will be helpful. Although some schools offer Chinese, I do not think it is a widely publicized or encouraged to take as other foreign language classes. In my high school the people who were enrolled in the Chinese class were predominately Asian students, and I thought they were taking that class to get a better connection to their culture. In high schools they should encourage people who want to major in business or international relations to study that language. The statistics in the article from the NY times were very interesting. Since I grew up in a town with a very academically competitive high school, I just assumed all schools worked that way. So many schools don’t offer Chinese, let alone any foreign languages all together. People who have these programs in their school should use them to their full advantage. Schools who do not have these kinds of programs should invest in them because they are not very costly and are very effective. In the article it also talked about the no child left behind act has drawn recourses from the foreign language department and thus they need to spend their money so that children can pass these standardized tests. This is detrimental to a child’s education because if a student does no understand the material in math and reading well enough to advance to the next grade, they should have to repeat the grade. Trying to have them pass an exam that they do not have the skills to pass, takes away from other students who want to excel. Foreign language is so important in education and all schools need to understand that. Schools need to provide students with foreign language classes so they can be well prepared for relations with foreign people inside and outside of the United States. Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:53:47 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/want-to-learn-chinese__trashed/#IDComment67486910 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66719571 When I first saw the title of this article, I didn’t no believe a game like this really existed. In what persons mind would the challenge of succeeding in raping a woman be considered fun? I then watched the video and was disgusted with what I saw. In this game you can grope a women, and also corner then and have non-consensual sex with them. The graphics exhibit sexual violence towards women, and it is absurd that there is even a market for this kind of video game. In the video they said that this video game had benefits for people who enjoy sexual violence. They said that they would express their need for sexual violence in the video game instead of in real life. That statement is foolish. People who think sexual violence against women is ok need professional help, not a video game. I believe that what children are exposed to when they are younger is what they will think is appropriate when they grow up. If they play a video game, where the goal is to brutalizing and raping women, they will think that it is normal. People will become desensitized to sexual violence if they are repeatedly exposed to it. This is a problem because this video game is basically encouraging vulgar and immoral behavior. In Japan the video game industry really needs to regulate what kind of games that companies are putting out. In the video they said that the only restriction they had was not being able to show full frontal nudity. Is that standard really enough? When a rape video game is allowed to be sold in stores, clearly the government isn’t doing their job. The government’s refusal to comment on this shows just how inappropriate and unacceptable the game really is. Another issue with these games is that through the use of the Internet they are reaching people in the United States, and all over the world. The United States has much stricter laws, and clearly this kind of game is not allowed here. With the chick of your mouse you can see clips of this violent game on youtube. This is a problem because in the United States, we do not want people to be exposed to this kid of behavior. The rape and brutality of women is already a problem, and we do not want it to get any bigger because of a violent video game. People can also rise the argument that having raping video games is no different then having video games where you steal cars and shoot people, such a grand theft auto. Personally I don’t think that video games should include violence or immoral behavior. But since those video games are already popular and out on the market, we should not let one more video game in bad taste hit the shelves. Video game companies need to take responsibility for their actions and only put out video games that they would feel comfortable having their own children play. Fri, 9 Apr 2010 03:55:54 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook__trashed/#IDComment66719571 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65926642 When I first read this article I was somewhat surprised. I have always heard people say that eventually people will all be one race, and that minorities will eventually be the minority; but I never thought it was true. This article said that in one decade minorities will be most prevalent in the 18 and under category and in 3 decades they will be the majority overall. Even though there is factual evidence of this, I am still somewhat skeptical. How can it be that the majority will turn into the minority, and vice versa? When I asked myself this question I thought about how couples today and not always “just white”, or “just black”, as they were in the past. It seems people have become less preoccupied on a person’s race, and more on what’s on the inside of a person. Having the minorities become the majority is actually a sign that we are becoming more accepting and tolerant as a nation. It no longer is strange to see a mixed couple, as it was in the days closer to slavery, but just a natural part of life. I never really realized how much power rich white people had and how much they controlled thing since they were the majority. Now since the average person will be multiracial I’m curious to see if that power will shift. Since the “majority” will now be people who are multiracial, there might be a shift in power. Since there is power in numbers, the whites may have to sit back and see and there power stripped away from them. The article said that in 10 years multiracial people will be the majority of children 18 and under, but that still leaves the majority of older people white. The article asked “Will they vote, for example, to raise taxes for schools that serve young people of ethnic backgrounds different from theirs?” I think the answer to this is no, because until the older people are mixed, people will still vote for their own kind. Also, It would be quite ironic if when people of mixed race become the majority, whites find themselves in the roles that they formally places mixed people into.Mixed people will get positions in high places and they give jobs to there mixed friends, putting white people in a position of lower power. I hope that eventually everyone will become one race and thus race wont even be an issue. Maybe someday there will be no need for a race relations class in school, because there will be one race; human. But, even if there is only one “race” there will still be things that people use to classify people into such a class, money, family background, job and so on. Things are going to change with the shift in race population, and I don’t think anyone is truly ready for it. Sun, 4 Apr 2010 16:19:46 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/the-white-minorities__trashed/#IDComment65926642 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64272490 I remember being a little girl and walking through the aisles of Toy “R” Us. When I got to the aisle with all the Barbie’s I remember thinking that they were all so beautiful. They had perfect bodies and long beautiful blond hair. Being a girl with dark brown hair, I would often think that blond hair was more desirable. Now that I have grown up, and understand that a Barbie is just the commercialized idea of beauty, I am very happy with my hair color and glad my mom never let me dye it. But young children do not have the capacity to think in these kinds of terms. To them Barbie is beauty. Watching this video I was very disturbed by how the black children referred to the white doll as the good doll and black doll as the bad doll. I was further saddened when after the child said the black doll was bad, said that it was the doll that most looked like herself. It is one thing to admire a doll of a different race, but to say that a doll is good on bad based on the basis of its plastic skin is very upsetting. Another part of this video that concerned me was when the black girls were talking about their hair. One girl even said that when she wore her hair natural her mother told her to stop wearing that way because she looked too “African”. Other girls that were black said that “good hair” is hair that doesn’t need to be relaxed and is straight. They went further to say that blond hair is the best. The image that Mattel sends out to young children is one that is distorted and unhealthy. Yes, everyone wants to play with a “pretty” doll, but the image of beauty that the company sends out to young children should be a realistic one. The proportions of Barbie’s body are unrealistic and very far from what the average woman looks like. From my perspective I feel that most people do not have the golden blond hair that Barbie possesses, most have darker, naturally curled hair. In order to fix this problem Mattel and other toy companies should make dolls with a variety of different hair and skin colors. Yes, There would be the occasional Theresa doll, and very rarely a black Barbie, but 1 out of 100 non-blond dolls doesn’t help children understand what beauty is. The doll companies need to represent our diversity more and highlight beauty in all races. If children are exposed to more then just the “perfect blond Barbie” look maybe they will change there ideas on what is beautiful. Hopefully if they conduct this test in another 10 years there will be no “bad Barbie” Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:08:00 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/those-damn-dolls__trashed/#IDComment64272490 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62438135 In this video they are explaining to us that this woman has been chosen to be head football coach of a high school football team. During the first few minuets of the video it seems strange that a women of her temperament would be chosen to coach the rugged sport of football. She seems very calm, poised and feminine. The sport of football is thought of to be rugged, intense and very physical. But once it gets to minuet 2:30, it seems that you see a different side of her. At this point in the video you see a woman who has love for the game. It shows her as competitive and possessing drive and passion. Looks can be deceiving, and this delicate woman transforms into a competitive player once the football is thrown. It is also interesting that a woman was named head coach and there is not a lot of controversy around the topic. In this sport women coaches are almost unheard of, and males usually hold this position. In the past I feel as if a woman coach would be looked down upon, and parents would start uproar. I think it is a step in the right direction for women’s rights. It is positive that she does not face harsh opposition. She seems like a very competent coach, and she is very experienced. In the world of sports, males are dominant. They have all the famous teams; get more scholarships and most endorsements. This is because men are usually thought to be stronger and more competitive. The fact that a woman was chose shows that she must be more qualified then any man who applied for the position. She will probably be scrutinized very closely, and any mistake that she makes will be blamed on the fact that she is a women In this story, I also don’t think that they actually have much of a story. It seems as if the news channel was trying t make something out of nothing. When she speaks in the first few minuets of the video, she says that she has a lot of support and that people have been treating her with respect. It seems as if the news station was as fishing for a story and trying to make an issued of discrimination against women out of nothing. The high school seems to welcome her and well as the students. I think it is good that the students will have a female coach, because it is very unlikely in high school teams. Working with a woman coach may give them an edge in the end because they are being exposed to coaching from a woman, when many others do not have the same opportunity. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:03:34 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/women-and-sports__trashed/#IDComment62438135 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61807086 It seems as if people are very threatened by change. Whenever there is an issue of gay or lesbian people wanting the same rights as heterosexual couples, people seem to get very defensive. Wheather it is religious groups opposing gay marriage, or school boards opposing same sex dates, it is an injustice to those who are LGBT. It is excluding a group of people based on their sexual preference and saying that there lifestyle is "wrong". No one should judge the choices of others, and they should instead focus on living their own life the way they want to. The case of the school board forbidding a same sex couple is outrageous. People go to prom to have fun with their friends before they go away to school and take a date who they want to spend time with. No one tells people that they cant bring ugly dates, or fat dates, or even poorly dressed dates; so why should same sex dates be forbidden? Is it that it will offend some people, or make them uncomfortable? Well then those students should just turn their heads. The fact that the school board went so far as to cancel the prom, shows a level of immaturity and spitefulness that I thought was long gone and left in the past. The fact a school would rather cancel the tradition of prom, instead of allowing an untraditional couple to attend is beyond comprehension. The school is trying to turn the students against the lesbian couple and make them the enemy; when instead they are the victim. When the lesbian couple was told that they could not attend the prom and that one of the girls could not dress up in a tuxedo, I'm sure that both the girls were deeply hurt and offended. The school is against their lifestyle and discriminating against them. The favt that the girl could not even dress how she wanted shows how strongly they feel against people who are gay. They tried to cover up their discrimination by blaming it on disciplinary problems. Hopefully the students of the school can see that it is not the lesbian couples fault for ruining prom, but the school boards fault for being so closed-minded Now that the ACLU is involved with this injustice, i do not think that the school board is going to get away with what they did. In this day and age discrimination is not taken very lightly. The LGBT community is a very strong one, and will not take this injustice lightly. Hopefully the students will get there prom back and the lesbian couple will get to attend. Hopefully this will be the last couple who feels discriminated against, and excluded from this momentous high school event. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:40:58 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/prom-or-no-prom-just-dont-let-the-queer-students-dance-together__trashed/#IDComment61807086 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59690370 When you first read this article your first inclination is to cry racist and to label this man as ignorant and hateful. I do think this man is ignorant, but I do not think he is hateful. This man is trying to solve the problem of his player’s inadequate skill by blaming it on race. It is like he is starting to make a second string basketball team, but instead of calling it that, he is calling it "an all white team". This man is only buying into a stereotype that all black people are good at basketball. Instead of having an all white team, maybe have a team with certain height and weight restrictions to make the game more “fair” Another Issue that I think this team will have is that no one will want to watch a team that is less skilled and less competitive. This all white team is basically being made because some people feel they can’t compete with the skilled NBA players; but their skill is why they are so popular. People are not going to buy tickets to see this white team play, unless the tickets are cheaper or there are no good movies out. No one goes to watch the second string teams play, people want the competitiveness and the skill. When He try’s to justify his team by claiming he is just filling a nice, I don’t think he is thickening about how this will make other people feel. This team is excluding people based only on color. This is something that people are born with and cannot change. There is even the requirement that both of the player’s parents must be US born citizens. I do not know what “nice” he is trying to fill, but it seems like a racist one. The NAACP is upset about this, and I feel they have a right to be. No one likes to be excluded, especially on a subject as sensitive as race. Finally, I wonder what would be the reaction if an all-Asian team were to be created. I do not think people would be as offended if Asians, or another minority group such as American Indians wanted to create such a team. I think since there has been so much tensions betweens blacks and whites in the past, doing anything to segregate people brings back memories of resentment. Blacks were segregated for so long, they do not want to feel as if we are digressing in our progress towards equality. In sports, people are picked on the basis of the skill, not on the color or there skin, and I still think this is the way it should be. Sports should not be based on color, but skill and enjoyment. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 05:42:20 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/why-is-this-racist-really__trashed/#IDComment59690370 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58691821 It is almost ironic that the Native American tribe find themselves placed on oil rich land. In a time when oil and natural resources are so scarce, the native America’s have hit the jackpot. I think that this good fortune the Indians have run into is positive because they have had such a hard time in the past. The Europeans came and too the Native Americans land, and now it is as if thinks are turning out in their favor. They now have a lot of new jobs available and can find work if they want it. The article said that most of the Native Americans in the tribe were living in poverty, and even with the opening of the new casino, jobs were still scarce. Along with this positive fortune come some negative outcomes. With this newly discovered oil, there is now a lot of attention being paid to their tribal land. Roads are crowded with gas guzzling cars and huge trucks and machinery are always present. People are drilling into their grounds and extracting the natural resource. But even though the money will do a lot of good for them, the pollution will ultimately harm their land. The problem of pollution and global warming is a big problem in our world. With the new pollution, their air will not be as clean and people may develop health problems from the pollutants in the air. Also, the constant drilling will disrupt daily life. Even though there are some negatives about having oil found in their land, I think in the Native American’s case, the positives outweigh the negatives. The people now can find work on their tribal lands. They find good paying jobs, and do not need to leave their family and friends in order to find some sort of paying work. Poverty is not easy to beat when there is no work to be found. They already receive millions of dollars in aid from the government, but still this was not enough. The Native Americans now have the money to pay off debts, and improve their road system. They now have money to invest in a better police force and more security. Finally, I am somewhat relieved that the government did not attempt to just “ take” the oil rich land from the Native Americans. As history tends to repeat itself, this would not be very surprising. I feel the government has made a good decision in not trying to selfishly re-take the small amount of land that the Native Americans have. The Native Americans have always gotten the band end of the deal when it comes to land, and I am glad that they finally got what they deserved. The Native Americans can now enjoy a little bit of prosperity and live the “American” dream; a dream which they provided. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:07:43 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/1880__trashed/#IDComment58691821 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/men-and-women-were-really-this-different__trashed/#IDComment56869255 In a world where everyone strives to find a meaningful connection with someone $7000 seems like a quick fix to fill the void of loneliness. For $7000 you can buy a sex toy; but this is not any ordinary sex toy. This product takes artificial sex dolls to the next level. This sex doll feel real to the touch, is heated to feel warm like a real woman and can even hold a conversation! For men who cant seem to meet a woman because they lack “game”, are shy, or any other reason, this seems ideal! But what is the cost of this kind of pretend connection? Does spending a large sum of money on a doll to have sex with mean that you have given up on finding a real woman? What happened to the days of chivalry when a man courted a women he found to be attractive? What happen to they days when dinner and a movie were the beginning of a relationship? This new sex doll is a step in the wrong direction. This doll I basically lessening the value of a woman’s worth. If men can go out and buy sex for the one time, hassle-free cost of $7000 when will be there incentive to go out and find a girlfriend? Why would a man spend his time and energy into a girl when she’s not even a sure thing? This doll is also ridiculous because it basically gives men the option to give up looking for a woman. This doll is the easy way out to find fake companionship. This doll effectively is forcing the consumer to live in a world of make-believe where he has found what he is looking for. A person who buys this doll obviously is looking for someone to love, and if he settles with a doll he will never find what he is really looking for, especially since he is spending so much money. Finally, I do not believe that this doll will show men what they are looking for. Sex with a doll can in no way be as satisfying as sex with another person. This doll is promising men happiness and sexual satisfaction; but how can they make such a promise? Maybe I don’t understand because I am not a man, but it seems to be a lie hidden behind a flashy product and high price tag. If it costs so much money, it must be a great product, right? I do not believe it is. I feel it is wasted technology and energy put into a product that offers no real value. For a man who can’t score a date take your $7000 get a makeover, a haircut and a membership to a dating website. Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:53:45 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/men-and-women-were-really-this-different__trashed/#IDComment56869255 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56058810 In a poor attempt to try and get a point across Bauer compared people on welfare to animals. His remarks were rude and hurtful and also completely ignorant. He is making an unintelligent assumption that everyone who is on welfare is on it for the same reasons. He implies that they are savage, uncivilized and unintelligent; but this is not the case. Some people are on welfare because they had job, but lost them. Some people are disabled, or incapable of working because of injury. Some people may be single mothers, and many on welfare are even children. This man does not know each welfares individuals story, and thus should not group them all into one category. Furthermore I think the apology that he gave was insincere. He claims that he wished he used a different metaphor, but did not seem deeply sorrowed for his hurtful words. He states that people on welfare are like dogs, and if you keep feeding them, they will reproduce, and have more people on welfare. But who is he to say that people on welfare are unworthy of reproduction? Just because this politician is in a position of fortune, does that mean he has the right to look down upon people who were not given the same opportunities? What is he suggesting? That people on welfare should be eliminated like dogs in a pound? His words were completely horrific for a man in his position to say, and I think he should be more careful of his word choices in the future, or even refrain from public speaking all together. As a man in a position of power and influence I think Bauer should realize the importance of his words. People look to politicians to have the answers and also have some sort of intelligent insight. But now the person who hears him speak may have a negative outlook toward people on welfare. Welfare was created to help people on need and get them back on their feet, it was not made to isolate and embarrass those who need aid. People on welfare ultimately want to get off of it and make something of themselves; they don’t want to live that way forever. People already generally do not have a positive image of people who collect welfare, and his comments are not helping at all. People view food stamps as negative and people who use them as poor and needing aid. But to now compare them to animals is a whole different story. Viewing them as stray dogs or cats who should not be fed is completely disgusting. Bauer should give a more heartfelt apology and actually show he feels bad for what he said. We need to work together to help people get off welfare rather then condemning them for needing aid. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 20:05:52 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/animals-vs-humans-vs-welfare-cheats__trashed/#IDComment56058810 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55543067 When I saw the movie Avatar I was mostly fixed on the special effects and how advanced they were; I guess that’s what happens when you spend $300 million on a movie. But after the initial fascination subsided I began to pay attention to the story line. I did not find the story to be that original or wonderful, and at some point during the movie my mind wandered to thoughts of Pocahontas. The story was once again the generic story of man who is immersed in a spiritual culture with instructions to destroy it. He then meets a beautiful woman, falls in love with her, realizes technology is bad and comes to the rescue of the people who are being persecuted. This story is nothing new, but I feel that the real essence of this movie was not meant to be found in the plot; It was meant to be found in the effects, and that a wonderful job was done with that. Having said that, I feel that what David Brooks said about the movie is valid. In American culture there is a certain fascination with the “white messiah”. Maybe this comes from the facts that in the past white people have wronged others and we want to somewhat make up for in film. This story almost seems as an effort to unsoiled their image. This story reminds me of how the white people took over the Indians land. In this story the “blue people” are those that are very in tune with nature and spirituality. They reject technology and have a special connection with the land and their world. This is like how the Indians were spiritual. Then we have the money hungry white man who wants to destroy everything good and pure in the world for profit. This is like how the white man took the Indians land. In order to make the white man have a good image they show him rejecting the evil way of life with technology and greed and embracing the purity and simplicity of life. In an effort to help protect the innocent victims who are not white, he goes against his people’s evils and in the end helps good to prevail. The movie Avatar is a good film but its story line is one that is not new. Since this was a high-budget film and was made by great writers I do think that the white messiah concept was intentional. Had this been a low budget film, it may be easier to say that Brooks looked far too into the script. I think that this movie is a film that people should venture out to the movies to see. When you watch it if you are aware of this concept, you will look at the movie from a different point of view. Fri, 5 Feb 2010 23:27:49 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/avatar-and-the-white-mans-burden__trashed/#IDComment55543067 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54592819 I find it hard to believe that the government feels the need to regulate the dress of religious women. In a world where people wear so many different styles of clothing, it is strange that this would be the first type of clothing to be banned. These women dress modestly and try to cover themselves up, as a religious practice. Maybe some people find it uncomfortable that they can't see their faces, but I think these women are the least of our worries. If the government starts to regulate how women dress where will it end? First it begins by banning women who cover up too much because it offends people. What about girls who wear revealing clothing. Will there soon be $1000 fines for women who wear tube tops? What about for women who wear un-matching clothes? Shoes that are too high? There will always be some article of clothing people find offensive This ban on full body coverings not only isolates the women who wear them, it also puts them in a very uncomfortable position. They can now no longer appear in public because they can't wear their protective clothing. Since they claim some women do not want to wear them, and that they are being forced to wear them by a dominant male figure, it is most likely that same male figure will not let them appear in public at all now. The government should be smart enough and know not to interfere with other people's religions. This issue is not a matter of fashion or to make a big statement, but rather the modestly that comes with their religion. The governments attack on their religious dress is not only offensive, but in ill taste. If this law is put into affect then that means no one's religious dress is safe. This is the first step towards religious oppression. If their religious dress is not free from persecutition, then what about the others? Will Jewish men no longer be able to wear yamaka's? Will priests no longer be able to wear their religious dress? The French need to reevaluate their intentions and the consequences that will come with this law. When you try and come between a person and their faith, the outcome is usually not good. What makes the government think that the wearing of a burka is a form of male oppression? What makes the government think that these women don't want to wear the head coverings for themselves? So women don't care what men think, and find it liberating to not be seen. With their faces covered people can get to know them for what kind of person they are, and not just what they look like. They don't need to put on makeup, they don't need to do their hair, or even worry about picking out matching clothes. Appearing is no longer a burdon on them, which is almost opposite of what they are implying. The French government claims that the men r forcing the women to cover up out of modesty; but maybe its the other way around. Maybe the women are covering themselves up to avoid the sexually charged looks from men and go about their day without any male advances. Sun, 31 Jan 2010 02:16:04 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/the-enlightened-west-knows-best__trashed/#IDComment54592819 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-i-or-j__trashed/#IDComment54581852 hello Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:15:15 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/last-name-begins-with-i-or-j__trashed/#IDComment54581852 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment53083179 Hearing Pat Robinson’s insensitive words about the tragedy in Haiti is not the mark of a religious man. In a time of great crisis religious leaders are supposed to inspire hope, and reach out to those in need. When a crisis occurs, it tends to be the case that people all over the world band together to defeat the common enemy. But it seems as if Pat Robinson is trying to shift where all our anger lies. Instead of coming together to fight the tragedy of the events that unfolded and bring stability back to our fellow humans, he says that Haiti brought it on themselves. He makes it seem as if the victims are not the people of Haiti, who had their homes and loved ones destroyed; Who have no food or fresh water; but rather that but rather that they are villains. He makes it seem as if the Haitian people brought on this earthquake with their “pact with the devil”. He asserts that now we are victims because we need to help fix what they “borough upon themselves”. Pat Robinson is no religious man, because a man of faith would help to restore life in a place where all hope if lost rather than making it darker. As for your thoughts that Robertson is mentally ill, I somewhat agree. I feel that anyone who could make such horribly hurtful comments about people in trouble does not know when to keep his mouth shut. Maybe he was going for “shock value” or maybe he was trying to stir up some controversy for ratings, but regardless that was not a comment of a competent man. When people herd the outlandish statement he made, I guarantee there were some who thought, “what was this pact he is claiming the Haitian people made?” or “Why would he say something so horrible unless its true?” The uninformed viewers who tuned in and heard his outrages claims may now confused, or choose to believe what is said because a person on TV has said it; a crazy man misinformed them. Having a man on the air with such outrageously offensive opinions is irresponsible on the part of the network. Not everyone is very up to date on world events; some people, even though hard to believe, may not even know what’s going on in Haiti. There will be a viewer out there who Olbermann doesn’t get to first and goes around thinking that some devil pact was made. A person of good mental standing would know where the public’s sympathy lies. A person of sanity, and a man of G-d nonetheless would not make such horrid, evil comments. Whether he is mentally ill, or has no soul, one this is for certain, people will never look at him the same way. Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:00:18 +0000 https://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/01/clubbing-the-bejesus-out-of-rationality__trashed/#IDComment53083179