Did you go to school in a city or suburb, the HS I went too didn't even have a pool let alone a gym or basketball court until my senior year. It was a magnet music school without a stage to even perform. They would have to rent out other schools and buildings for recitals and schools plays. I would love to see everyone have an equal chance at education, but even if all the school is paid for up to college people would soon start to be over qualified and smaller jobs such as a custodian and such would be overlooked and people might think they are "too good" to do them. It's such a fine line to walk.

Affirmative Action for women, particularly whites did not surprise me in anyway. Woman have been getting the short straw through no fault of their own I would argue. The thing is I believe affirmative action is necessary I just don’t know the correct way to do it. Some white people look at affirmative action and think it’s unfair how minorities get help in doing whatever they want, and I can’t argue with that. And some black people hate the idea iof affirmative action because they don’t want the help. I don’t belong to religion but I would have guessed a much higher margin. I know for damn sure I would never stand up to nepotism. One of the biggest things everybody always tells me is how Penn State has the biggest network of people, and that alone will open doors and I should get to know as many people as I can. Hell, that’s one of the biggest things that PSU advertises in its brochures. Largest network of people in the US. When Dr. Richards said that you can’t be against affirmative action without rectifying social inequalities. I don’t even know how to touch that issue. It’s such a vast question and I don’t even have an idea on where to start. I think Education would be the best place to start. Then I think that getting people in jobs might be better, and every time I think of a possible answer a loophole goes around or I’m not sure if the possible social implications would be worth the risk, and even still I don’t have the power to change it, and that’ the biggest problem. I would like to talk about all the possible solutions but no matter what I can’t change anything, well without enough time and working towards it maybe it could be some small change, and I hope I don’t sound like a defeatist but I don’t ever see my self having that large of a pull in any society, nor would I want that power either. The more I write about that I kind of fell like this should have been more of an internal response >_>, but with that said I would really like to know if having the power to change it where would you guys start. That defeatist idea of in equality and racism never changing is one that I hate to hear, but one that I’m slowly starting to believe myself.

The bit about people being welcomed to America with open arms seems rather far fetched, even if it was honest. Hypocrisy is really found in American culture more so than any other I would argue. I just could never imagine people being welcomed with open arms in this country. I mean but it does happen in other countries with people who want to learn another language. Think of a person trying to speak Spanish and looked at as some kinda weirdo, who knows nothing about the culture and will never be truly accepted in the ideas of a real person over there. I always wanted to learn Japanese before any other language. The bit around music videos and language surprised me, but it seemed the majority of the music was based on the take from the country. The Swiss rap and the camera techniques that they use really just took me aback. I had a History teacher that spent the majority of her young adult life in Ecuador and she said the majority of the music they listened to was techno that also surprised me. I’m not sure what the official language of Ecuador is but I would love to see a video of techno music. I’ve tried learning languages multiple times, mostly the Japnese language, but I took Spanish in high school but I really didn’t have much of a place to practice and immerse myself in that language. The question about entering a small store with a storekeeper that didn’t speak my native language intrigues me; I would just buy my items probably, and not ask them to teach me how to say basic words because I believe that ostracizes the person to a point. I would never in my life believe that people involved in church would be assimilated, most of the people in church are attracted to people that believe their same ideas, and it also goes with color too. As for getting high or drunk with someone of a different race that is way to high to count, most of the people in my dormitory were of different races and in fact me and my roommate where 2 of the 4 black people out of a 40 person floor. I’ve even get flack from different people for hanging around so many people of different races while, high and drunk. Going to them “white parties” most people would say, even earning me the nickname White Black Rob, but its not much I can even do about it. Curiously enough I feel like it’s them missing out instead of me, because I have always said I have my whole life to be around black people andeverything associated with them. Unless I decide to teach at a university of course

6/30
I have an older brother who is a homosexual man, and he would draw dressses and want ot be involved in fashion, and modeling while growing up. A lot of people around told him it wasn't what he was "supposed" to be doing, and he is kinda sad because he had his imagination and interests discredited at such a young age. You can tell that he still likes to do those things, but still feels guilty. I believe knocking someone's beliefs no matter the age is incredibly sad. The part about flaunting is a double standard, as most people scream and yell slurs at anyone who is a "flamer" or very comfortable with their gay sexuality.

I don't ever recall a time when New York teams were ever looked on upon with love. What you said about PA and NJ people is very true. Some philadelphians jokingly refer to as shore blockers, and Jersey drivers are incredibly looked down upon as they drive aggressively and cut everyone off from being used to driving on the highways. However the Jersey culture and South Philly culture blend in well as most people who live down there visit different Jersey Shores and know their way round that culture pretty well. I'm curious as to how you think NY culture is close to NJ though, I never would have drawn that comparison.

Blog Response 6/23/10
The Fact that there are 2 different steps for people of color and for white people along is just mind boggling, even from the jump people of color are forced to adapt to white society’s mainstream, its not necessarily bad but when some things are just different it never will stop amazing me. I’m also pleased to learn about the about adopted childs when its out of their race, and when its talked about, my best friend in high school who is from Trinidad was adopted by a white family, and a wealthy white family, and of course it was obvious that there dad was not their biological parents but he still calls his dad his father and his mom his mother because to him that’s as deep as he needs it to be. Interestingly enough his adoptive father already had children most of which are grown men and women, and whenever I heard him refer to his brother and sisters as his family, it just shows that no matter what those subtitles of brother and sister go much more deeper, than a simple name. Also Asian white people? That’s an interesting concept, but I guess it all depends on where and how you were raised if it doesn’t matter to them I can’t have any type of qualms with them. The Asian comedian reminded me of a joke where a guy kept saying An Asian man in front of him McDonalds ask for 10 chicken nugget, and I can tell countless examples of my Asian friends not being exactly well versed in English, but I enjoyed his stand up. The video about the black girls with “Good Hair” and what is actually good and all of that it is really interesting, I know a couple of people who have nothing but natural hair, and most complain about the upkeep, ironically one of the girls in the video was named Whanita so it chuckled to myself that a girl with a “black” name would also be talking about the quality of good hair. Also when the instance about the white and black dolls, I remember a thing on Jerry Springer when a white supremacist was raising her children to pick and throw up black dolls on the floor, and show how much more inferior it was too other people, or some idea of the sort. That little experiment was just a little disheartening, its like Dr. Richards said it’s not the us but we are the them, assuming that everything better is white. White culture is forced among everyone, and its just amazing that people can still identify with a race that they are not, but I can actually understand why that would be.

6/20
I've always thought that if there were blue, or green people they would get discriminated against from the jump. Or if there was another species that wanted to make contacts with humans would they be discriminated against. Just a random thought but I think it is that way because its easier to avoid saying certain things than to no be disrespectful. I mean for instance one time I said to a friend "at least you're not knocking on the door like a crazed Jehovah's witness" not trying to offend anyone, but I didn't realize her father was a witness. Sometimes it can be better to just keep your mouth shut, but the majority of the time it does suck.

6/20

When you said the first thing people learn is to not talk about race issues reminded me of a time when I was in 5th grade and my best friend at the time would always start out by saying involving my race as Bl-African American, he would pause and try to say something to not offend me in any way. That always brought a chuckle out of me because I never even would pay attention to him being white, the only time I would notice is when I walked around his neighborhood, in the white part of south Philly, and practically everyone would look at me and my white friend quizzically. It’s just something that he has always been around. Those two girls singing about White Supremacy made me think of brain washing right away, and also clever editing and reporting by ABC, cutting after a certain sentence gets the point across but I can’t help but wonder what was lost, but I believe the essence of what those two girls were communicating got across. The parents are the cause of this almost the same way as they were in the movie Jesus Camp, but not much can really be said. Parents influence and control what their children think the majority of the time. I actually do know black people that want white people to “pay” for everything that they have done, but I think believing that an entire race should collectively apologize. I sometimes believe they think it’s a yearly white meeting between races where they discuss certain problems and every year agree to not apologize to every race they have offended or something. The being a bigger person idea of just walking away is what my dad tells me to do a lot, but it’s hard as hell to not actively say your views especially if they’re misconstrued because that bothers me when someone believes the wrong idea or believes what they haven’t heard. I’ve luckily never heard anyone say they need to see White people suffer for everything that they have done, because I think that is one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard. I don’t want anyone to suffer anymore than they have too, and if through luck or their own lucky intuition then more power to them for eliminating suffering throughout their and their ancestors lives, I’m sure most white people have a general idea of other people’s sufferings throughout the years, and if anything it would just make people a lot more bitter. And obviously I wouldn’t expect all Asians to know Kung-Fu but I’m not going to assume otherwise. Also Dave Chappelle said in another one of his skits don’t use the wash clothes, and that they have pubic hair all over the bar of soap, and now every time I take a shower at a white friend’s house I notice those finer details.

Blog Response White People Stages 1 + 2
I never knew there was six steps to racial identity. I just want to know why it takes so much for anyone to know who they identify with. I commend you for helping the disabled people, as that touches me incredibly deeply. When people aren’t able to exactly do what they want to do, and most go through a process of losing mental toughness because they can’t fathom losing their independence. It’s a very sad thing to witness. I reflect how I’m 6’5 (no mustache) often. Little kids often come up to me and say I’m a giant and almost every person asks me if I play basketball if having an extended conversation. I’m constantly reminded when I go into stores and an short old lady will ask me to get a box off the top shelf. Then I have friends who tell me I make basketball boring because I’m too tall to spop then, but I’m not 7’0 and if that happened that would be way worse. As is I feel like I get that “Damn, he’s tall” look all the time the same with my father, who is about the same height as I am. For the left handed side, my brother opriginally wanted to play baseball but it was much harder for anyone to teach him how oswing because he’s a natural lefty, so in turn now he’s ambidextrous because people couldn’t cater to his needs growing up. He picked up basketball because it’s much easier to learn. Both comedians were really funny in pointing out things I never really noticed, except for Chappelle and the weed thing, but I never even thought about the “white privilege” that no matter where they go they don’t have to worry about anything. If not on a stand up stage if anyone said any of this, they would be castrated, humor is just a funny thing. Political correctness for doing the right thing is just a sad concept, people who get angry about not being able to speak the language correctly is just incredibly stupid. Take for instance Geno’s steaks in Philly which had an incredibly racist sign basically saying this is America you need to speak English to order. The fact that they can discriminate against anyone and not want to serve them food because they don’t speak a specific language makes me angry in that aspect. The Carlos Mencia clip proves a point too, the point of political correctness is simply annoying too, take the politician who was just saying how he felt, and then had to apologize immediately after, and those apologies are not reported with as much rigor as the initial controversy.

I understand what you're saying on that, the funny part about it is I can't even really think about stereotypes for white people, I mean the terms used to offend them don't even really carry much weight. The only thing I can think of is white people run incredibly funny, but does that even really hurt? Well stereotype place limits on white people, but do you think they really have that many limits? Only if you think it about can you find a problem with white society, but I do get what you're saying about generics, everyone is different, but not many people realize it.