Romulus66

Romulus66

30p

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13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Christian Invaders - t... · 0 replies · +1 points

This lecture was very interesting, though I had a hard time putting myself in the mind set of an Arab student after seeing the video on the terror attacks. That video put me more into an ethnocentric mindset of us vs. them. A mindset that was hard to shake as the lecture went on. Also I would be interested to find out how Sam knows what information Arab students have access to. Did he talked to a sample of students from that area? Did he pick out those specific videos and news reports because it would support his argument? And the idea that all members of our military are Christian is silly.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - How am I not a racist? · 0 replies · +1 points

I think at you stated it right there. The difference is really the mindset in which you reflect. You came back from those third world countries with the realization of your political and social position in the world. When you see that you have more power to effect change does not mean that you think you are better than anyone else or worth more than anyone else. You can find that difference in those third world countries as well as our own. Those that have their basic needs met and have extra time or money will always have more influence than those that do not.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Letter from an Inmate · 0 replies · +1 points

What would you do with unlimited time? All of your basic needs are met without any effort from you: food, shelter, water. And there is no possibility of material advancement, no new computer to strive for, or a new house, or a more prestigious career. Your human interactions are limited to a handful of people that can either be a good influence or a very bad influence. What would you do? How would you evolve? Why would to get up in the morning?
This is not the first time I’ve heard of lifers and the amazing impact all of the above question have on some of them. In one of my other classes my professor talked about a guy that has been in prison since his early 20s. For one action he will be in prison for life, no matter how much he changes, develops, is remorseful of his actions, learns the emotional and spiritual consequences of that event, learns right from wrong, he will never get out. I know how much I have changed in just the last 4 years, imagine how one mistake at a bar brawl or a street fight can cost you your life out here and replace it for a life in there.
For this particular lifer I wonder where he learned to write so well? Is it the hours of reading in the prison library? Could he have been an amazing writer all his life thanks to an influential parent or teacher? In another life if he had not been sentence to life in prison would he be a great writer or would he never learn to write or read? Is the reason he can reflect and analyze with such an unbiased eye only because he is stripped of all forms of life? I think that if you got several lifers to write their own section of a book about life in prison, you could have a best seller. Or at least a book that every Soc of Deviance professor would want to read.
I was especially struck by how he views major events. Events that have a huge impact on us have just as much impact on them. How did imprisoned New Yorkers feel about September 11th, compared to the greater population of prisoners? Many Americans signed up for the military after that event to channel the pain and anger they felt after the World Trade center and Pentagon attacks, what outlet is there for those that are incarcerated? The difference between us out here and them in there is that for better or worst they are insulated from it. The tragedy of 9/11 the celebration of the first black president, they can only watch, not participate.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - What might be the seco... · 0 replies · +1 points

Step 2 might be to stop purchasing chocolate products that are not marked as slave free (Sam had a few options on the PowerPoint for coffee mostly). Another question asks how people can eat chocolate after seeing that video, and Sam’s 1st step was for us to “feel something”. I think that if that feeling is strong enough and you think it will help, stop eating it. It’s my opinion that if too many people stop eating chocolate (without a defined movement) the situation for slaves will get worst. Chocolate makers will want to make up for the lost profits with cutting costs. With a defined movement (enough people sign on to not purchase chocolate for this exact reason) something might happen.
Another option could be forced anti-slave laws on the companies who purchase chocolate. These companies would have to prove to regulators that the components of their products were not touched by slave labor. This regulation in turn would require the companies to inspect and apply pressure to their suppliers. Some negatives to this idea: we have seen the willingness of companies to move overseas to increase profits or avoid regulations. Meaning we will lose the jobs these companies currently supply and the tax revenue. Another drawback is the possible behavior of the supplier, even if the companies go along: the supplier may go to greater extremes to hide their labor practices.
A final option would be to lobby and/or give support to the government of these cocoa producing countries to crack down on slavery. Offer incentives for these governments to take over cocoa production and the employing citizens’ o harvest it. Lobby them for harsh punishments for slave owners, etc. Offer to train their officers in tracking down groups of slaves. These governments could give outside groups that are interested in exposing modern slavery more support. Or more people could advertise in these countries about the warning signs of a slave recruiter, education is one of the key ways to fight modern slavery. If unemployed workers were aware of these scams and some of the warning signs they may be able to avoid it.
In the end the second step is really up to the individual person. The first step, feeling something, accomplishes little in terms of preventing slavery. It is the second step that will impact slavery (if at all). You can take it as a personal step (stop eating chocolate or purchases only certain products). Or you can get involved with a subculture dedicated to one or more of the many suggestions above. The thing to understand about the group solutions is that it takes a lot of people and a lot of money to accomplish. And no it is not our governments’ responsibility! If this is your movement, you pay for it- private groups and private industry should take the lead on these issues.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Isn't a person's quali... · 0 replies · +1 points

When people talk about Affirmative Action one of two definitions pop up in their heads: 1) equal opportunity for all, no matter what your race or gender; or 2) preferential hiring and promotion based on race or gender. The impression I got from Sam’s last lecture (Sorry Sam if this is wrong) is that he was pushing for the second definition. And that it was a means toward closing the starting gap we see between minorities and the majority.
In your example you talk about the qualifications of medical professionals (which is definitely on the extreme end of this topic). When you look at Affirmative Action of Doctors, I think you will find it (at least I hope) more in terms of acceptance into pre-med college and medical schools. Doctors have to go through residencies where the hope is, anyone that can’t keep up and give the best care possible will be weeded out (no matter race to gender).

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - I really want to know ... · 0 replies · +1 points

I think it depends on who you are. I’ve been studying sociology for the last four years (scary how short that time feels now…) and I have gone to Sam’s class every Tuesday and Thursday of this semester not with the goal of changing my opinions, but with expanding them with new statistical information and first hand accounting. (cause that is what the class is, Sam’s personal experiences with travel and race relation discussions and outside source statistics)
I get the impression that he is not there to convince us of anything, but to get our minds to think about issues that may not ever cross our minds. When I sit in class, I look at his argument and see how that lines up with my own ideas and opinions. And if they don’t line up, I look for the weaknesses and the strengths of each side. And that either strengthens my original opinion or weakens it into a new direction.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - This is totally off th... · 0 replies · +1 points

My first reaction was horror, plain and simple. That some mother, father, or relative would allow their child to play this game is a tell-tale sign that they don’t know how to raise their children. And that these children are at risk of becoming a plague on our society (aka they will commit violent crimes against women in the future). That being said, what can we learn (or what questions can we ask) about society through this example? The most obvious idea is that maybe society’s sexual norms are too strict? The idea that someone would even come up with this game is important to note.
Should the women in china start pushing for more control? I can’t imagine a single mom that would want their daughter raped? Should the mother’s push for more disciplinary power, maybe but I don’t have a huge knowledge about modern Asian family structure. Or is this kind of violence directed in a sexual way a result of their one child policy? It has become a fact that in China there is a preference for male children because they can pass along the family name. Has this preference finally created a large enough gender imbalance that we are now seeing more problems in other areas of society (for example in crime statistics)? I don’t have answers to these questions, and I have a feeling no one ever will unless so serious outside research is done.
As for the English couple that has no problem with the game after it went viral on the internet, I am torn. On the one hand I am disgusted that they would think this type of game falls within the normal lines of their moral boundaries. On the other hand I see them and their statements as a reflection of a society that values freedom and freedom of expression. When you value freedom of speech, that means ALL speech, not just the stuff the majority finds acceptable. There will always be those that pressure society’s boundaries for good or bad. It is my opinion that this type of ‘free speech’ in the form of a video game is reprehensible and disgusting.
But there has to be an audience! This is what makes the entire story so scary, is that for profit organizations push the boundaries of society as long as it is profitable, more than one or two people have to be buying these rape games or they would not exists. Mother’s have to be allowing their children to buy and play these games. Father’s have to stand by and watch as their impressionable child is exposed to violence. It is not governments’ job to censor in this case, it is the consumer! The Japanese people need to send a clear message that this material is not welcome in their society.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - How Can We Ever "Win"? · 0 replies · +1 points

I totally get what she is saying, but Sam brought those examples up to illustrate the stages people go through. For example with Jesse Jackson: it’s not that he identifies himself as a black man. It is that his highest priority is his race and other members of his race. So when he went to talk to a dominantly white area to talk about class he was showing that he has matured enough in the stages that he is willing to speak and work with a dominantly white crowd about an issue they both have in common. What makes him a pseudo-communitarian and not a humanitarian is the facts that if something had happened in that area to the black community (a high profile case) he would no longer behave like a spokesman for all races. He would only be a spokesman for blacks. He would not treat those whites as partners in the class struggle or the race struggle but a member of the opposing team. His highest priority is black vs. white. If you would put a humanitarian in his ‘position’ he would not take sides according to race, but rather on the merits of the case.
For the llbean catalog, first of all it was not suppose to be a joke (so I’m not sure why you expected to laugh), it was to illustrate the immersion stage and just how far people in this stage will go. We watched the video with the black man wanting to exterminate all whites, that was to illustrate how someone in the immersion stage looks at people of other races (especially those they see as their competition or inferior to them). The llbean example was to show how that same individual (those in the immersion stage) might react to someone of their own race who is not conforming to their standards. In this case it was a historically white dominated brand (the clothing that is sold is seen as white people clothes). But they are advertising with black models, showing that anyone (no matter their race can wear llbean clothing). When can go a step farther and say that there is a black man dressed in so called ‘white man’s clothes’ next to another black man who is in the immersion stage. This second black man would think that the guy wearing the ‘white clothes’ is not truly a black man, that he was trying to be white.
Finally the idea of can you win, the answer is yes. When you finally get to the humanitarian stage you have won. It is the balance to understand and interact on a positive level with all races. Though Sam has brought up a very important issue and that is many people get stuck in some of the lower stages. Those at are stuck perpetuate the need for race relations, cause if we were all humanitarians race or ethnicity would make much difference.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Those Dolls Say Alot A... · 0 replies · +1 points

This video was hard for me to watch. But it is the perfect example of how powerful socialization is. Children are not just socialized by their parents, but by community members, and peers, and the media (in all its forms). These kids don’t realize the implications of what they are saying. This is why it would never work with grown-ups, they would be too aware of the social meaning behind the choice. These kids are showing us that race relations are not hidden from them, as much as we want them to be innocent. And this is more subtle than racism, it is our beauty standards and our media coverage of events.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Nothing About the Cens... · 0 replies · +2 points

Is anyone else sick of this being an issue? It’s not like the Census is trying to be racist nor is the question a hot topic. The categories for ‘What is your race’ are not created by the Census Bureau they are created by society. It is the Censuses duty to poll the country in the most accurate way. If that means putting a word that the younger generation sees as offensive in order to accurately count the older generations we should not be complaining. It’s not like Negro is the only category some one of color can put down. And as the older generations die out, there will be less need for this term.