samsmith119

samsmith119

29p

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13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 8 - Lesson 14: Af... · 0 replies · +1 points

I meant dialoguing with you.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 8 - Lesson 14: Af... · 0 replies · +1 points

The issue of AA in all its forms is like anything else I think, good and bad. It seems there is always the other side of the blade on any government programs or mandates. I did like the way Sam brought up nepotism and pointed out how "networking" is just another form of it.
Shifting gears though, the ten commandments had me smiling. It reminded me about how people always think their baby is the cutest thing ever (even when it is so ugly the dog is afraid of it) or how their child is so smart or there is No way my child would ever commit a crime....oh no not ever. But the harsh reality is most people are not all the special, good looking, or smart. Most of us are just average folks just like most everyone else. We want the same basic things, we think about the same stuff, we all think our babies are cute...but we are why there is an average. Those that do not fall into this category are the ones that change the world, I mean really change it in profound ways. Sure we each have a part in that but the notable ones are the above average (most of us being the average). But back to AA....Just like unions there is a time and place for every organization and system and when they are working as planned they work great, but when they dont work out even for a second, there is someone there to scream about how horrible it is and how wrong or unjust. Someone once told me that they are glad the world is not fair, because if it was and we all got what we deserved then we are screwed, since most of us do not deserve what we have. I worked my ass off for a long time from nothing, I did 95%+ and the other 5% were breaks in some way or another, but I will be the first to tell you I do not deserve what I have, far from it. If life was truely fair and just I would not be here typing this right now, and many others would not either. Is AA fair? No. Is being handicapped fair? No. Is being White fair? Nope. Is being a P of C fair? Nope and nope. But you know what, being born in the USA vs. Cambodia or Haiti isnt too damn fair either. Is paying a ton for school tax without having kids while the apartment dweller doesnt and sends 3 kids to school fair? No....but it Is right. Is there a solution? I have no idea, but I know that if we continue to strive to find one we will all become better people for it and maybe if we are good enough and do the right things for all people enough time we might actually deserve what we have for once.
AA isnt about fair, it isnt about setting things right, and it isnt about hand outs or freebies or shifting the balance, its about trying to be better human beings to each other and about trying to think at least in a small way about others. We know what its doing and we know who is benefiting the most from it, but one day you all will be the person in charge of changing or modifying those things to be better and work smoother.
Cheers everyone, it has been a pleasure dialoguing with out.

Ding fries are done.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 8 - Lesson 14: Af... · 0 replies · +1 points

See I think there is a significant difference between AA and nepotism. With AA you may not know anything about the individual what so ever, but with nepotism you do, you know what that persons work ethic is you know that since they know someone there they will not want to embarrass them so will do the best they can (mostly). With "networking" if I know joe blow for the last 10 years and a slot he is right for opens at my business of course I am going to call him. 1. I know him and have known him for a long time, I know what Im getting. 2. there is a connection already at the workplace so their is no new guy sillyness from either side of the fence, 3. if joe needs a job and I have know him all this time why wouldnt I give it to him if he can do the job, he may not be the best for it but he is enough, and thats good enough. Joe gets a job, I get a worker, we all go for beers after (he buys ;))

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 7 - Lesson 13: Im... · 0 replies · +1 points

I agree with you about Congo so a point. The dog should have been put down and ranking him higher than a human being was not only wrong it was insane. On the flip side, I hold no love for illegals. He should have been taken care of like any other human being and then sent home. As far as suing, he should never have been allowed to file a suit in the first place nor won any money as he was breaking the law when he was injured.
As far as business making policy on immigration...ROFL show me 1 single facet of our nation that business does not run. They make sure things get deregulated (my electric bill tripled after deregulation---thanks a ton), they get policy changed so they can legally pay off politicians and call it Lobbying, they make the trade policy to suit them on who pays tariffs and who doesnt and what goods from what nations can come in and what sits and rots on a dock. Business runs it all. It always has, and it always will.
I think I smell my coffee now ;)

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 7 - Lesson 13: Im... · 1 reply · +1 points

I am a firm believer in Immigration. I also believe in the law and process of doing it the right way. Here are some things I have thought about on the topic.
1. Legal Immigration is ridiculously over priced. How in gods name do you expect someone to be able to pay a few thousand dollars when they cant find work or are being paid on a lower economy that the US. I know how much it cost since I had to pay it for my wife in order to become a LPR (Legal Permanent Resident- ie Green card holder).
2. Stop going after the people coming over the boarder. If you had no food and a family wouldnt you do everything you could to feed them? I thought so. They need to seize business' that hire them. Those business' are exploiting them and making a bullshit excuse that they cant find anyone else to do the work, thats a crock. What they can't find is anyone to do it that cheap. If you can not stay in business by paying fair wages then you should not be in business, sell it and work for someone else. If the government takes the business and the assets connected to it (like they do with drug dealers), then no one will hire them.
3. If Mexico is serious about this issue then they can step up to the plate. Lets trade with Mexico....We will create legal work visa specifically for Mexican citizens. They are documented and they can work here in the US for up to 9 months a year. They pay taxes on the money they make here and tracking all that is done via the visa. In return for this Mexico allows US citizens to own owner occupied property and allows US citizens to get the same work visa we offer but in Mexico.
4. Make the filing fees for becoming a LPR or citizen reasonable. And make the work Visa cost nothing the first year but $50/year after that. Allow the fee to be taken right out of the paycheck (and they must be paid by payroll checks) for the following year.

Immigration is a good thing. Change is a good thing. Evolution is a good thing. Someone told me once that they thought the reason Americans dont travel as much as Europeans is that in this country we have most other cultures already here, we just have to look.
Illegal immigration only causes harm and ill will. I know it pisses me off beyond belief since we (my wife and I) did all the pain in the ass paperwork, interviews, fees etc. We lost her green card and it cost me almost another $600 for a replacement. Thats crazy. And thats not taking into account the bureaucratic bullshit that went along with those fees.
I very much enjoyed seeing some of the stats on how immigration really has not changed. The idiot that was in Sweeden and complaining about mexicans not learning the host language cracked me up, but I see that shit all the time when I travel. Americans by and large as dumb asses when traveling. They are overly loud and very ethnocentric. Why in the world would you spend all the time and money to go traveling to another country to buy a big mac (WTF??). And they always assume no one understands them when they are talking shit about the people around them LOL. When I go to visit in Norway (no I dont speak Norwegian) I pick up on the language again pretty quickly. I also keep my mouth shut a lot and really only interject if they have switched to English. As a side note, you would not believe how much food you can eat when you dont talk LOL. When I go to the shops I do my best in Norwegian and I get the point across (since I only spend a few weeks every couple years there I have not tried to learn the language), most the time they will smile and switch to English. A lot of the time they are happy to get the chance to practice their English, but are very thankful of the courtesy of letting them switch not expecting it from them. I am very proud to be an American, but people, please tell your grandparents that when they go to Europe again tell people they are Canadian ;)
I understand that some of us are linguistically challenged so to speak (in other words I am lucky I can speak 1 language) so it is unfair to think that this problem of having a stupid tongue only exists with Americans like me. When someone speaks another language and is trying to speak English with you, be patient, be respectful, and be thankful that they are making an effort. I know many people that English is not their first or even second language, and they speak it very well, but are very self conscious so people like the screaming idiot on youtube does not help things a bit. I would like to tell that guy that in the battle of illegal immigration, please do not try to help us we do not want you in our corner, and for the love of god switch to decaf.

Ding fries are done.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 7 - Lesson 12: Mu... · 3 replies · +1 points

So what is Natural vs. Normal? If so many people are in the middle wouldn't that be the norm? Yet like so many things we allow a few that are screaming loudly to be the judges of normalcy and right/wrong, why do we continue to put up with this and allow them to roll over us?
In so many ways we allow the few to rule and lord over the many. We see it in politics all the time. The old saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. We consistently act like sheep and let others tell us how our world will be shaped and run even when the true majority does not prescribe to it.
Changing topic: I have a very dear friend of mine and his husband visiting right now and we watched the LGBT segment together. It was interesting to see what they thought about it over all and the discussion we all had during and after it. The statistical numbers are looking good in regard to people being more accepting. In regard to mixing LGBT and race relations language there was some very strong opinion on the term Partner. My friends husband did not like the term at all for what he is. He is not his partner. You get that in a law firm, a Dr.s office, a cop etc. But wife/husband denotes clearly what that person is to the other. The term Partner to them seemed a straight persons PC way of referring to them without accepting them for what they are, a "married" couple. In the Norwegian language there is a term for committed loving partners that are not married and it represents a persons relationship and Not their gender or sexual orientation. I think its high time we as a nation begin to practice a concept that we have said we follow but never really have....separation of church and state. A couple should be able to be bonded by clergy (married) or by the state (joined) so long as the end result is equal in its entirety. I asked my friends if they would accept the term civil union if that term was applied to all persons being joined by the state regardless of gender/SO. and that the term Married was used to denote the joining of a couple by clergy. They said that would be fantastic. It is not the term civil union that gets them pissed its what it represents, inequality and bigotry. It also shows that the nations is run and guided by the church and not by civil authority.

Multiculturalism: Sam asked why not just accept the Chinese flag and why the tie to ours. Yes I sure do feel a certain way about that LOL. Its not the cloth, its what that cloth represents that I hold to. I hold to a set of ideals that in spirit drive me on to be better, but in practice can sometimes get hung up. The flag stands as a symbol of history, belief, convictions, vision and bonding. That is not to say others do not feel exactly the same way for their nations as I do for mine, I dont have any problem with that. I dont want the policy of business running my life when it comes to the belief sets. I do not want greed and back stabbing to become to norm everywhere. If you think you can't trust politicians, how do you feel about massive corp CEO's? Ya I thought so, so do you really want those people deciding everything and wiping away the things that give us focus in our beliefs? I can respect a thief that breaks into my house and steels some of my tings in order to feed his starving family. I may not be happy about it by any measure, but I can respect it. But I will be the first in line with a rope to hang the SOB CEO who steels out of greed for More. I know that sounds better in my head that on type but that the best way I can put it.

Ding fries are done.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 7 - Lesson 12: Mu... · 0 replies · +1 points

I have to agree on the topic of "Natural". The problem I see some people having is not the relationship part but that fact that they can not seem to separate the act of sex from the feelings of love. The act of love between same sex humans has been around for a very very long time, and openly accepted in its form (ie soldiers in many countries) That "special" bond that men form when grouped together has a certain level of love in it, that is not to say they are gay or that they are attracted to the same sex physically, but that they can love each other in a romantic way. On the flip side you can have sex without the emotional connection, as Sam was pointing out with men just wanting More sex. You can find this sort of distinction more in coupled persons who are in open sexual, but not emotional, relationships. They seem to be able to segregate their emotional love for their partner and the sexual desires and/or wants for another person.

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 6 - Lesson 10: St... · 0 replies · +1 points

I would like to see some data on race % for graduation and GPA levels. I wonder what that looks like at PSU?

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 6 - Lesson 10: St... · 1 reply · +1 points

Yes, dont blame the person blame the employer who most likely is paying them less. Look at PSU. How much do you think a math TA gets paid who is from China vs one that is white, no accent and is from Dallas? Who is to blame when a grad student gets here from a foreign country and finds out they have no time to practice or better their english and that they have to begin teaching right away, and have had little to no training, who should you be mad at? It is frustrating, and it is wrong of the university to do and I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that they are paid very little compared to white TAs from the USA. There was no set standard on pay when my wife taught here and I dont imagine there is now either, and that just leaves the door Wide open for discrimination and racism to walk right in. If we cant make changes right here, then how are we going to make changes in the rest of the world?

13 years ago @ Race Relations Project - Week 6 - Lesson 10: St... · 0 replies · +1 points

Hmmmm, is it sexier for a black man to be bald or have some fro? On TV they are depicted as bald, muscled, and sexy, why is that? Where white guys mainly are not depicted as bald since that is not sexy for them. Someone told me the other day I had a jew fro, WTF is that? Seriously, I have never heard of that and I had to think a second if I should be offended by that or not. Since I still have no clue what it is then the jury is still out but I'm thinking it was not meant as a compliment. You are as beautiful as you feel you are....skin deep my ass, it goes soul deep and stays with you even when you're alone. Like Hitler and his little ideal of the master race the He didnt fit into either, the people that tell you what beauty is are selling you something they dont even buy. You tell a kid they are ugly or fat what color they are comes in second. Do you think a child sits there and thinks to themselves "I'm a black/white/asian fat kid" or do they just think "I'm a fat kid" or "I'm an ugly kid". Thats not skin deep in my book, thats just deep. But the white industry did start it in this country. And they told you fine black women that you needed to be whiter, well not you directly. They told your great grandmother and she believed it and told your grand mother who bought into it and so on, now there is its own industry telling you what shade of black to be or how small your eyes are to look and so on. Shit, show me the white girl that could ever look like barbie. Who comes up with this crap? I have 8 nieces and I have not nor will I ever get them pink anything, barbie or its like or any other BS product designed to tell her what she Isnt and what she needs to do to change to be pretty.
I just get so pissed when I see crap like the doll experiments. What would happen if you put a doll shaped like an average normal person and an "industry" norm, and ask which is pretty and which is bad. Kids dont learn this by osmosis in the womb, we teach them this and reinforce this. If you go on thinking you are not pretty then what other things do you think you are lacking in. All I can think is how cruel it is to do this to any child. When a child will associate themselves with the Ugly, or Bad doll what are they going to think of themselves when they are 21, 30, 60? If someone told my niece she is ugly or less than she is the only thing I feel about that is twisting their head off, so I can only imagine what it would be like for a black mother to see her daughter pick the white doll and say the black doll is ugly. How do we as adults of any color allow this line of thinking to continue? How do WE change our thinking across the board and what do WE all do to change how we pass this to all children? I've rambled on enough, I need a chill pill.