I’m feeling some sort of way about this too. I feel like the issue is that we see all these wrongs and get an understanding of the fact that what occurs is wrong but then the question is what do we do about it? The problem with asking that is, most simply put, that Sociology is not the study of answers. It is a class to make you question and check your place in society and see if because you are some place it makes you see things different then someone somewhere else. I know the individual in the clip and I understand what she is asking. The question of winning or not is really only an answer you can produce though. The only time that you win in the real world is when you see something as a victory in your own eyes. In Jesse Jackson’s eye he is still fighting for equality and therefore he probably doesn’t see victory yet or a win. I think that the meaning that you should take from the lecture about the different levels is that to be at the most open minded point of view you must not equate color or ethnicity to anything. From this point you should be able to evaluate and see the differences and wrongs, but live without personal critique of others based on color. The most important thing that Jesse Jackson has a flaw with is his own self identification and his inability to look for the betterment of all instead of just his own kind. This is the main flaw with Pseudo Communitarian. The LL Bean catalog was not that far off base because that family may very well have been willing to wear and model those clothes. I think that it is not extreme to see them in the catalog. The idea of a gangster dressed in LL Bean would make it extreme and seem like they were trying to fit them into white ideology but I feel as though people of color would wear those clothes if that’s how they were brought up. Now to retouch on the win, you have to look past this class. The world is set up how it is and this class is only meant to show us what is going on out there and help us to see it more in the future. Some things that we touch on in class really make you question why it happens and what can be done about it like the baby doll video. The only way to figure out what can be done to change it is by exploring yourself and seeing how you can change it. To win in a cultural aspect, like Jesse Jackson being black and coming back to that, is a personal choice. Either you want to help yourself and those like you move up and you become stuck there or you want everyone to be equal and you move to this level and do whatever it takes. Winning is really what you see as a personal victory and when you reach it you will know.

This topic is crazy. I didn't even know about this stuff happening until we talked about it in our discussion group this week. It seems kind of absurd that these acts are making national news. I’m not saying this isn’t wrong or anything but stuff like this happens every single day in the United States and it barely ever makes national headlines like this has. What makes this isolated incidence so much more special or important? Just because it is at a university doesn’t make it more important. It almost seems kind of stupid like it could just be a publicity stunt or something. I mean I think this could happen anywhere else and it wouldn’t cause a stir at all. I mean kids put bomb threats and gun threats in bathrooms all the time and it isn’t like everyone in the nation hears about it. That’s a real danger with the threat of danger and killing people. This is just a stupid party, a noose with no threat of death and a Klan hood. I don’t think it should be taken lightly I’ll say once again because it could lead to real danger but why the publicity. The facts about this story seem to be fuzzy and unclear though. The idea that all these acts were committed by a minority student, especially one of African descent seems to be very perplexing. That makes me feel as though this is just a publicity stunt or a student seeking attention. It also seems like the university is gaining a lot of acknowledgement from this. The acts that are being committed are also very bizarre. To consider a “ghetto” party a racist act is kind of dumb. That’s a culture and it’s not about race and even if they use terms referring to black culture it is because some blacks have undertaken this culture and it now reflects them. It is not like we can change or choose how certain people influence different culture. The other acts committed were very stupid to say the least and didn’t make a bit of sense as to why a person of African descent would poke fun or even joke about things such as the Klan. I find this appalling that something that whites would generally be held accountable for due to the nature of the acts is now being committed by blacks. It makes me really question if there is racism at play here or if it is just stupidity and regular discrimination. The final thing that I really had to question is the demands by the black student body. Because they were being “threatened” and the community of blacks didn’t feel safe, they wanted to have more black professors hired and tenured. Now those demands really don’t seem to meet the problem do they? Huh, wonder how having more black professors changes the ability of a student of minority to commit these acts. Maybe someone can reply and explain because I really don’t get it.

This video really has some eye opening affects once you see how the issue of gay marriage can impact deep into the families. I can’t say that I personally am for gay marriage because I don’t feel like it is correct because of what the sanctity of marriage means. I am not against gays or gays being together though on any level. I believe that they have the right to be treated equal just as everyone else and have the same rights as anyone. If others have the right to marriage then I believe that everyone including gays should have the same right. I mean I don’t know if I support it but I think that by law they should have these rights. When you watch this video and see how this is only one case where gays struggle and it’s all because of the lack of an official union. This family should not be subject to trials that other families are not subject to. This is not equal and does not follow civil rights or that laws that uphold civil rights. These rights are not only supposed to apply to skin color but to equality for all no matter what their difference. The idea that this family and mainly these children could suffer and be punished for the decisions that their parents made is even more heinous. It is not their fault and they should be able to grow up without these types of troubles. If an American citizen can marry a foreigner and therefore give them privilege to live in the United States then the same should go for someone who is gay. This is something that should be the same no matter what because it seems like it is ok for anyone to do this except gays. I know that this Is not the only types of trials gays face in America. They are very prejudiced against and are unable to get simple things like joint insurance or health coverage in the same name as far as I know. To take rights away based on sexuality seems absurd to me. Especially, when these actions involve children and could potentially cause problems for their well being. The rules and regulations concerning gay marriage need to be the same as everyone else or at least create some type of union that would establish the same rights as others have privilege to. I think the best thing to do to resolve this issue is to create a new institution to allow gay marriage and for gay couple to have the same rights as others. Even if it isn’t called marriage, it would still have the same fundamentals and would allow for fairness and the equality of all. Most important, these children of the couples would be able to live a normal life without the intervention of the government.

This is a very interesting topic that really throws me for loops sometimes. I mean you meet in a group setting with white people and black people and you start to talk about race and the tension is always there. In the time span of the discussion the one thing past slavery and civil rights is that in general, the people of color always say that they do not want to and should not be judged by the color of their skin. The biggest problem that I personally have with this statement is that they don’t want to be judged this way and would rather be judged on credentials, yet they always judge whites just as they request not to be. They call us whites not our ethnicity, as they expect and they judge us by the color of our skin and always associate white privilege with us and assume that we get a job based on this and not by our credentials. Not to step on any toes but it’s so hypocritical to ask for something and not to give the same respect in return. This in itself creates a lot of tension that doesn’t need to be involved in the discussions. Why can’t we just talk as people, and in this setting for once not have to discuss black and white? They are just colors that are essentially meaningless and I think that the tensions could be resolved. I’m not disagreeing that blacks are often treated unfairly but in a facilitated discussion there is no need to be a hypocrite when everyone is trying to be understanding. I think that another issue is that neither side will let go of their ideals and history. This means whites still wanting control of “the mountain” if you will, and blacks having resentment for the oppression they suffered. This is a common theme discussed by many. Strawberrykiss said “There is a logical explanation for thinking this way, and that is simply because of history. I know a lot of white people are going to think “well history is history, get over it and move on”, but what white people did to blacks will most likely never be forgotten. I say that the motives and intentions of many whites are bad, because as we all know, this land that we call America was not primarily owned by white people, it was the land of the indigenous people until Europeans (whites) came to America, took it over, killed many, and made people into slaves to work for them. From then on, white people made unfair laws in attempt to keep the black man down and make it harder for him to further himself in life. Whites treated blacks unfairly for many, many years and made them feel less than human. Whites made a mockery of black people and portrayed them as dumb and illiterate.” The problem is that this mindset of history is BS! Yes I agree blacks have been treated horribly and that no one deserved what these people have endured but you seriously can blame all of your struggles on white people. Then you ask why and who would you blame it on? Well to start with your great ancestors who sold your ancestors to slave traders to be taken to the Caribbean. I mean yes America allowed slavery but not every white person agreed with it even then and only the rich whites could even afford to own slaves. So who can you blame all of your problems on the entire white population. Especially in reference again to Strawberrykiss, when the indigenous people were killed and removed from their land, and still live in worse conditions and all of their problems can be blamed on the white man. The other issues with black and white debate is this issue has been around long before slavery and even before then in Egypt but in the reverse. It just seems like a polar attraction that these two groups will always cause and create tension.

I haven’t seen the movie Avatar but I think you can look at this idea or concept outside of just one movie. Across television and different media outlets the majority of people you see are predominately white. I mean we live in a white society in America and whites control most of the media outlets that we have access to. When you look at this idea of the White Messiah it makes sense. Not only in these movies do you see this concept, but even in our history books. I mean who was taught in elementary school or at a young age that when the Europeans came over to the Americas’ that they used the Indians and purposely killed these peaceful people with smallpox and by accusing them of being savages? Probably no one and that’s because we were taught that the whites tried to help them or some BS and they created tensions that made us fight against them. I mean we paint this pretty picture that we are so good and kind and pure, such that it looks as if we would never commit wrong and our sole purpose is to help. This movie seems to follow this idea that other nations and people need us to succeed and take charge to overcome their problems. We as a nation try to meddle in things that do not pertain to us. Look at Iraq and the White Messiah idea there. We invaded a country to supposedly find Weapons of Mass Destruction, then it turns to oil, and then our excuse is that we are “helping” to remove a dictator that we see as unfit and ruthless. Then we try to make it seem like they couldn’t do anything without American or “White” help.

Looking at it from more of a movie or media side the Messiah concept is just one that can be drawn from the media industry. In general, most movies have a white protagonist or hero and the villains are a lot of the time of color or foreign decent. For example, even at the most basic level; look at law enforcement in movies. In a lot of movies you watch involving police, they are generally white. There are examples that deviate from this like “Bad Boys” and the “Lethal Weapon” movies, but most movies portray the white man as the hero. Especially until recently, most movies had white main actors and much of the supporting cast was white. Media has seemingly always portrayed a “White Messiah” concept in some form. Maybe not the same way as Brooks stated it, but whites are always the hero’s and always receive the credit and glory. They are made out to look like gods and be the role models of society. It is always their job to fix what’s wrong and save the day. Maybe we need to take a closer look at this and change how we unconsciously always have this concept of a “White Messiah” and always portray this in media. It would be interesting to see a so called changing of the guard and have this concept disappear.

This video is pretty eye opening to what really is going on in the world we live in. Everyone thinks that racism is not that big of an issue or has become a very small scale issue that is not prevalent. This definitely proves different. It is so hard to believe that this still occurs in such a fashion even after seeing the images for yourself. I think that the most shocking part of this is where it occurs. Who would think that long developed Europe would be the location for such outrageous and large displays of public and profound racism? I certainly did not expect this from Europe, let alone soccer fans. I mean soccer is probably the largest and most diverse sport in the world and is known to fans everywhere. Some of the best soccer clubs and players come from Northern Africa, as well as South and Central America. Obviously the largest following of soccer as well as the most prominent teams reside in Europe, but I do not understand how the fans could even care about the color of a player’s skin. Some of the best players in the English leagues are of color or darker complexion.

I think the thing that really startles me the most about the video was the images of Nazi flags, the throwing of bananas and the comments that fans were making. The fact that it was occurring wasn’t the most surprising thing ever but the nature of what was going on and that no one was doing anything to stop it was probably the most startling. I mean you think that people would have learned from their past and not even have the nerve to display something such as the Nazi flag. I think that the people acting like this aren’t worth the players’ time who they are incriminating. I mean the individuals who are acting like this are obviously not talented enough to do what these players do so what does it even matter what they think. The act of throwing bananas on the field of play to incriminate an African is not even funny. It is truly childish to even do something like that in public. I mean don’t they teach these people sportsmanship? You see fans act stupid every now and again in the United States by throwing cups or foam fingers, maybe yell at a player, but never to this extent. They would be ejected from the stadium as soon as they even acted out and never allowed to return again, probably for life. FIFA needs to take some notes from other sporting organizations and learn how to control their fans and their players. These people are just a total disgrace to humanity as a whole. I think the only animals are the people who act like this. The players they call monkeys and treat like this are very humane and are the farthest thing from animals. I really hope that things improve especially with the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. I would actually love to see those individuals come into their stadium and act like that. Wonder what would happen to them there?

All I can say to stupidity like this is wow. I don’t even know where to begin. We’re talking about opening up our minds and thinking in this class and you see people in the real world thinking like this. It pretty much is not only absurd, but also downright embarrassing for the American media to even allow someone like this to air their stupidity on national television. Pat Robertson may just be completely off his rocker. I think that he disgraces anyone that identifies as a Christian or with the Christian religion to even say things like this. The events that invoked these comments were something that should be approached with solitude and remorse for those individuals involved. I mean we were talking about probably the largest natural disaster to date and a event that needs as much support as possible for those involved to retain their normal lives back. Robertson should be sending up prayers to god to help and comfort those who are struggling to even live after this event, not telling them they were condemned to this fate. The only thing I can say for him is maybe he is just old and senile.

I was going to say that Olbermanns’ comments were a bit much but I almost feel where he was coming from makes it right. He seemed to be sincere even with the extreme nature of his comments. He believed that what he was saying was right and he convinced me that it was too. I’m glad that someone said something of this nature about Robertson’s comments because maybe it will help him to open his eyes and get his head out of his butt. I think it is pretty ironic that the connotations of black being bad and negative and white being good and pure are set as they are. Especially in this case when you see white media broadcasters making absurd comments about the situation and these destroyed Haitian people. That is definitely not good or pure or positive. Whoever made those connotations must have been an idiot. No matter, I really hope that Robertson comes out with some apology and collects and sends aid to these people to try and make up for his stupidity and comments. That’s about the only way that I think that I personally could even consider letting this one go. I mean from what I’m seeing it’s not even the first time he has had one of these stupid moments where he just lets his mouth fly without thinking.

Lastly, I really don’t even know why people like Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow would even attempt to talk about politics when discussing topics of this nature. Really? Why? I mean hundreds of thousands of Haitians are dead, dying, injured or starving to death and they can’t even respect the solitude of the situation and just try and help them. Use your time to help collect aid or something useful instead of talking about how it’s a political platform or anything related to politics. This isn’t even about America and I wish that these people could see it as such and for once care about someone and something besides themselves.