Your view/opinion on racism/diversity.

[ShammerS]

(EDIT: Is carryon one word, two or a hyphenated word? I think it's hyphenated now carry-on.)

As long as it wasn't carrion, I don't think it really matters.

I'll offer my food for thought on the issue, since everyone knows my food for thought is so very, very tasty. Two topics:

1. A relevant article on how a student's thesis paper is getting attention since it accuses games are racist.

2. My opinion.

Racism is wrong, and defending racism is equally wrong.
..HOWEVER
There is a fine line between fighting against racism and being a crybaby out for personal gain. If you are a minority, which in this country (although not for long) is anything but white, you are entitled to equality.

The blurry part comes in when those striving for equality end up surpassing it themselves. If a black person and a white person, for example, apply for a job, and the white person is more qualified, there is no reason he should not be the one employed. In today's world, however, an enormous amount of evil assumptions about the employer are inevitable, no matter how simple their decision was to make or how vividly they defended themselves and their choices.

It is not right for a minority to take advantage of being a minority. Defending and supporting equality is one thing, and a good one; surpassing it and holding a double standard is quite another, and counterproductive at that.

[SirPhobos]

Porch Monkey 4 Life.



It's cool. I'm taking it back.

[blackcat]

Ok, it's been a while since I post. I think I have a lot to contribute to this.

Bloomington is in many ways the stereotypical 'liberal college town', and as such there is quite a bit of diversity here. My daughter's elementary school contained a very large number of international students, and diversity was stressed quite a bit there.

Because of Bloomington's reputation as a diverse town, with a large international population and a large gay population, it is also sometimes the target of national hate groups. The infamous Fred Phelps has made several appearances here over the years, mostly to protest homosexuality, and back in 1999 Won-Joon Yoon was killed quite close to campus by a white supremacist as part of a multi-state shooting spree.

Did your daughter happen to attend UES by the way? That was my old elementary school, and that was a pretty diverse school.

I was born in Chicago, and my mom and I moved around a lot since my parents got divorced when I was....mmmm.....about 6 months old. I was first exposed to diversity when I was a very young girl....I remember seeing an African American for the first time, and being very curious about it. I asked my parents all sorts of questions, and that was when I was taught that we should treat everyone as our equal and not our inferior for the first time.

I have never witnessed a hate crime, and I hope I never live to see that day. I'm a very strong advocate when it comes to diversity's cause. I support homosexuality and I support minority groups, such as my own group, females. Although white people have not suffered as much as other racial and etnic groups, if you look on several different websites, or happen to see the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" with Hillary Swank in it, women has been through several hardships as well. Women used to not have rights to vote. A woman's purpose at one time was to be subservient to her husband, and nothing else. Women cooked, raised children, cleaned, and sewed.

I attended a march in April of 2004 in Washington D.C., a march outside the White House. It was a march supporting women's rights, gay marriage, minority groups, and a number of other so called "liberal" topics.

Something you might want to note (if you don't already know...) is that the KKK started in Martinsville a long time ago.

There is a controversial mural painted by Thomas Benton which illustrates the history of Indiana. You will notice in the painting that at the very top, there is a member of the KKK and a burning cross, representing how KKK originated in Indiana. This painting is located in Woodburn Hall on the Indiana University campus. The painting is no doubt fought over. Some people are offended by it and want it removed, while others think it's best if it stays. If you also notice in the picture, there are reporters near the bottom. These reporters represent the downfall of the KKK, when they were revealed in newspapers. These reporters helped bring the KKK to a screaching hault. So, while it's offensive that this painting has included the KKK, it is also a sad truth that it is a part of Indiana history, and cannot be erased.

I hope this helps. If you need any more information about the mural or anything, I would be happy to be of help.

[malictus]

Did your daughter happen to attend UES by the way? That was my old elementary school, and that was a pretty diverse school.

YES! We've moved so she goes to Binford now, but she went to UES for 5 years. I loved it!

and I support minority groups, such as my own group, females.

Sorry to nitpick over definitions, but women are not a minority group, since they outnumber men in the U.S.. They are, however, definitely a group that has been discriminated against and treated unfairly.

[Fluffyumpkins]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i1mLF3u ... 20suffrage

Yes, I know this is a rip off of "The Man Show." I thought about not hitting submit for this one, but men and women should think this is pretty funny.

[Ho]

My personal opinion is similar to what T laid out. I believe that we all hold racial stereotypes/prejudices, but we can make choices about how we act (or do not act) on them. This is what separates the people who we would commonly call racist from those we would not.

I thought I'd take a moment to share a couple of personal stories about my own experience with racism...

Fortunately, like Katy, racism isn't something I've had to deal too much with. I grew up in West Lafayette, near Purdue. That's a pretty diverse campus and a fairly affluent area. Race simply didn't seem to be much of an issue--at least from my own grade school perspective.

I sometimes quip that, "I think I was 12 before I realized that I wasn't white." Of course I say it that way to get a (usually humorous) reaction. But what it boils down to is that, while the population there was predominantly white, other races didn't seem to "stick out" in any way that I perceived at that age, and I was treated just like everyone else.

It wasn't until I moved to Indianapolis that I had my first personal run-in with racism. Fortunately, it was quite minor and isolated...and makes for a pretty funny story today.

I was waiting outside a classroom after lunch because the teacher wasn't there yet and the door was locked. So I'm just sitting in the hallway beside the door. Some guy walked by and shouted at me, "Hey, why don't you go back where you came from?!" I was like, "It's about an hour away...would you like to drive?"

[Arka]

Racism is wrong, and defending racism is equally wrong.
..HOWEVER
There is a fine line between fighting against racism and being a crybaby out for personal gain. If you are a minority, which in this country (although not for long) is anything but white, you are entitled to equality.

The blurry part comes in when those striving for equality end up surpassing it themselves. If a black person and a white person, for example, apply for a job, and the white person is more qualified, there is no reason he should not be the one employed. In today's world, however, an enormous amount of evil assumptions about the employer are inevitable, no matter how simple their decision was to make or how vividly they defended themselves and their choices.

It is not right for a minority to take advantage of being a minority. Defending and supporting equality is one thing, and a good one; surpassing it and holding a double standard is quite another, and counterproductive at that.

Quoted for truth. Thank you for stating this so well.

I sometimes quip that, "I think I was 12 before I realized that I wasn't white." Of course I say it that way to get a (usually humorous) reaction. But what it boils down to is that, while the population there was predominantly white, other races didn't seem to "stick out" in any way that I perceived at that age, and I was treated just like everyone else.

I think my childhood was similar, in that I never really noticed race until it became obvious that my obliviousness would be punished. Ah, good times.

Though your way of phrasing it does remind me of the main character in The Jerk, who was raised by people of some minority race (black, I think) and had never been told that he wasn't their biological son... so he naturally assumed he was the same race. This was obviously a gag in the movie, but there's a metaphor in there somewhere.

Some guy walked by and shouted at me, "Hey, why don't you go back where you came from?!" I was like, "It's about an hour away...would you like to drive?"

Hey, I need to learn to use that line! Tell all the colonist-descended white guys that they need to get off "my" land (never mind that I'm part white myself). Oh, wait, we already have people who are actually trying to do that.

[blackcat]

Did your daughter happen to attend UES by the way? That was my old elementary school, and that was a pretty diverse school.

YES! We've moved so she goes to Binford now, but she went to UES for 5 years. I loved it!

and I support minority groups, such as my own group, females.

Sorry to nitpick over definitions, but women are not a minority group, since they outnumber men in the U.S.. They are, however, definitely a group that has been discriminated against and treated unfairly.

Heh, yeah, University was an awesome school. I went there from 1-4 grade, then they transfered me to Marlin for whatever reason, and then I went back to University for 6th grade. I'm definitely glad I got to go there

Thanks for my correction, I looked over my post a second time to make sure I didn't miss anything, or say anything that was weird, I guess I didn't catch that. You are right though, we aren't a minority group. Looking back at the history of women, it is nothing compared to the discrimination of others. It got really bad at times for women, especially before they were rewarded suffrage in August of 1920. But, on the other hand, women were never really segregated. Maybe at one time, but I've never heard about boys and girls being segregated as often as other racial groups. But it would be a lie to say that women haven't faced some sort of adversity and oppression. I'm not saying that they deserve more recognition than other forms of discrimination, I'm just pointing out that there's sexism as well as racism.

[Arka]

But, on the other hand, women were never really segregated. Maybe at one time, but I've never heard about boys and girls being segregated as often as other racial groups.

Yeah... before the civil rights movement really got underway, "colored" people had to use separate restrooms and everything. Women never had to deal with that.

[Ho]

But, on the other hand, women were never really segregated. Maybe at one time, but I've never heard about boys and girls being segregated as often as other racial groups.

Yeah... before the civil rights movement really got underway, "colored" people had to use separate restrooms and everything. Women never had to deal with that.

I almost missed the comic genius there...and then I had to pick myself off the floor out of the pool of laughter-induced drool.

[the gattchoon]

But, on the other hand, women were never really segregated. Maybe at one time, but I've never heard about boys and girls being segregated as often as other racial groups.

Yeah... before the civil rights movement really got underway, "colored" people had to use separate restrooms and everything. Women never had to deal with that.

I almost missed the comic genius there...and then I had to pick myself off the floor out of the pool of laughter-induced drool.

Wow, I had to read that over 5 times before I got it.

[Original Sin]

Every racial group has their bad apples. The differences come into play depending on which racial group has more political leverage, therefore letting said bad apples play the systems easier.

And the way that works now a days, being a middle class white man means you're fucked, but if you're a black woman who wants to be a doctor, congratulations! You're a doctor. Hell, they'll even pay for it.

But in all seriousness, I'm all for equality, but there in lies the problem. In America's astounding pursuit of 'equality,' we've created a huge inequality. By recognizing the different races and giving them benefits, we're actually rooting racism even deeper into our society, not destroying it.

[BeatmaniacIIDX]

Heh... I just moved to Carol Stream (Chicago) and racism is alive and well, unfortunately. Here, it goes beyond being "white", "black", "yellow", or gay. Up here we have a lot of hispanic people, asians, polish, and italians. I made the comment about how I thought this girl was attractive and they told me her parents wouldn't allow her to date anyone that's not polish. When I questioned them more about it, they said it's really a pretty common thing here.