speaker: bilal malek April 9, 2007

i walked in just in time to catch probably the half part of the speaker’s piece.

first thing i gathered, was he was speaking about oil industry. and how the fight for oil, has been a major issue in the middle east/africa (sudan).

there have been human rights abuses, and monetary gain, from corrupt governments.

he was speaking about multi-national organiations. ,

and how globalization can be both a good thing and a bad thing.

with globalization comes greed, to make money. and causes corruption.

aid money coming into countries economies that are in ‘need’, are almost used as a ‘look at me’ i’m helping these other countries. when in reality, there just taking care of there own countries reputation .. rather than sincerely giving to ‘help’

greed has caused a situation in sudan, where big corporations have a role in corrupting the government ..

and child labor, human rights abuses.

it’s HIGH TIME FORE CHANGE.

the genocide in sudan needs to stop.

posted by;

richard lannen

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March 28, 2007

Race March 27, 2007

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            All of us have heard the expression that you should never judge a book by its cover. Well the same goes for people in saying that you should never judge a person by the color of their skin, the way they look or the way that they dress and all of the above, but racism and stereotyping is out there anyway. The definition of racism is a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement; usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. The only thing I don’t understand is why people have to feel superior to others especially when it comes to race. There is not one true race that was created or has come to be superior to others in the world today. Every single race or ethnicity has a unique characteristic but yet have faults and also share certain qualities that both you and I have. To me race is a made up word to give people in this world just another reason to find the bad in each and every person and to bring the hatred and all the evil out of each individual.

            Racism occurs each and every day no matter where you go. People are hurting and even killing people just because they aren’t you. For the most part people become annoyed and bored when everything around them is the same, but yet they kill difference, they strive to make everything evolve around them because people are something that your not. To me I feel that I am colorblind in this world. I don’t see black, white, yellow, green or blue. I see the people that are in this world for who they are, who they want to be and for the potential they have to become that person. People strive for brilliance and perfection, but yet there are those people that bring them down become of their race, because of what they are instead of who they are and what is great about them.

            Again I say that to me racism is a made of word that people use to section themselves off from the world that is surrounding them. They only want to know what they have been raised into, instead of using the power they are given to explore this wonderful land. Personally, I have a friend that is Mexican and a friend that is Indian but yet the key word in that sentence was friend. The people that are close to you because of what you have in common, not for what your exterior looks like.

Matt H.

Race vs. Ethnicity

I was talking to a friend the other day and the subject of race and ethnicity came up.  She explained that ethnicity is where you’re from and you’re culture and race is more based on your skin tone.  She’s from
Somalia and she said her ethnicity is Arabic but her race is black.  I found that interesting but disturbing.  Disturbing because of what our society has come to and at this day and age.  To consider one’s skin tone and to categorize them is pathetic.  We should all be treated equally and a persons skin tone or where their from should not come into judgment but should be looked at as a new thing to come upon and experience.  According to the Wikipedia: The term Race serves to distinguish between populations or groups of people based on different sets of characteristics which are commonly determined through social conventions. The most widely used human racial categories are based on visible traits (especially skin color, facial features and hair texture), and self-identification. And Ethnicity is defined as: An ethnic group or ethnicity is a population of human beings whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry (Smith 1987). Ethnic groups are also often united by common cultural, behavioral, linguistic, ritualistic, or religious traits.  When you apply for a job, where a person came from or the skin tone of ones skin should be excluded from judging if one is capable to work and have the job.  Nothing should matter other then what they can do, what they can bring to the job and the qualifications needed for the job is met.  But yet there are still many ignorant people who sit high and mighty in their little office who still don’t understand that things have changed and they don’t live in their own little world.  Same goes for everyone else in society, not just in the business world.  In environments where the majority is one race is a major problem also.  They don’t easily except strangers and especially strangers of another race.  A problem people should look into closer.  There should be more groups and programs to do where a mix of different people and different races is always included. Race and ethnicity were created by society and still is a problem.  A problem because race and ethnicity is not just there to have the knowledge of a persons background but to categorize and to class.  It serves no positive purpose and mostly used negatively.  One would think that since we have come so far…that
America the great would see past a person’s skin color or a person’s ethnicity yet sadly we are still battling the issue.  We have come so far getting rid of slavery and having equal rights and women’s right to vote…but this is issue is a bit more complex because it’s more emotional and psychological.  Though the law protects the people and we are to be treated equally, it’s the people’s minds that won’t change and what’s causing this problem to still go on.  We need a different outlook on life and people; we need to be color blind!

~Khadijah M.

race cars and apartheid

thats a table i found while looking into one of the most disturbing acts of racism, discrimination. the south african apartheid, was basicly a time when.. white’s took over africa, and monopolized a government that discriminated against any non-white peoples. a quote says it better,

” With the enactment of apartheid laws in 1948, racial discrimination was institutionalized. Race laws touched every aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites, and the sanctioning of “white-only” jobs. In 1950, the Population Registration Act required that all South Africans be racially classified into one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed decent). The coloured category included major subgroups of Indians and Asians. Classification into these categories was based on appearance, social acceptance, and descent. For example, a white person was defined as “in appearance obviously a white person or generally accepted as a white person.” A person could not be considered white if one of his or her parents were non-white. The determination that a person was “obviously white” would take into account “his habits, education, and speech and deportment and demeanor.” A black person would be of or accepted as a member of an African tribe or race, and a colored person is one that is not black or white. The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. All blacks were required to carry “pass books” containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas.”

http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html

there’s a film i saw in which i first actually learned of this occuring, and it included a story about nelson mandela, who was put to death for standing up for his people. and it’s not over, i’m sure someone may have caught an opera special in which she explored the living conditions for children in parts of africa. children that would migrate every night to avoid getting hurt by the ‘rebels’ and/or kidnapped. THERE has to be something we can do, as a planet, to stop things like this..

My next point, begginning with a race.. when i hear of ‘sterotypes’ that truly honestly ‘discriminate’ .. and i’m comfartable adressing it, is the way that the nascar race scene is made out to look like a bunch of rednecks racing there cars. when i’m almost entirely sure, most of these racing guys.. are far from your ideal ‘redneck’ right? so why the making fun??.. why the southern accenting when ya talk about ‘nascar’? .. a good example being a movie by will ferrill recently made. was truly an act of comedy based on a stereotypical image, blown up.

signed. richard lannen

A Personal Experience…

When I hear the word ethnicity the first thing that comes to my mind is attacks among and against blacks and whites.  As was discussed in class it is not only the blacks and whites that are racially discriminated against, but it is also the Hispanics, Arabs, Jews, Muslims, as well as many more.  As I have noticed, other ethnic backgrounds aside from white people don’t really feel that white people are discriminated against.  I will be the first one to say that I as a white female have been discriminated against. 

            I have a personal experience in which I was racially segregated as a white, blonde female.  After my freshman year of high school my mother and sister and I were evicted from our house in
St. Clair Shores.  We didn’t have too may options when it cam to housing so we ended up moving to the outskirts of Detroit off of Outer Drive also known as Alter Road.  This upper flat that we eventually called home was on the border of Detroit and

Grosse
Point
Park, between Kerchival and Jefferson.  All joking aside it was a scary part of town for my sister, my mother and I to live.  While we lived there we had no phone and no money.  Each day Laura (my sister) and I would wake up and see how much money our mom left us for the day!  Hopefully it was 4 bucks, because we would then be able to go to Buschimie’s and buy 2 slices of pizza and one lemonade and still have money for a payphone call.  After we showered and dressed we would walk a little was toward
Detroit where the pizzeria was and we would eat out in front of the store.  While we sat there we were honked at, barked at, laughed at, as well as yelled at.  After we were done eating it was time to walk to the payphone and try to call some friends to come and visit.  (We were always bored being so far always from friends)  One day while sitting at the payphone a black woman approached my sister and I and made a comment that went as follows, “I don’t know why in the hell a couple of white bitches like you two are in our city, you little white girls don’t belong here and better stay out of here before something bad happens to you, you girls will get your ass killed out here”.  My sister and I were shocked that a random lady would come across the street on the other side of Outer drive to harass us.  What were we doing do wrong?  It wasn’t our choice to get evicted and have to move away from our home town and out friends.  After this happened my sister and I nervously walked home.  The point of this story is that not many people from other races and backgrounds believe that this happens to “white people”.  All in all we are all victims of ethnic and racial prejudices, and with
America being the huge melting pot that it is, things aren’t going to be changing anytime soon.  People have to realize that we all have to put in effort to make a difference and we all have to give respect in order to get it in return, even if you are blatantly disrespected for no apparent reason.  A quote from third grade; Treat others how you want to be treated. 

 

-Theresa Provost

Racism is everywhere!!!!! March 26, 2007

There is racism everywhere in the world!!!! When you think that you have escaped it, you encounter it again!!! I remember my trip to my home country of Bangladesh.  My entire family went along.  I thought it was going to be the most pleasurable trip that I would have. Well, let just say it wasn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be.  It was actually the worst trip I had ever gone on. But I did learn some very good life lessons.

The trip started off great, just like I had planned. Everyone was energetic and ready for a good trip.  The flight was terrific. There was no turbulence or any disruptions during take off or landing.  But when we finally arrived in the country of Bangladesh, this is when the real trouble started.  One of my cousins is of a darker tanned skin color. He is the same age as me and we hang out all the time.  But when we got to Bangladesh, he and I were treated very differently.  It was like he was from a different world from me.  I was treated with the utmost respect while he was treated like dirt.  Many of the people there treated him like he was a beggar from Bangladesh.  I know there is a caste system there, but I didn’t know that there was a race barrier until I saw it with my own eyes.

The first few days when were home were okay.  Everyone was tired, so we decided to rest.  But after a few days, my cousin and I decided to go and explore the country. When I say country, I don’t mean the countryside. We live in the big city where everything goes on.  When we left, the first thing we wanted to do was go ride on a rickshaw. This is sort of like a small carriage with a bicycle steering you.  To get a driver, you need to call for one. So, my cousin decided to call one. He yelled and whistled to the top of his voice, but all of them seemed to ignore him. Then I gave it a try.  As soon as I whistled, two came from around the corner.  I thought that was strange, but took no mind to it at the moment.  The weirdest thing that happened with the rickshaw is when my cousin was getting on. The rickshaw driver stared at him and then asked me if he was with me.  I glared at him and told him “Well, he isn’t with you!” After that, the driver didn’t have anything else to say.

Another weird thing that happened is that when we went to every store, they stared at my cousin.  They didn’t pay me any mind at all. The worst part of the trip was when one of these certain individuals came up to me and asked me why my cousin was walking with me. This pissed me off so much.  I didn’t want to go down to his standards, so I didn’t say anything to him. I ignored him all the way. This happened throughout the entire trip. At first, I thought of it as nothing. But later, I began to realize that it was racism within my own people. You may say its PREJUDICE, but I don’t think so. You aren’t the same race if you think of color like that. We are all people under god. Everyone should be treated like people.

 

Rezwan Miah