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1889213 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/when-do-we-do-or-say-something/When+Do+We+Do+or+Say+Something%3F2010-02-26+03%3A44%3A44Sam+Richards to When Do We Do or Say Something?
One mentioned about free speech so I will talk about it. Because we have these great constitutional shields, Bills of Rights, we can exercise these rights and Free Speech is one of them in the First Amendment. Yes, you are right. We can say whatever we want because we have freedom. However, in the video, there were two conditions that must be considered. The first is that the clerk actually denied the service based on the race. The second is that the statement made by the clerk was over-generalized. It is absolutely free to have perceptions on a certain group of people but those combined conditions made this situation problematic.
It's not that I strongly disagree with that one student's comment, it's just that I would not want to simply walk away from such a strong situation as exposed in that video. I have come across racist acts numerous times in my life, but this video with the muslim girl definitely affected me. I was honestly sitting there watching the video and it almost brought me to tears. Just seeing the thirteen people standing up for the girl really hit home for me. In particular, I really respected the one white man whose son just came back from fighting in Iraq. He was fighting for this girl and you can tell how strongly he felt towards the situation. On the other hand, those six by-standers who actually agreed with the man behind the counter at least had something to say. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and every person obviously has to feel a certain way towards a situation. This poor innocent girl simply walked into the bakery, and although it was all staged, I found it very very intriguing to actually witness what the nineteen people who spoke up had to say. As for the twenty- two others, I guess we will never know what they had to say since they did not speak up and either take a stand for the girl or bash on her along with the servers. To see such a terrible act of racism in a local neighborhood bakery would definitely put me in a state of shock. To witness an act so horrible and cruel would obviously put me into an uneasy position. I am an Asian American and I can say that I have been mistaken as all other Asian races other than my own. I'm Filipino and I don't know how many times I walk into a restaurant and people tell me to "go back to my nail salon" or "cook some pork fried rice" for them. Honestly? I cannot believe there are people like that actually still exist. Going back to the video, I can say that I do feel that those twenty-two people should have said something and not let something like that go lightly. To see a conversation so unjust would definitely make me frustrated and upset. To refuse the right to serve someone simply by her articles of clothing or her religion is not right. If I were in that bakery witnessing a conversation like that, I would definitely take a stand for that girl. Even though we do not see "every American" dressed the way that she was, that does not make her any different than the rest of us. I also strongly despise the fact that in real life she gets teased and taunted in school and that her peers don't acknowledge her as an "American" but as a "terrorist". These acts are wrong and unjust and should not be ignored by society.
I agree that the general population will not care until it happens to them. It is hard to be aware or care for a situation that directly does not involve you, but does indirectly involve you. When you stand by and do nothing the situation involves you because you are a witness to what has or will happen. People may feel as if it is not there place to speak about a problem that does not effect them, but eventually someone has to stand up and say something. Personally I do not know how I will approach a situation like the video that was shown in class where the young lady who was Muslim was discriminated against to that extreme. I have been in situations were someone was not being treated with the respect they should be treated with and I stepped in to defend the person who was being wronged because it was unfair treatment.
Everyday millions of people ignore the problems in the modern day world, I admit that I too sometimes am wrapped up in my own problems and world to not necessarily notice the bigger picture. This class is opening my eyes more and more about paying attention to someone else besides yourself. As an American I do see problems here, but not like problems that are found around the world and it is our place to take action to at least attempt to make an effort to assist someone else besides ourselves. Everyone has their individual problems but I want to try to look outside of myself to see the bigger picture that is the world. It is my place to help others, and stand for something bigger or at least try to find out more information about what events happen in the world.
Everyone has a place to know what is going on in other countries. There are major problems in the world that many people such as myself have been blind too or tried to ignore. When these problems reach home it may be to late to deal with. Do you want to be a sex slave, or fear for your life everyday because their is a tyrant in the neighborhood? I do not want to face these problems daily like a lot of people do on a daily basis in many countries. I want to be that person who tries to help or become aware of the outside world. I want to inform myself of the slave made products that I own, even though i never knew that i did until Sam brought it up. I want to inform myself to be able to become aware of ways that i too can help out someone else.
The whole deal with this "it’s not my place" is all about ethics. Why do people choose to do certain things or not to? So many factors go into this that's it is too much to analyze in just four-hundred and fifty words. Whoever thought of the idea to make the show "What Would You Do?" has done a very good thing. The show challenges people in ways they do not realize. The various scenario's cause you to wonder how you would act in the situation. One thing I do think the show does is gear it to where, in each case, someone should do something that they didn't. With ethics, is it always a wrong thing to go against the norm? Just because most people will do one thing, does that mean someone has to do it that exact way? No. In this case with the Muslim woman, it applies for the most part to doing the right thing and speaking about it. But think about this. Doesn't a person's personality play a big factor in the ethical decisions they make? If someone is shy, you would expect that they most likely would not say anything. Their shyness is behind their "it's not my place" attitude. Yes, the majority of those people did not say anything in the moment, but how do we know whether or not they took further action. Many of them could have spoken out about it to the public. Others could have given an anonymous tip to the police. Though the shows cast told them afterward that it is a set up, they still could have done these things. We as humans have to get out of the "judging a book by its cover" deal. Some of them could have even considered what bad consequences could happen if they said something to the owner. So many factors play into this. If you saw from afar that someone pulled out a gun on a person for no reason, would you really stand up for them and try to stop the person, or would you contemplate helping them out because of the risks involved. Yes, this is pushing it a bit because a gun is a big deal that is a life or death situation, but you get my point. Everyone who thinks that the people who say “it’s not my fault” need to evaluate all the reasons someone would not say something rather than assuming fear inside someone because they didn’t. What is a legit reason why they should care? How will speaking up for that person affect their lives? That is where human compassion and care comes into play. That is missing for many. If it isn’t a loved one who’s being treated wrongly, most just wouldn’t say a word. We have to step out of that boundary of only helping people we know and share our compassion and will to do good for our loved ones with others.
I agree with the first person the most, as this mindset of Americans, or any person, is accurate. Including myself, I am often oblivious to issues happening in the world. I understood and learned how Europeans mistreated Native Americans but it was more of a history lesson where I now view it as a horrible genocide. Even after we are shown the statistics and what happened to Native Americans, many will still be ignorant to the situation and think its not their place or their fault for what our ancestors did. Even when faced directly with an injustice, such as the people in the store, the majority will still mind their own business. This is an unsettling mindset, because when we have so many horrible injustices happening, only small steps will be taken into resolving the problem until we speak out against them. Having a voice is extremely important. If it wasn't for Martin Luther King Jr. and many other civil rights activists, many would not have realized the injustice in discrimination because of skin color. So in general, when people see injustices committed against others, I think it is important to stand up for the victim, as you would appreciate it if you were in their position. I was put into a position very similar to this one while waiting to get on the bus this weekend. A person in a wheelchair has to get off the bus, so we in the front had to unload for a few minutes while he lowered the ramp. A person outside started making jokes about the person in the wheelchair, and just coming from Soc119, I was rather infuriated while others just stood their and didn't say anything. In the end, I told him to shut the hell up and that he's not funny at all, well, that's the edited version…and his friend told him to be quiet.
The whole idea regarding not intervening in blatantly discriminatory behavior because it is not “one’s place” is exactly the type of attitude that has been aiding the existence of racism in society for hundreds of years. Now, I’m not ignorant to the risk of intervening in a situation similar to the one that was presented to us in class whereby the store clerk was unashamedly discriminating against the woman of Arab heritage. For example, these people can often have radical views and are radical enough to support their ignorant actions with violence. This store clerk could have pulled out a gun, for example, and attacked the intervening person. However, it is important to note that this reticent behavior when it comes to situations of obvious and extreme discrimination is a major factor in what allows for such behavior to continue taking place.
I think there are many social situations where it would be unacceptable to say something. While I agree that the scenario we saw in the video was the right place to stand up and say something or walk out, this is the only situation in which Sam’s lecture is relevant. Here is an example I know that everyone will remember: During a speech to Congress Obama was interrupted by one of the members yelling ‘you lie’. While in his opinion, the statement made by Obama was false and he felt it was an injustice that people receive false information- this was not the place or time. In response that congressman was required to publicly apologize and was ridiculed by his opponents as well as the media.
Another situation would be the classroom. When a professor makes a statement that either offends you or you don’t agree with, you can’t interrupt the lecture you have to wait or not say anything. Or when you are the lowest member of a firm, just because you see an injustice does not mean you have the power to impact that situation. Intervening in someone else’s affairs could cost you your job. In the store situation the customer always has the most power, they choose where they spend money and which establishments they recommend. The customers were not only willing to help her, but also had the power to do so.
I have mixed feelings about the situation that was presented in the video in class. I agree with the people that did not say anything but do disagree about the reason why they might not have had said anything. In certain situations I think it might be better not to say anything, not necessarily for respect but because sometimes it is not your place and it could make it even worse. On the other hand, like the girl said, if you’re not saying anything because you do not want to be disrespectful to people but there is something happening that you think is disrespectful you should be able to say anything. If something is occurring that you do not believe should be going on, then say something. Times where I would not say anything would have to be when I really do not have all the information about the situation. Sometimes putting your input on a situation where you do not have all the facts can cause more of a problem between people. In addition, you do not know who this “racist” person is. They could be a very racist person that could rely on violence. In the video, I admit I would have been the person to just walk out. I do not think I would have bought anything but I would not have said anything either. I know it probably is not the right thing to do but I am also looking out for myself too. I guess that is what everyone else was doing when they walked out. Instead of risking their feelings and well being they left, not thinking about that woman that was being criticized. Maybe next time I am in that situation, I might think twice about who is being hurt and help with a choice of words. It was also fascinating to see people’s reactions to the situation. I do not believe that people would side with the cashier and say he was a real American. What is that? This just shows how many different people and views there are in the United States. You could be a good American by either supporting racism or standing up for it. Also after watching this, I could think of a couple instances where I have seen this happen. I mean they were not as dramatic or out in the open but I have seen instances where different cultures have been the point of interest for racism. This video showed there are different people in the world. There are the people that are considered racists, the people receiving the racism and the spectators. These people can be divided into people doing something to help alleviate racism or walk away.
It's almost funny that a lot of people are jumping on the person who said it wasn't his place to go and say something. These are the same people in high school who didn't say anything when a "nerd" was getting picked on, but now they vilify someone who says it isn't his place to do something. The nature of a human is the fight or flight mentality. People who say the person who didn't stand up to something that is wrong is right, but not totally. They are right in the fact that either way you should probably take a stance, but are they worse than the people saying they agree with marking out terrorist looking people? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It starts to get annoying when people continue to imply that not doing anything is worse than doing something when it's simply not true. Not doing something against injustice IS BAD, but it's worse than someone vehemently offending another’s culture? get out of my face with that garbage. It's easy to point and say that person didn't do anything so that person is clearly bad. These same people who say that probably haven't been in that position, so it's easy to sway it to their way when they've done nothing themselves. It's this new nature of political correctness bullshit to be honest. To single out people who don't say something is wrong, if not just as wrong as the people saying mean things. I can't believe people in this class are singling out that one comment without taking a look at themselves. Without question a time or two has passed where I haven't done something in a certain situation, and I feel bad that I didn't say something, but to gang up on a person who says I didn't know what to say is insane. My take is these same people won't honestly talk about race, but rather censor themselves to appease others so they don't come off as a racist. It’s just a simple, but complex double standard of the way race and society coincides. What is more disturbing? The person who says nothing, or the person who blasts that person verbally? They are better because they pointed out the fact they didn’t say anything? It’s just hypocrisy at its peak, and only gets bigger and bigger. I’m seeing a lot of these “as Americans we MUST say something,” so it’s all of a sudden the American way to point out when people don’t step up during an injustice? Shit I never got this memo. A lot of Americans are the most un just, and I AM American. People need to reflect on WHY that person is scared to say something instead of the end result of that person not saying something. Trying to intimidate the person more will not help the situation, and actually make the person not want to say anything else. This starts to become a spiral of silence. A spiral of silence is when many people won’t say anything against the majority because they are afraid.
I agree with the two individuals who left this comment, that issues like this should be our place. I mean if something along the lines of this situation happened to myself, I'm not sure exactly how I would respond. I would like to hope that I would have the courage and heart to stand up to the ignorant person making these rude comments. But when it came down to that exact time who knows how I would act?! I think that if we all thought it wasn't our place nothing would ever get accomplished. I feel that the second book that we had to read for the first exam dealt with this issue. That if we all just sat back and let people have the common stereotypes what would the world come too? If we want to see any of kind of change we ourselves have to make a step to succeed to a change. That might be a clique quote but it is a good quote to live our lives by.
I think that if any person is going to claim that they are a modern and human citizen of the human race, they need to stand up for injustice of all types. If not one were to stand up for the Muslim woman in the video, she would have felt degraded and disrespected, and we would have all be taking a step BACK in the fight for equality for all persons. We must all be willing to take a risk and make a stand for others. If we continue to support this disconnection we, as humans in general, have from each other, issues like racism and inequality are just going to worsen as we feel we have less in common with each other.
I was so disturbed by the man in the video who gave the cashier thumbs up that my jaw actually dropped and I actually gasped. People like this man are what is holding us back from living in a world of equality and respect for the other human being. How dare one person think that they know a stranger just because of some stereotype probably made up by someone whose never even left the United States.
To those who feel that it’s not their place to stick up for this woman, I say shame on you. The fact that you would directly experience this injustice and not do anything about it shows just how cowardly you are. Also, these people cannot claim to support the advancement of equality for all persons. It is our responsibility as members of the human race to stick up for each other if we ever want to see a world free of discrimination.
I fully support freedom of speech but speech that degrades and humiliates any person on the basis or race, religion, sexuality etc. has no place in modern society. We are all equally allowed to do what ever we would like with our lives including being homosexual, Muslim, Christian, Straight or what ever we would like. And I think that people need to respect not humiliate our differences. If we were all the same we would have no culture and quite a boring world to live in. So I think we all need to take a step back and reevaluate what is important to us. If we find equality to be important them we need to accept the responsibilities that come with this great task. We need to be willing to stand up for complete strangers, not only to help them but also to show those that don’t find equality important that there are many people that disagree and are willing to stand up and fight for what we think is right.
I feel that these comments reflect a larger issue than simply speaking up for a woman at a bakery. Americans in general are not comfortable stepping out of their comfort zones around strangers, even if its for what they know is right. There are so many examples of this in action, the most drastic of which is the story of the Kitty Genovese in 1964 who was attacked outside her New York home and no one did anything to help her or call 911, even though there were 13 eyewitnesses. The problem stems further than racism, but is important for human compassion as a whole.
I think the video we watched in class was surprising, I didn’t expect that many people to speak out, and I also didn’t expect people to agree with the cashier. I thought people would just walk away and say nothing. To be honest, I think I would’ve been one of those people that said nothing because I am not brave enough and I don’t have the courage to stand up in a situation like that. I know it’s wrong and that’s why so many problems still exist today because people who witness them don’t say anything, but I really don’t think I would speak up in a situation like that. My family immigrated to the US nine years ago and we settled in New York City, before moving to the US my family lived in a big city too, so most people I see just mind their own business and not care about others. On a daily basis I see people walking by people who obviously look like they need help but no one will stop to help them, some won’t even look at them, they simply walk past them and pretend not to see anything. Sometimes it’s actually encouraged to not get involved in things that are not your business even if you know you will be doing a good deed. I remember a few years ago, my cousin came to visit my family in NYC so he wasn’t familiar with the big city. He went out one night to meet up with his other friends and when he was walking back he saw this woman in a wheel chair and she looked tired and couldn’t roll her own wheelchair anymore, and she was asking people especially men on the street to push her back to her apartment because it was getting dark. No one helped her and some pretended not to see her, so my cousin quickly offered to push her back. When she got back, she would not let my cousin leave, she wanted him to clean her house, cook for her, and grocery shop for her, when my cousin tried to leave, she threatened to call the police, because my cousin wasn’t from the US he doesn’t know the culture so he was really scared. My cousin came back and told us that he would never get involved in another person’s business again. This is just one example, there are many examples I hear from friends and relatives about how it’s actually better to not get involved in other people’s business. Because of all these stories I hear around me, I’ve learned to ignore what’s around me. I realized it’s wrong to do that, and I know I should try to change myself but it’s hard. I totally understand how the Muslim women must’ve felt, I’ve been in similar situation many times because I’m not white and I immigrated here so it’s obvious that I’m not American. Every time when I’m discriminated against in public no one’s ever stood up for me, people just ignore the situation so I am quiet used to it and I don’t expect them to do anything I think it’s my problem and I just have to deal with it. I feel bad for the Muslim women and I agree we should stand up for her but I personally don’t think I can do that because if I say something maybe the cashier will discriminate against me because I’m not white and not American.
think that both of you are correct. If you feel strongly about something you should stand up for it, especially in the situation the of the Muslim woman in the video. I understand how sometimes people may feel that it is not "their place" to say something because they do not know the person discriminating or the person being discriminated against, but if people do not speak up against what they think is wrong, then we are never going to move forward as a society from where we are today. When watching the video I felt so happy when the people stood up for her, it actually made me smile. The people who just walked out made me angry for a couple reasons. Yes, maybe they were trying to get their point across by not buying anything and leaving, but that did not do anything to actually help the situation. We will never know how they felt. Maybe they were indifferent about the situation, but that is not a good sign. Communication is the first step to making things better. As we learned in our reading, individuals having conversations with one another is the start to making society take a look at racism and discrimination and what can be said and done to begin to fix the problem. It is every one's "place to say something". People need to speak up regardless of if they know the person or not. Why is it that people are not afraid to defend family members or best friends, but as soon as it is a stranger we back away? We need to treat everyone equally, stranger or not, their feelings are still hurt by discriminatory acts. I know there may be a fear of how the person we are defending will react to our rebuttal sometimes, but that is a chance we should be willing to take. We would know in our minds that we did the right thing. The girl in the video who was very angered by what the cashier was saying was speaking her mind because her friend standing next to her was Muslim, just not dressed to show it as the other woman was. What are the odds that she would have spoken up if she had never met her best friend that was there? Don't get me wrong I think that it was great that she defended the woman, but I just wonder what could have happened. Discrimination may not stand out as much now as it did in the past, but we still have a long way to go. The fact that people still refuse to serve and hire certain races, religions, and ethnicities is proof that there is much room for improvement.
Watching the video the other day in class about the Middle Eastern woman who was being discriminated against brought a question to my attention: would I really, honestly say something? I thought about this for a while and just sitting here, not in the situation, I would say yes, I would say something. But then I also had to think, if I was in the situation at that time, would I actually say something? I am not sure. I agree with the person in class who said he did not feel like it was his place to say something in this situation. Just because he said he did not feel like it was his place doesn’t mean that in the situation, he would not.
Growing up, my parents told me to mind my own business and what other people did was their choice and their business. I have to agree with this statement for a number of reasons. One is being that this is the way I was raised and brought up from a very young age. Secondly, who am I to tell someone that I am right and they are wrong? Third, would I want some random person interfering in my business? No. For example, I was in the store with my boyfriend one day and we got into a fight. The cashier felt it was her duty to interrupt my personal conversation with him and stick up for him, while at the same time asking other customers their opinions! I thought that was extremely rude considering she did not know me or the situation at all. On a more serious note, I have a situation where I could have interfered but did not. I was waiting in a bus station one day when I was about 14-15 years old. I heard yelling coming from a black woman a few feet over. I looked over and she was beating her child, hitting him. At the time, I was scared to say something and honestly, I still would be scared to say something. She was an adult and I was a teenager. I was alone also. Although what she was doing was not right, what could I have said? “Excuse me mam but please do not hit your child”? No, that is not my place. She is the parent, or so I assumed, and I had no connection to the matter. I did not know the situation and although no situation is justifiable to hit a child, I just felt like it was not my place. I absolutely should have said something, to at least try and protect the child but was too scared.
I think that in this situation, everyone should say something because it is standing up for another human being. However, it is not the matter of should we say something but would we say something. Every situation is different and people react in different ways. I would like to think I would say something, but honestly, I am not sure I would.
I thought the ‘experiment’ we watched about the Muslim woman in a bakery was quite eye-opening and thought-provoking. I agree with both students who posted their opinions about when it is or is not one’s place to say something. I too feel that we should all have the strength and the beliefs to stand up and say something when we see problems of race relations in our society.
Watching that video I tried to imagine what I would have done in the situation. I can admit I am a fairly quiet person and not at all confrontational. I sadly can admit that I would have walked out of the bakery in protest, but I’m not sure if I would have had the courage to actually say something. Although, I was curious if everyone who ‘stood up’ for the woman did so on their own, or if some people piggy-backed off of others’ comments. I think it would be much easier to chime in on something we disagree with rather than being the first to say something. I hope that after watching the video and discussing this here on the blog that I will remember to stand up for race relations, myself, and others in the future.
This past weekend, just a few days after having watched that video in class, I had an experience that I felt was related. On Saturday night (State Patty’s) I was riding the White Loop with a good friend of mine and my boyfriend. My friend Lexi was able to get a seat on the bus, sitting next to a freshman boy from Altoona. My boyfriend and I stood right next to Lexi, practically on top of her since the bus was so crowded and the boy was blatantly hitting on her. After about ten or fifteen minutes of talking with the boy from Altoona, he says something pretty striking. Now, all four of us that were talking were white and the conversation was just between us, but there were plenty of other people and other races around us. Altoona boy, talking about being up at University Park for the first time, says “Yea, I hear the McDonald’s here turns into a N-word hangout at night.” Only, he didn’t say “N-word.” The three of us stared at him and someone managed to say something along the lines of “excuse me?” or “what?” Altoona boy, not picking up on the social clues that what he had said was inappropriate, repeated exactly what he had said: “Yea, I hear the McDonald’s here turns into a nigger hangout at night.”
Now I know this scenario is not the same as the youtube video we saw, and as I have learned from Dr. Mulvey’s book I should not compare these various experiences about race, especially because I have no ethos being white. But we were faced with a situation in which we could confront this guy on what he had said and how we felt about it, or we could just chuckle it off and not worry about it. And I realized how hard and awkward it is to say something. Now, was it not my place to say or do something about what I felt was problematic language and stereotyping because I’m white? I think I have more of the mindset as those who posted these youtube video questions, that as a person (despite what color) we all need to be a part of the solution of bringing peace to race relations. We did say something that night on the bus. I didn’t have the time or the knowledge to explain to this boy why his language is problematic to race relations, but we did have the time to at least state that we did not appreciate his language or statement and that it is problematic in our eyes.
I understand that you make the argument for free speech and that if someone is being discriminated against that you should stand up for them but not all of us were raised to say or just call out what we think just because we can. I can only speak for myself but I know I was raised under older ideology. I wasn’t raised in the sense that children are supposed to seen but not heard but similar to that. I was taught and still believe to this day that there are lots of places that it is better for people to just keep their opinion to themselves.
There are many situations in which one's opinion is welcomed. These include topics such as fashion, vacations, pets, gift buying, restaurants, movies and other forms of entertainment. Recently, however, I've realized how much people cross the line in giving unsolicited advice. For an example that is near and dear to our own hearts, several commentators and reporters have spoken of the need for Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno to retire. As far as I know Coach Paterno never asked anyone's opinion concerning his career. At 83 years old, Paterno still seems to be one of the best coaches in college football. And, if Penn State is satisfied with him, is it anyone else's business whether he continues on as a coach no matter his age? Many might believe they have a justifiable excuse for "butting in" so to speak. That is if they don't say something this person will make a major life mistake. Even if this is true, is it not one's right to do with their life what they wish? If they are open to another's opinion, they will ask for it. And truthfully, if they haven't asked for an opinion, they are probably bound and determined to do or not do whatever it is you wish to give advice on. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule such as if one is self-destructing. Yet, even in this circumstance, one's advice can only go as far as the individual is willing to receive it.
Yes I understand you will sneer at me and say opinions are different than standing up for someone. I know but what good did those people do that stood in the bakery and fought with the owner. The people that were most effective were the people that said nothing and just simply left the business with OUT patronizing the store. There was no need for the people to stand and argue with the store owner causing a ruckus. Yes you may say you are taking a stand for what you believe in and exercising your free speech rights but just remember that we all were not raised to inject our opinion into everything and are not doing so today.
I believe there is a problem with people assuming or deciding that it is simply not their place, when discussing race, or intervening in a race related issue. Political correctness has become so absurd across the world that in some case it is creating a barrier towards racial assimilation. Many are so cautious of how they will come across to someone of a different race, that they feel more comfortable to simply 'stick to their own' and 'stick to what they know'. Once poeple start to feel comfortable when expressing their opinions on race, and when we decide it is our place to comment regardless of the involvement of race, maybe then we will start to break down some of the imaginary barriers that exist in today's racial discourse.
I would have to disagree with the person that said it is not out place to say something. I know that if they were me I would have absolutely said something to the bakery owner. Until that video, I had never really realized how many bystanders there really are in these types of situations. So many people probably just stand around idle while another person is being treated unfairly. That can’t be right. I would hope that if I were in this type of situation someone would stick up and help me out. So I would do the same thing for another person. Fair is fair and I do not really think anyone should be discriminated against just because they are a different race or ethnicity. One of my very good friends is a Muslim. She doesn’t wear a turban or anything like that but I know that if I saw someone discriminating against her I would have to stick up for her. And I know that if I were ever being discriminated against she would have my back in a heartbeat. Luckily back home she doesn’t experience anything like the Muslim girl in the video. Maybe it is just me, but I don’t feel like I could just stand there. I read in an earlier post about someone saying they would look at the danger of the situation before speaking up. I can understand this. They used an example of a person threatening to shoot another person because of their race. I maybe wouldn’t flat out start screaming at the shooter in this situation, but I know that I would DO something. How can people just stand around while another person is being treated so unfairly? I think the bystanders really are a huge part of the whole discrimination problem. If people are not willing to stick up for others, or help everyone to be treated fairly how can we expect to move forward. If people can stare at such blatant wrong doing to this poor Muslim girl and do nothing how can people hope to get past race. Everyone needs to work together to move forward and if so many people are willing to do absolutely nothing moving forward is never going to happen. I understand that some people might be shy or afraid. But at some point people have to look beyond that. No one would want to be in that Muslim girl’s position, and just because they aren’t, does not mean that they should not help the people that are. Kind of like, it’s not me, it’s not my problem. That’s what wrong with society. It is everyone’s problem. Everyone has to come together if we every want to live in a fair and equal place.
I believe that the class was very interesting and that it really opened up everyone's eyes. The experiment that the actors performed in the bakery was very well conducted and I think that it gave very accurate results. The kind of racism that was shown towards the muslim woman does really exist and if anyone had doubts about that, then well, after watching that video, shouldn't. But it was nice to know that a considerable amount of people stood up for her. Although there were a number of people who stood up for her, and a number who stood against her, the majority of people were ones who did or said nothing and just went about going on with their lives. Even though I believe that if the actor was a muslim man instead of a muslim woman, the number of people standing up against him would have been relatively higher, the majority of people would have still been the ones who chose to not take a side. And according to people of color, or people who struggle with racism such as the muslim woman in the video, that seems to be a problem.
Majority of the people who face racism, or have faced racism in the past, or even a lot of people who haven't/don't, believe that one of the most major problems is people making comments like "it is not my place", people who do not take a stand. Or simply put, people who do not choose a side. A lot of people find it offensive when others choose to remain silent and say "it is not my place to say" etc. They would rather them choose a side, even if it's when they decide to be against them rather than with them.
It is a popular belief that a lot of problems caused in the States is because the people are very reactive, and not proactive. That they do not take action, do not try to solve a problem, until that problem is right on top of them and it is often too late to do anything about it. They often leave it, or ignore it, until it directly affects them or someone they know or love or care about.
It is no wonder that is why a lot of people outside the States, or the immigrants in the States, believe that Americans do not care about other people, and that they only care about their own problems. It is also why they think that white people are racists because a lot of them would just rather stand watch unjust things happen than to take a stand and make a move. I believe that it is time for them to start being proactive rather than reactive and take a side rather than just saying "it is not my place".
This question really made me think to be honest. If I were to walk into that store or in any situation what would I do? Personally, I think it is situational based on danger of my own life.
Let’s go back to Elementary school. Our teachers would tell us that if there was a bully that we should tell on them. Now I do not know about you but I was always in fear of getting my ass kicked by the bully for being a snitch. I would tell the teacher but I would make sure it was well hidden and no would know who told on the bully.
Now to high school, oh high school, what a great time. I was involved in a lot and one of the clubs I was a peer leader. Now in this club, my job was to mediate students who had issues with each other and teach freshman ways of resolving conflicts. This was all happy zippidity doo-dah in high school land, but I know in the real world if it was a dangerous situation, “just say no” might not always work.
Here comes college, I was starting to grow up as I entered Penn State and up until now realize that if there was a situation in which someone was being harassed, I would stick up for them, but to be honest if it was a dangerous situation, this may not be the case. Yes the double sword of a dangerous situation. Please write back if you disagree, but if someone is holding a gun to someone else and you could get hurt would you say something? I do not know what I would do, I feel like it would be in that moment I would have to decide.
The video we watched in class was a whole other story. Someone was being prejudiced against. I was brought up with the value and belief to stand up for what I believe in. I believe that no one should be discriminated against. If I saw that owner being rude to the Muslim girl, I would definitely say something especially because there was no immediate danger. The look on her face of sadness and being ashamed should not have to be on anyone’s face in this day and age.
So anyway my point is a little foggy. I would stand up for my beliefs and I would help someone in need, but if I was in direct danger I might have to back off. I would look out for my safety because yes it is right to help someone out, but at the cost of my life? I do not know. So to your question, I was not raised to be quiet and not speak my beliefs, but I do not think my dad would say “yes definitely help someone whose being held at gunpoint by yelling at the shooter”. I may call the authorities or when we were younger tell the teacher though. Basically I understand where the kid was coming from but not in the video situation. They were right to stick up for the Muslim girl.
I think that I would hope that is someone was being treated that cruelly people would know they should say something. There are some situations that people should maybe keep to themselves, but not one like this. I think that there are other factors to that story, I think that it depends on where in the US it was filmed, people in different regions of the US are very different. I agree with the person about that says that a lot of time when people are not quite so politically correct and are honest it shows almost that they don't really care about race, which sounds like an odd concept, but its that really what we want-people to no longer SEE race?
This is an interesting subject. It's not my place, when is it my place? Our country is founded on standing up for ourselves, for what is right, as we did to the British. We have a righteous responsibility instilled in us. Of course we had slavery then too, so we have a biased righteousness. With this history of slavery, even though we admit that we are not a racist country still, we are. Just as independence and liberty are written in our history, privilege is as well. If we are being treated fairly, and our family is being treated fairly, why worry about a stranger? This is the reason for the answer given in class that it's "not my place". We know it's wrong, but we have become too damn apathetic and self-centered to do anything about it. Having visited other countries, I think it is safe to say that we are a pretty introverted bunch. In Italy, people acknowledge each other, good or bad. We simply ignore one another. I don't know if it's because we're afraid of each other or what. Our general attitude towards strangers is that they are…strangers. Strangers are bad, that is what we have always been taught. We don't help others because we don't know them. It is is not right, but it is the truth. It should be our place though. This is the reason I think we have fallen into our poor economic situation. We want others to take care of it. We trusted others with our money, and they used it irresponsibly. We still seem not to care much though. Without turning this into a current events/economic response, it is not our place because we are afraid to reach out to one another.
Racism is created out of this fear. We don't know each other, we draw negative conclusions, fear, anger and other negative feelings arise, and racism is created. It is hard to deal with one another after this. It 'may not be our place' because we're afraid to do what is right. I think that we are all inherently good people, I really do. Fear, anger, etc. all develop from ignorance. Once we know more, maybe by becoming friends with those who are a different skin color than us, or after taking a sociology class, we start to see though this ignorance. We are all 99.99% alike, right? We have to be experiencing, seeing, and feeling some sort of similarities. It is always our place, because we all know the truth. Racism, sexism, etc. are all wrong and if we see wrongdoings, we should intervene. I believe we are headed in the right direction though. We have a half black president, only 150 after slavery was outlawed. If we keep speaking up for what is right, we will all become closer to the truth.
The people who say that it isn't their place to say anything or do anything are either afraid of what could happen to or they really don't think that anything they do will help. Which I believe is quite understandable because I mean people can just go into shock and mean well but they just cannot do anything about it. However, those people that just would not do anything at all because for the simple fact that they believe it is none of their business are just fools and inconsiderate. They have no understanding of what it feels like to be in a traumatic situation and therefore feel no need to help or a desire to help. If the script was flipped and they were in a dangerous situation and there were people all around them not doing a single thing about it, I think they would be highly upset that no one took action. Unfortunately those are the people that would say such a statement like that because they do not learn or choose not to understand things unless it involves them. Selfish is the word to describe them.
I can only understand those people who say that it is not their place because of fear for their own lives or that they do not know what to do and go into a shock like state and cant do anything anyway. For instance I would not say that it is not my place however I am not sure what I would do. I would like to think that I would do something about it but it is hard to say because I have never been in that situation. I honestly think I would go into complete shock and not do anything but then again I do not know.
I really enjoyed this class because it being out the selfish part of people and how far that concern for them can actually go. In this case it would be so far as to watch people getting hurt or the high possibility of them getting hurt. I have read stories in the newspaper where victims have been murdered and there were several witnesses around and not one did a single thing about until AFTER the event. And honestly I guess that is better than not doing anything at all. But in all reality if you could live with yourself after seeing something of that caliber and not doing anything about it, says a lot about the person you are. So as for those who, like I stated before, would not doing anything because they feel that it is none of their business really need to re-think that. Re-evaluate the things you believe in and the morals you have, and most of all question yourself as to why you like as though it isn't your place to do anything.
This class is definitely eye opening and by far my favorite class this semester. This specific lecture was so profoundly interesting that the rest of the lectures can be horrible and this class will still be great. I was shock at how many people didn’t speak up for the Muslim woman and shocked by the number of people who agreed with the bakery owner when he denied the woman service. I would like to think if I encountered such a scene that I would be one of the few who did say something in the woman’s behalf, but the truth is I don’t actually know if I would or not. I don’t say that to be rude or prejudice in anyway, it is just the blunt honest truth. I have been in stores where white men won’t sell their goods to Mexicans, and, while I think it is wrong of the white store owners, I have never spoken up on the Mexican’s behalf. Every time I saw this happen I was still young and didn’t really think I was allowed to tell an adult how to act, but now that I have grown up I realize I can speak up and tell the owners what they are doing is wrong and disrespectful, let alone un-American. ( to be continued)…
I do see where the student who said it isn’t his place to say anything is coming from though. It is not his store or him being harassed, so I could see why someone would think they shouldn’t get involved. This being said, I feel like if every one were to take that approach then there would no human rights and race relations would go down the drain. Letting things like the scenario in the video go is a step backward. We have freedom of speech and I think we are all born and raised with enough educate to no when something in politically and morally wrong, and therefore, we should take the initiative and speak up in behalf of the discriminated. Whether it is a man, woman, black, brown, white, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or nudist, they should all have the same rights to be treated the same as human beings with the courtesy and respect they deserve. (to be continued)…
I think that if this scenario were real and more people would have spoke up in the woman’s behalf, then the clerk would have backed down. I think this because most people do and say racist things to be approved by the people surrounding them, so if more people didn’t like what he was doing and saying then he would have stopped in order to gain the respect of the non-racists. After seeing this video I know I will always try to speak up for someone being discriminated against because it shows you are a good person and you know right from wrong.
I don’t believe people should think they don’t have the right to say something because it isn’t their place. There are a lot of people who unfortunately can’t or don’t have the opportunity to speak for themselves. I can only imagine that if anyone was put in the position where they were being restricted because of their race, someone would come to their rescue. It isn’t fair that in today’s society people are still being discriminated against according to their race. If they can’t even go out in public and be treated the same as everyone else, how are they supposed to feel equal to the rest of society. I also feel that the general public needs to make others aware that this behavior is something that we simply do not stand for. If someone hears something prejudice being said, they need to take appropriate action. If no one says anything, people will just assume that what they are saying is okay. Personally, I know that if I were in a situation like the one in the video, I would say something.
There were no excuses for people not to say anything at all. I do believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion but agreeing with someone who blatantly is acting arrogant and against the law, is simply not right. It’s just as bad not to say anything at all. By being silent, it’s almost as if you’re agreeing with the statements being said. The only people that acted the right way in the situation were those that stuck up with the young woman. It’s really troubling hat a majority of the costumers had nothing to say. I don’t necessarily believe that they didn’t have an opinion, but that they were miscued by the ways today’s society works. People are afraid to go against the norm of what others say because they don’t want to seem to “radical.”
People believe that if they form an opinion they are subjected to ridicule. They would rather not say anything at all then have their opinion be tested. It almost seems impossible to me that people could actually keep silent during the owner and women’s conversation. I don’t believe in the actuality in saying that it isn’t their “place” to say anything. I’m sure if something of the same nature was going on in a public place, most people would have the common knowledge to help stop it. Discrimination should have no boundaries; it shouldn’t matter if a conversation of this kind of nature took place on a public street or in a private home. No one should be discriminated against just because of their race. It’s our duty as a part of mankind to make sure everyone gets treated fairly.
I totally agree with the two videos above. How could you see such a situation blatantly happen right in front of your very own eyes and not let it affect you? The video with the Muslim girl highly disturbed me. As much as I respect the people who stepped up for the lady, I did not think the people who did not budge would get me so upset, ever. Whether or not you are taught to keep away from other people’s business at home, come on seriously, can people not think for themselves? Do you have no conscience?
I am Indian, lived amongst all kinds of religion and color all my life. Terrorist groups always tried to threaten our safety, bomb scares still lie vivid in my mind, temple riots were common, headlines of burning churches are familiar, that’s when I started to question religion. I came to an understanding that organized religion gave people a guide to a lifestyle of what was right or wrong; the core central values are all pretty much the same in my book. But man definitely used it to make his mark and conquer nations. And I do not feel threatened by any of them in particular. It does not matter if you are white, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, black or brown, in every area there are nice people and then they are the crazies. It does not matter where you come from; we are all human and should treat each other with respect. Nothing makes anyone better than the others and your life is not more valuable than the person next to you. It’s utterly horrible to see hypocritical or cynical people around you, especially when your friends act in such a manner. I have always, always stepped up for what I knew was unfair. I have lost friends, gone days without interacting but the same ones have always come back to me and told me that I was the one who ever really did care. And I feel good because I did step up for what was right, else I’d be a miserable person with a few too many regrets. I would want my friends to always act as my check and balance system in life. Just because we are college students now and have that freedom to make our own decisions does not mean we are right. We need to step up to that friend no matter what situation and let them know if they are out of line. If someone in my friend circle ever did do something wrongful to someone else, I would let them know not just stick by them. All that does is let them know that they have support in their wrongdoings. People close to you could always be wrong, be it your parents, spouse or friends.
I completely agree with the in my place videos when they questioned how someone could feel like it was not their place or their responsibility to say anything. I, personally, don't understand how you cannot say something when someone else is being wrongly discriminated against or just targeted in general. It is people like this who let the genocide occur that is happening all around the world. Even though they are not the ones who are outright hurting these people, they are also not helping them and standing back, thus in a way condoning the discrimination. Whenever someone says they feel it was not their responsibility I think back to the Holocaust. I am merely bringing this up as a good example of what happens when people do not speak for others and just stand by and watch something happen that they know is wrong. A famous quote written about the Holocaust perfectly describes this situation and the consequences following it. "First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me." This is exactly what happened and what is going on in the world everyday. If no one speaks up for each other than who will be there at the end for us? Something so terrible happened simply because be did not speak up and help. If people band together and do what they know is right I feel a lot can be accomplished. Maybe I am just being an optimist but it is worth a try and if you do not express your beliefs and help others than no one is going to help you out either. The video that was showed in class sadly showed how much discrimination there is in the world, even in America where we are built on the ideals of freedom and equality for all. I was shocked when the one guy actually gave the owner a thumbs up. I guess that is one way to express your opinion, however, even though I definitely feel it was a disgustingly wrong one. Thankfully there were girls who stood up for the Muslim target, and in the Holocaust there too were people who tried to help and spoke up about it being wrong and even risked their own life for hiding Jews. I just think that it is crazy events like this even happen and I do not understand why. I know some people do bad things but there should be enough people to speak outright about it and take action to stop and control these horrific acts.
I agree with the two responses, when is it our time? And I say are time is ALWAYS. When ever an unjust is being done we all have the right to act PERIOD. I feel that is our place or anyone’s place. I feel like everyone has a moral obligation do help everyone, maybe I have that “tree hugger” mentality but I believe we as a individual and a country should help other places. Standing by watching things happen is worse than stepping forth and helping someone. This is why Haiti is in the place that it is now. I understand there are laws treaties and what not that stop us from helping some of these people but, I think we should ignore stuff like that. Yes the United States was giving Haiti millions of dollars, but it was not getting to where it needed to go. And now since the earth has happened it is a disaster, the worst in the western hemisphere, and that should not have been. If our government would have went in and cut short all the corruptness that was going on the people of Haiti would have been doing better, they would not be the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. That is my prospective on a more global scale. Not domestically if we raise each other instead of waiting for each other to fall, then very few would fall. In America first off we are a very competitive society. Some individual’s main objective is to keep other people down the “king of the mountain” example that Sam gave us in class. I can not sit here and say that I have not felt that is was not my place in some instances, I mean we all have, but that is exactly why the holocaust happened, and over six million Jewish people were murdered. What would you say as a woman or a man being abused as a child, wife, or husband if your neighbors said that IT IS NOT THEIR PLACE, I would have felt like everyone turned their back on me. What if GOD turned his back on us or ALLAH or, JEHOVAH? What would we do, could we be upset? The people who feel like it is not their place need to watch the LEGION good example of what I am talking about. Think to yourself would you really sit there and not stand up for someone; because if your answer is no, I shame you. I am I firm believer of karma and there will be one day when you stand before who ever and they will judge you on your life, and that may be the deciding factor if you enter the kingdom of heaven. I am not saying that we all have to be life warriors and go save everyone from all the evil people (unless you are in the peace core ) but if we are seeing a wrong or an unjust action being done we have a right to stop it period point blank! No excuses because always remember nobody stood up for Jesus; and we need to ask ourselves do we want to be like those people?
I think that we all have the right to what sort of actions that we wish to take. I do feel, however, that we have a responsibility to look out for others and their safety and well being. We cannot stand aside and just let injustices go on. We would be upset if our rights were violated and no one was there to back us up. So why leave someone to fend for themselves when they should not be subjected to such harsh treatment? I am pretty sure that we can make a difference with a few choice words. It means so much to a person if you lend out a helping hand and stand up for them.
I understand both points of view. Sometimes people do not feel as if it is there place to say something. Some times people do not want to involve themselves in any altercations. I definitely think it depends on the circumstances as well. Some times when you involve yourself in other people’s business, you suffer as with that person and some people don’t feel like it is worth the hassle. In every situation, there are the people who risk it all to gain victory whether it is equality or something specific and then there are those who just sit back and will say nothing at all. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and to express that opinion or not.
I agree with what you have stated. When I try to relate to a situation that occurs like that I try to put myself in the situation of the victim. If I was a victim of racism and there with strangers who witnessed it occur. I would hope that they would stand up to the person who is clearly wrong and put them in their place. But I can understand why people wouldn't say anything like you said they might feel like it isn't their place to get in someone else's business. But that is where we as an Americans need to change.
I think we need to be careful saying that this is our place and that people need to speak up and take action, as the consequences of this can be quite undesirable. I agree with what the person in class said probably more than most other people because I do think there is a certain level of internal respect you have to have for other people’s disputes. A person that spent a grand total of 2 minutes inside the store does not need to speak out and butt into an argument that they may not have an entire grasp on (and potentially misunderstood). On the other hand, if a person has seen the argument from the beginning and knows of the exact details, they more rightfully can address the participants with their own beliefs.
When I listened to both videos it appears that they are saying they don’t understand when people say it is not your place why don’t you step up and say something anyways. I agree and disagree with these statements and I know I am on the fence about this but I believe there is a time and a place for everything. First off as to why I agree, we need to make our voices heard more often, that is a given. I believe we are scared to say something and someone else take offense to it and then it lead to and argument. You cant be afraid of what others will say to you, you just have to go out there and make your voice heard. If we all stay silent nothing changes and were at square one with the topic of conversation. We always talk about change in our country but without saying anything people will assume that everything is all good. When you assume you make an ass out of you and me so don’t assume anything be proactive about the topic not reactive. I can also see why others do not say anything and I think there are two main reasons for this. 1 people are scarred to stand up sometimes in a crowd or a situation that doesn’t involve them and stir up controversy. A lot of people tend to stay in the dark because they feel safe there, I do it sometimes I am not afraid to admit that. We feel as if we step into something that is heated we may add to tension in the topic and cause it to get more heated and lead to something greater than words. Pretend you see two people about to get into a bar fight, you want to say something so it doesn’t happen, but then you think well if I say something what if someone will take a punch at me because they thought I was interfering. We are all afraid to step up because sometimes that leads to consequences we do not want to deal with. The other reason besides people being scared is that a lot of people are not educated enough on the topics at hand to say something. I know if I do not know what is going on, I stay out of it because I do not want to sound like an idiot or corrupt someone’s view who is probably right. There are so many issues in the world it is hard to get educated on all of them and if someone feels like jumping in that’s fine, but you better know what you are talking about otherwise you are going to look like an ass.
When the kid commented during class that he would move on with his day without saying anything, I really didn’t know what to think at first. I guess it kind of shocked me that somebody would feel that way about what was happening to the woman. If I remember correctly, the class as a whole reacted the way I did, too, so I know I wasn’t alone with my surprise. Even though the simple and correct reaction to me would be to stand up for the woman who was being verbally attacked, I can (very slightly) understand why some people wouldn’t do anything about it. It’s normal for people to want to avoid confrontation. Standing up for somebody else means you risk creating a bigger scene or risk being attacked yourself, and nobody enjoys being in that position I’m sure. It’s a lot like stories you may hear about an abusive parent, when that parent tends to focus his/her aggression on one child more than the other. There may be one child who isn’t getting the worse end of the abuse but may be too afraid to stand up for the sibling who is abused no matter how badly they want to help them out. When you think about that scenario, it may be hard to imagine what you would do if a stranger is the one in need of your help. Of course it is hard to compare the two, since one is physical abuse and the other is verbal, but not everybody has the courage to put others before themselves. I want to believe I would take the high road, and most people are probably the same. We may think it’s bogus for somebody to say how much of a hero they would be, but if we imagine ourselves in a scenario like this, then, in our heads, we would not hesitate to take action and stand up for the woman who is being treated so unfairly. Who really knows how they would react until a situation like this really happens.
Even so, it’s very weird that he would say he wouldn’t do anything in the bakery because his parents brought him up not to be disrespectful; and he thinks he backs up his position by saying it’s not his store. It’s like he believes it’s okay for people to say whatever they want and serve whoever they want if it’s their property. It isn’t okay. Discrimination has to be everybody’s business. If your parents brought you up to be respectful, then I’m sure that they also taught you to treat everybody fairly. And when you see somebody treat another person unfairly, then it’s your job to point that out and do something about it, even if it’s showing quiet but clear support for the victim rather than doing nothing at all.
I feel like all of us will have a long lists if people gave us the chance to say what we really believe. Since i have always held what I felt back. After seeing the above video, i realized that I have alot of issues. The first that I would like to address would be inequality of education among minorites. As a student growing up attending an inner-city Philadelphia school, I realized that education was not valued to the same degree as in the suburban areas. The inequality of education is a problem in areas with large minority populations and the solutions to this problem are the school budget, the qualifications of teachers and also the schools teaching Curriculum.
Every child is usually taught to take advantage of education because although the opportunity to learn is there it will not be handed to them. Unfortunately, it is not always equal. There are differences in test scores in suburban schools and public schools” and this is often reflected on how minorities are rated by the colleges.The quality of education each school offers students varies a great deal also. It has been stated that “often it is not the fault of the students, nor is it the fault of the teachers, but it is the lack of money provided to support the system.
Also it is the poor curriculum and often the lack of qualifications for some teachers. If all schools have one purpose, one goal, and a body of students that wants to attend and learn, then they should all share one mission and be taught in the same way. Inner-city schools are treated differently than those of better economic areas. However, the importance is not to identify the problems, but instead lies in finding solutions. My own experience is that some teachers are only in front of the class for a paycheck, not for the best interest of the students. Many have no passion to teach. If we had better teachers to teach the curriculum, and offered tutoring after class hours, the test scores should go up and students everywhere would gain the education they deserve.
Inner city students deserve the same education rights as students at suburban schools. Having a more fair budget, better curriculum and better qualified teachers in inner city schools would really help inner city students excel and motivate them to want to achieve greater things than are expected of them. Allowing students to understand that no matter where they are from they can become somebody great is the most important lesson of all for schools to teach.
i am kind of on the fence with this one because i really agree with both sides. i definitely see how you could think that how could you not do something and explain to him that what he is doing is wrong. but i also can see the other side because it is his store and he has the right. when she talks about freedom, well he has the freedom to refuse anyone the right to buy something at his store, it might be really wrong but not still his right. and if someone is like that, your not going to say or do anything to change a crazy mind like that, so the only thing i feel really strong is that its wrong
When do we speak our minds and step up? These questions cross our minds whenever we see injustice. We can feel peer pressure to remain silent. Sayings like “If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing” encourages us to not step on toes. However, sometimes we must stand up and step on toes for the greater good. For example telling a friend they are completely wrong and ignorant for their racist comments isn’t nice, but it is necessary to open their eyes. We will not always step up, sometimes we will walk away and let it go. We might even create excuses in our head about why we did not step in. The woman that was refused service in the store was a great injustice. The people that walked away and did not say anything or simply continued on with their business probably made up excuses in their head. They were probably like the kid in class that said they were raised to mind their own business. However, how wrong must something be for them to step in. Hitler thrived on the silence of regular German citizens. For the most part they ignored the situation and did nothing to try to stop it. Silence can encourage injustice just as much as support does. We must step up because an injustice, even if it is small, is hurting another person. We must recognize that our voices could make a difference. It is spring break and I was in Philly last night. I went to a comedy club and my friend and I were the only white people there. The comedian started to make fun of us. He continued to make comments throughout the show and as another comment was directed at us and I sunk a little deeper into my chair, a women stood up. She scolded the comedian for his remarks. She walked over and patted me on the shoulder then walked out. The comedian turned that into a joke, but slinked off the stage quickly after. We thanked the woman, but all she could say was sorry I took so long. This woman made me realize that even something as small as a joke hurt my feelings. The fact that someone stood up for me made it so much better. Obviously, black and brown people encounter this situation much more often and hear jokes and comments all the time. I know have a better understanding that words can hurt and I will never ignore situations like this again. When I am deciding on if I should ignore something or speak up, I have every intention of telling someone how I feel. I can truly make the difference in the way a person would leave a situation.
I would have to say that I agree and disagree with these comments. It is definitely hard to know when it is the right place and time to say something. On one side of the situation, when racism is so evident to the point that it is demeaning to a group or an individual person, people need to learn to speak up. I think of the video of the Muslim woman that we watched in class. In this sort of situation I feel that the right thing would definitely be to stand up for her. When people are deliberately discriminating against a person or group of people, other people are needed to stand up for what is right. I personally have never dealt with any severe form of discrimination first hand, but I could only imagine how hard it is to stand up for yourself after being knocked down so hard. I know that there are so many times when I am so utterly upset and hysterical that I can't even get the words out of my mouth to say what I am feeling. This is probably what it feels like if you are being discriminated against. I many cases, it is too difficult to stand up for yourself and this is why other people need to learn that this would be the right time to speak up in defense of others. Even though many people may feel that this is not their place to be "butting in" to a situation that does not directly involve themselves, it really is. The person being discriminated against will be extremely thankful in the end. It is a great feeling when someone defends your honor. I also see the other side of the situation. Like myself, there are so many shy people in this world. In many cases people find it extremely difficult to stand up for themselves, let alone for others. So many people are brought up to keep to themselves and to not "butt in" to other people's business. If you think about it, there are definitely many situations in which this would be a good philosophy. I know there have been so many times that I wish my parents did not involve themselves in my issues. I know this doesn't compare to something like racial discrimination, but it definitely applies. People may not want to put themselves in danger by standing up for someone else. You never know where violence can come in to play and so many people are so fearful of what others may take to the situation. Overall, it is extremely hard to decipher when to step in and when to keep to yourself. Although standing up for someone may be admirable, there are definitely times when it is not appropriate to involve yourself in the business of others.
I personally feel that it is always our place to say something. I understand that some people feel that if they are not being harmed or upset there is no reason to say something in a tricky situation but I disagree. The clip about the Muslim women truly upset me. I do not understand how people can not be affected by that situation and want to say something to help a innocent girl being attacked in public. I think that the video really opened up peoples eyes to see that minorities are targeted in daily life even though we do not see it going on, it still happens to innocent people who do not deserve to be hated. ..January 22
One mentioned about free speech so I will talk about it. Because we have these great constitutional shields, Bills of Rights, we can exercise these rights and Free Speech is one of them in the First Amendment. Yes, you are right. We can say whatever we want because we have freedom. However, in the video, there were two conditions that must be considered. The first is that the clerk actually denied the service based on the race. The second is that the statement made by the clerk was over-generalized. It is absolutely free to have perceptions on a certain group of people but those combined conditions made this situation problematic.
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It's not that I strongly disagree with that one student's comment, it's just that I would not want to simply walk away from such a strong situation as exposed in that video. I have come across racist acts numerous times in my life, but this video with the muslim girl definitely affected me. I was honestly sitting there watching the video and it almost brought me to tears. Just seeing the thirteen people standing up for the girl really hit home for me. In particular, I really respected the one white man whose son just came back from fighting in Iraq. He was fighting for this girl and you can tell how strongly he felt towards the situation. On the other hand, those six by-standers who actually agreed with the man behind the counter at least had something to say. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and every person obviously has to feel a certain way towards a situation. This poor innocent girl simply walked into the bakery, and although it was all staged, I found it very very intriguing to actually witness what the nineteen people who spoke up had to say. As for the twenty- two others, I guess we will never know what they had to say since they did not speak up and either take a stand for the girl or bash on her along with the servers. To see such a terrible act of racism in a local neighborhood bakery would definitely put me in a state of shock. To witness an act so horrible and cruel would obviously put me into an uneasy position. I am an Asian American and I can say that I have been mistaken as all other Asian races other than my own. I'm Filipino and I don't know how many times I walk into a restaurant and people tell me to "go back to my nail salon" or "cook some pork fried rice" for them. Honestly? I cannot believe there are people like that actually still exist. Going back to the video, I can say that I do feel that those twenty-two people should have said something and not let something like that go lightly. To see a conversation so unjust would definitely make me frustrated and upset. To refuse the right to serve someone simply by her articles of clothing or her religion is not right. If I were in that bakery witnessing a conversation like that, I would definitely take a stand for that girl. Even though we do not see "every American" dressed the way that she was, that does not make her any different than the rest of us. I also strongly despise the fact that in real life she gets teased and taunted in school and that her peers don't acknowledge her as an "American" but as a "terrorist". These acts are wrong and unjust and should not be ignored by society.
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I agree that the general population will not care until it happens to them. It is hard to be aware or care for a situation that directly does not involve you, but does indirectly involve you. When you stand by and do nothing the situation involves you because you are a witness to what has or will happen. People may feel as if it is not there place to speak about a problem that does not effect them, but eventually someone has to stand up and say something. Personally I do not know how I will approach a situation like the video that was shown in class where the young lady who was Muslim was discriminated against to that extreme. I have been in situations were someone was not being treated with the respect they should be treated with and I stepped in to defend the person who was being wronged because it was unfair treatment.
Everyday millions of people ignore the problems in the modern day world, I admit that I too sometimes am wrapped up in my own problems and world to not necessarily notice the bigger picture. This class is opening my eyes more and more about paying attention to someone else besides yourself. As an American I do see problems here, but not like problems that are found around the world and it is our place to take action to at least attempt to make an effort to assist someone else besides ourselves. Everyone has their individual problems but I want to try to look outside of myself to see the bigger picture that is the world. It is my place to help others, and stand for something bigger or at least try to find out more information about what events happen in the world.
Everyone has a place to know what is going on in other countries. There are major problems in the world that many people such as myself have been blind too or tried to ignore. When these problems reach home it may be to late to deal with. Do you want to be a sex slave, or fear for your life everyday because their is a tyrant in the neighborhood? I do not want to face these problems daily like a lot of people do on a daily basis in many countries. I want to be that person who tries to help or become aware of the outside world. I want to inform myself of the slave made products that I own, even though i never knew that i did until Sam brought it up. I want to inform myself to be able to become aware of ways that i too can help out someone else.
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The whole deal with this "it’s not my place" is all about ethics. Why do people choose to do certain things or not to? So many factors go into this that's it is too much to analyze in just four-hundred and fifty words. Whoever thought of the idea to make the show "What Would You Do?" has done a very good thing. The show challenges people in ways they do not realize. The various scenario's cause you to wonder how you would act in the situation. One thing I do think the show does is gear it to where, in each case, someone should do something that they didn't. With ethics, is it always a wrong thing to go against the norm? Just because most people will do one thing, does that mean someone has to do it that exact way? No. In this case with the Muslim woman, it applies for the most part to doing the right thing and speaking about it. But think about this. Doesn't a person's personality play a big factor in the ethical decisions they make? If someone is shy, you would expect that they most likely would not say anything. Their shyness is behind their "it's not my place" attitude. Yes, the majority of those people did not say anything in the moment, but how do we know whether or not they took further action. Many of them could have spoken out about it to the public. Others could have given an anonymous tip to the police. Though the shows cast told them afterward that it is a set up, they still could have done these things. We as humans have to get out of the "judging a book by its cover" deal. Some of them could have even considered what bad consequences could happen if they said something to the owner. So many factors play into this. If you saw from afar that someone pulled out a gun on a person for no reason, would you really stand up for them and try to stop the person, or would you contemplate helping them out because of the risks involved. Yes, this is pushing it a bit because a gun is a big deal that is a life or death situation, but you get my point. Everyone who thinks that the people who say “it’s not my fault” need to evaluate all the reasons someone would not say something rather than assuming fear inside someone because they didn’t. What is a legit reason why they should care? How will speaking up for that person affect their lives? That is where human compassion and care comes into play. That is missing for many. If it isn’t a loved one who’s being treated wrongly, most just wouldn’t say a word. We have to step out of that boundary of only helping people we know and share our compassion and will to do good for our loved ones with others.
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I agree with the first person the most, as this mindset of Americans, or any person, is accurate. Including myself, I am often oblivious to issues happening in the world. I understood and learned how Europeans mistreated Native Americans but it was more of a history lesson where I now view it as a horrible genocide. Even after we are shown the statistics and what happened to Native Americans, many will still be ignorant to the situation and think its not their place or their fault for what our ancestors did. Even when faced directly with an injustice, such as the people in the store, the majority will still mind their own business. This is an unsettling mindset, because when we have so many horrible injustices happening, only small steps will be taken into resolving the problem until we speak out against them. Having a voice is extremely important. If it wasn't for Martin Luther King Jr. and many other civil rights activists, many would not have realized the injustice in discrimination because of skin color. So in general, when people see injustices committed against others, I think it is important to stand up for the victim, as you would appreciate it if you were in their position. I was put into a position very similar to this one while waiting to get on the bus this weekend. A person in a wheelchair has to get off the bus, so we in the front had to unload for a few minutes while he lowered the ramp. A person outside started making jokes about the person in the wheelchair, and just coming from Soc119, I was rather infuriated while others just stood their and didn't say anything. In the end, I told him to shut the hell up and that he's not funny at all, well, that's the edited version…and his friend told him to be quiet.
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The whole idea regarding not intervening in blatantly discriminatory behavior because it is not “one’s place” is exactly the type of attitude that has been aiding the existence of racism in society for hundreds of years. Now, I’m not ignorant to the risk of intervening in a situation similar to the one that was presented to us in class whereby the store clerk was unashamedly discriminating against the woman of Arab heritage. For example, these people can often have radical views and are radical enough to support their ignorant actions with violence. This store clerk could have pulled out a gun, for example, and attacked the intervening person. However, it is important to note that this reticent behavior when it comes to situations of obvious and extreme discrimination is a major factor in what allows for such behavior to continue taking place.
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I think there are many social situations where it would be unacceptable to say something. While I agree that the scenario we saw in the video was the right place to stand up and say something or walk out, this is the only situation in which Sam’s lecture is relevant. Here is an example I know that everyone will remember: During a speech to Congress Obama was interrupted by one of the members yelling ‘you lie’. While in his opinion, the statement made by Obama was false and he felt it was an injustice that people receive false information- this was not the place or time. In response that congressman was required to publicly apologize and was ridiculed by his opponents as well as the media.
Another situation would be the classroom. When a professor makes a statement that either offends you or you don’t agree with, you can’t interrupt the lecture you have to wait or not say anything. Or when you are the lowest member of a firm, just because you see an injustice does not mean you have the power to impact that situation. Intervening in someone else’s affairs could cost you your job. In the store situation the customer always has the most power, they choose where they spend money and which establishments they recommend. The customers were not only willing to help her, but also had the power to do so.
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I have mixed feelings about the situation that was presented in the video in class. I agree with the people that did not say anything but do disagree about the reason why they might not have had said anything. In certain situations I think it might be better not to say anything, not necessarily for respect but because sometimes it is not your place and it could make it even worse. On the other hand, like the girl said, if you’re not saying anything because you do not want to be disrespectful to people but there is something happening that you think is disrespectful you should be able to say anything. If something is occurring that you do not believe should be going on, then say something. Times where I would not say anything would have to be when I really do not have all the information about the situation. Sometimes putting your input on a situation where you do not have all the facts can cause more of a problem between people. In addition, you do not know who this “racist” person is. They could be a very racist person that could rely on violence. In the video, I admit I would have been the person to just walk out. I do not think I would have bought anything but I would not have said anything either. I know it probably is not the right thing to do but I am also looking out for myself too. I guess that is what everyone else was doing when they walked out. Instead of risking their feelings and well being they left, not thinking about that woman that was being criticized. Maybe next time I am in that situation, I might think twice about who is being hurt and help with a choice of words. It was also fascinating to see people’s reactions to the situation. I do not believe that people would side with the cashier and say he was a real American. What is that? This just shows how many different people and views there are in the United States. You could be a good American by either supporting racism or standing up for it. Also after watching this, I could think of a couple instances where I have seen this happen. I mean they were not as dramatic or out in the open but I have seen instances where different cultures have been the point of interest for racism. This video showed there are different people in the world. There are the people that are considered racists, the people receiving the racism and the spectators. These people can be divided into people doing something to help alleviate racism or walk away.
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It's almost funny that a lot of people are jumping on the person who said it wasn't his place to go and say something. These are the same people in high school who didn't say anything when a "nerd" was getting picked on, but now they vilify someone who says it isn't his place to do something. The nature of a human is the fight or flight mentality. People who say the person who didn't stand up to something that is wrong is right, but not totally. They are right in the fact that either way you should probably take a stance, but are they worse than the people saying they agree with marking out terrorist looking people? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It starts to get annoying when people continue to imply that not doing anything is worse than doing something when it's simply not true. Not doing something against injustice IS BAD, but it's worse than someone vehemently offending another’s culture? get out of my face with that garbage. It's easy to point and say that person didn't do anything so that person is clearly bad. These same people who say that probably haven't been in that position, so it's easy to sway it to their way when they've done nothing themselves. It's this new nature of political correctness bullshit to be honest. To single out people who don't say something is wrong, if not just as wrong as the people saying mean things. I can't believe people in this class are singling out that one comment without taking a look at themselves. Without question a time or two has passed where I haven't done something in a certain situation, and I feel bad that I didn't say something, but to gang up on a person who says I didn't know what to say is insane. My take is these same people won't honestly talk about race, but rather censor themselves to appease others so they don't come off as a racist. It’s just a simple, but complex double standard of the way race and society coincides. What is more disturbing? The person who says nothing, or the person who blasts that person verbally? They are better because they pointed out the fact they didn’t say anything? It’s just hypocrisy at its peak, and only gets bigger and bigger. I’m seeing a lot of these “as Americans we MUST say something,” so it’s all of a sudden the American way to point out when people don’t step up during an injustice? Shit I never got this memo. A lot of Americans are the most un just, and I AM American. People need to reflect on WHY that person is scared to say something instead of the end result of that person not saying something. Trying to intimidate the person more will not help the situation, and actually make the person not want to say anything else. This starts to become a spiral of silence. A spiral of silence is when many people won’t say anything against the majority because they are afraid.
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I agree with the two individuals who left this comment, that issues like this should be our place. I mean if something along the lines of this situation happened to myself, I'm not sure exactly how I would respond. I would like to hope that I would have the courage and heart to stand up to the ignorant person making these rude comments. But when it came down to that exact time who knows how I would act?! I think that if we all thought it wasn't our place nothing would ever get accomplished. I feel that the second book that we had to read for the first exam dealt with this issue. That if we all just sat back and let people have the common stereotypes what would the world come too? If we want to see any of kind of change we ourselves have to make a step to succeed to a change. That might be a clique quote but it is a good quote to live our lives by.
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I think that if any person is going to claim that they are a modern and human citizen of the human race, they need to stand up for injustice of all types. If not one were to stand up for the Muslim woman in the video, she would have felt degraded and disrespected, and we would have all be taking a step BACK in the fight for equality for all persons. We must all be willing to take a risk and make a stand for others. If we continue to support this disconnection we, as humans in general, have from each other, issues like racism and inequality are just going to worsen as we feel we have less in common with each other.
I was so disturbed by the man in the video who gave the cashier thumbs up that my jaw actually dropped and I actually gasped. People like this man are what is holding us back from living in a world of equality and respect for the other human being. How dare one person think that they know a stranger just because of some stereotype probably made up by someone whose never even left the United States.
To those who feel that it’s not their place to stick up for this woman, I say shame on you. The fact that you would directly experience this injustice and not do anything about it shows just how cowardly you are. Also, these people cannot claim to support the advancement of equality for all persons. It is our responsibility as members of the human race to stick up for each other if we ever want to see a world free of discrimination.
I fully support freedom of speech but speech that degrades and humiliates any person on the basis or race, religion, sexuality etc. has no place in modern society. We are all equally allowed to do what ever we would like with our lives including being homosexual, Muslim, Christian, Straight or what ever we would like. And I think that people need to respect not humiliate our differences. If we were all the same we would have no culture and quite a boring world to live in. So I think we all need to take a step back and reevaluate what is important to us. If we find equality to be important them we need to accept the responsibilities that come with this great task. We need to be willing to stand up for complete strangers, not only to help them but also to show those that don’t find equality important that there are many people that disagree and are willing to stand up and fight for what we think is right.
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I feel that these comments reflect a larger issue than simply speaking up for a woman at a bakery. Americans in general are not comfortable stepping out of their comfort zones around strangers, even if its for what they know is right. There are so many examples of this in action, the most drastic of which is the story of the Kitty Genovese in 1964 who was attacked outside her New York home and no one did anything to help her or call 911, even though there were 13 eyewitnesses. The problem stems further than racism, but is important for human compassion as a whole.
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I think the video we watched in class was surprising, I didn’t expect that many people to speak out, and I also didn’t expect people to agree with the cashier. I thought people would just walk away and say nothing. To be honest, I think I would’ve been one of those people that said nothing because I am not brave enough and I don’t have the courage to stand up in a situation like that. I know it’s wrong and that’s why so many problems still exist today because people who witness them don’t say anything, but I really don’t think I would speak up in a situation like that. My family immigrated to the US nine years ago and we settled in New York City, before moving to the US my family lived in a big city too, so most people I see just mind their own business and not care about others. On a daily basis I see people walking by people who obviously look like they need help but no one will stop to help them, some won’t even look at them, they simply walk past them and pretend not to see anything. Sometimes it’s actually encouraged to not get involved in things that are not your business even if you know you will be doing a good deed. I remember a few years ago, my cousin came to visit my family in NYC so he wasn’t familiar with the big city. He went out one night to meet up with his other friends and when he was walking back he saw this woman in a wheel chair and she looked tired and couldn’t roll her own wheelchair anymore, and she was asking people especially men on the street to push her back to her apartment because it was getting dark. No one helped her and some pretended not to see her, so my cousin quickly offered to push her back. When she got back, she would not let my cousin leave, she wanted him to clean her house, cook for her, and grocery shop for her, when my cousin tried to leave, she threatened to call the police, because my cousin wasn’t from the US he doesn’t know the culture so he was really scared. My cousin came back and told us that he would never get involved in another person’s business again. This is just one example, there are many examples I hear from friends and relatives about how it’s actually better to not get involved in other people’s business. Because of all these stories I hear around me, I’ve learned to ignore what’s around me. I realized it’s wrong to do that, and I know I should try to change myself but it’s hard. I totally understand how the Muslim women must’ve felt, I’ve been in similar situation many times because I’m not white and I immigrated here so it’s obvious that I’m not American. Every time when I’m discriminated against in public no one’s ever stood up for me, people just ignore the situation so I am quiet used to it and I don’t expect them to do anything I think it’s my problem and I just have to deal with it. I feel bad for the Muslim women and I agree we should stand up for her but I personally don’t think I can do that because if I say something maybe the cashier will discriminate against me because I’m not white and not American.
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think that both of you are correct. If you feel strongly about something you should stand up for it, especially in the situation the of the Muslim woman in the video. I understand how sometimes people may feel that it is not "their place" to say something because they do not know the person discriminating or the person being discriminated against, but if people do not speak up against what they think is wrong, then we are never going to move forward as a society from where we are today. When watching the video I felt so happy when the people stood up for her, it actually made me smile. The people who just walked out made me angry for a couple reasons. Yes, maybe they were trying to get their point across by not buying anything and leaving, but that did not do anything to actually help the situation. We will never know how they felt. Maybe they were indifferent about the situation, but that is not a good sign. Communication is the first step to making things better. As we learned in our reading, individuals having conversations with one another is the start to making society take a look at racism and discrimination and what can be said and done to begin to fix the problem. It is every one's "place to say something". People need to speak up regardless of if they know the person or not. Why is it that people are not afraid to defend family members or best friends, but as soon as it is a stranger we back away? We need to treat everyone equally, stranger or not, their feelings are still hurt by discriminatory acts. I know there may be a fear of how the person we are defending will react to our rebuttal sometimes, but that is a chance we should be willing to take. We would know in our minds that we did the right thing. The girl in the video who was very angered by what the cashier was saying was speaking her mind because her friend standing next to her was Muslim, just not dressed to show it as the other woman was. What are the odds that she would have spoken up if she had never met her best friend that was there? Don't get me wrong I think that it was great that she defended the woman, but I just wonder what could have happened. Discrimination may not stand out as much now as it did in the past, but we still have a long way to go. The fact that people still refuse to serve and hire certain races, religions, and ethnicities is proof that there is much room for improvement.
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Watching the video the other day in class about the Middle Eastern woman who was being discriminated against brought a question to my attention: would I really, honestly say something? I thought about this for a while and just sitting here, not in the situation, I would say yes, I would say something. But then I also had to think, if I was in the situation at that time, would I actually say something? I am not sure. I agree with the person in class who said he did not feel like it was his place to say something in this situation. Just because he said he did not feel like it was his place doesn’t mean that in the situation, he would not.
Growing up, my parents told me to mind my own business and what other people did was their choice and their business. I have to agree with this statement for a number of reasons. One is being that this is the way I was raised and brought up from a very young age. Secondly, who am I to tell someone that I am right and they are wrong? Third, would I want some random person interfering in my business? No. For example, I was in the store with my boyfriend one day and we got into a fight. The cashier felt it was her duty to interrupt my personal conversation with him and stick up for him, while at the same time asking other customers their opinions! I thought that was extremely rude considering she did not know me or the situation at all. On a more serious note, I have a situation where I could have interfered but did not. I was waiting in a bus station one day when I was about 14-15 years old. I heard yelling coming from a black woman a few feet over. I looked over and she was beating her child, hitting him. At the time, I was scared to say something and honestly, I still would be scared to say something. She was an adult and I was a teenager. I was alone also. Although what she was doing was not right, what could I have said? “Excuse me mam but please do not hit your child”? No, that is not my place. She is the parent, or so I assumed, and I had no connection to the matter. I did not know the situation and although no situation is justifiable to hit a child, I just felt like it was not my place. I absolutely should have said something, to at least try and protect the child but was too scared.
I think that in this situation, everyone should say something because it is standing up for another human being. However, it is not the matter of should we say something but would we say something. Every situation is different and people react in different ways. I would like to think I would say something, but honestly, I am not sure I would.
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I thought the ‘experiment’ we watched about the Muslim woman in a bakery was quite eye-opening and thought-provoking. I agree with both students who posted their opinions about when it is or is not one’s place to say something. I too feel that we should all have the strength and the beliefs to stand up and say something when we see problems of race relations in our society.
Watching that video I tried to imagine what I would have done in the situation. I can admit I am a fairly quiet person and not at all confrontational. I sadly can admit that I would have walked out of the bakery in protest, but I’m not sure if I would have had the courage to actually say something. Although, I was curious if everyone who ‘stood up’ for the woman did so on their own, or if some people piggy-backed off of others’ comments. I think it would be much easier to chime in on something we disagree with rather than being the first to say something. I hope that after watching the video and discussing this here on the blog that I will remember to stand up for race relations, myself, and others in the future.
This past weekend, just a few days after having watched that video in class, I had an experience that I felt was related. On Saturday night (State Patty’s) I was riding the White Loop with a good friend of mine and my boyfriend. My friend Lexi was able to get a seat on the bus, sitting next to a freshman boy from Altoona. My boyfriend and I stood right next to Lexi, practically on top of her since the bus was so crowded and the boy was blatantly hitting on her. After about ten or fifteen minutes of talking with the boy from Altoona, he says something pretty striking. Now, all four of us that were talking were white and the conversation was just between us, but there were plenty of other people and other races around us. Altoona boy, talking about being up at University Park for the first time, says “Yea, I hear the McDonald’s here turns into a N-word hangout at night.” Only, he didn’t say “N-word.” The three of us stared at him and someone managed to say something along the lines of “excuse me?” or “what?” Altoona boy, not picking up on the social clues that what he had said was inappropriate, repeated exactly what he had said: “Yea, I hear the McDonald’s here turns into a nigger hangout at night.”
Now I know this scenario is not the same as the youtube video we saw, and as I have learned from Dr. Mulvey’s book I should not compare these various experiences about race, especially because I have no ethos being white. But we were faced with a situation in which we could confront this guy on what he had said and how we felt about it, or we could just chuckle it off and not worry about it. And I realized how hard and awkward it is to say something. Now, was it not my place to say or do something about what I felt was problematic language and stereotyping because I’m white? I think I have more of the mindset as those who posted these youtube video questions, that as a person (despite what color) we all need to be a part of the solution of bringing peace to race relations. We did say something that night on the bus. I didn’t have the time or the knowledge to explain to this boy why his language is problematic to race relations, but we did have the time to at least state that we did not appreciate his language or statement and that it is problematic in our eyes.
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I understand that you make the argument for free speech and that if someone is being discriminated against that you should stand up for them but not all of us were raised to say or just call out what we think just because we can. I can only speak for myself but I know I was raised under older ideology. I wasn’t raised in the sense that children are supposed to seen but not heard but similar to that. I was taught and still believe to this day that there are lots of places that it is better for people to just keep their opinion to themselves.
There are many situations in which one's opinion is welcomed. These include topics such as fashion, vacations, pets, gift buying, restaurants, movies and other forms of entertainment. Recently, however, I've realized how much people cross the line in giving unsolicited advice. For an example that is near and dear to our own hearts, several commentators and reporters have spoken of the need for Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno to retire. As far as I know Coach Paterno never asked anyone's opinion concerning his career. At 83 years old, Paterno still seems to be one of the best coaches in college football. And, if Penn State is satisfied with him, is it anyone else's business whether he continues on as a coach no matter his age? Many might believe they have a justifiable excuse for "butting in" so to speak. That is if they don't say something this person will make a major life mistake. Even if this is true, is it not one's right to do with their life what they wish? If they are open to another's opinion, they will ask for it. And truthfully, if they haven't asked for an opinion, they are probably bound and determined to do or not do whatever it is you wish to give advice on. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule such as if one is self-destructing. Yet, even in this circumstance, one's advice can only go as far as the individual is willing to receive it.
Yes I understand you will sneer at me and say opinions are different than standing up for someone. I know but what good did those people do that stood in the bakery and fought with the owner. The people that were most effective were the people that said nothing and just simply left the business with OUT patronizing the store. There was no need for the people to stand and argue with the store owner causing a ruckus. Yes you may say you are taking a stand for what you believe in and exercising your free speech rights but just remember that we all were not raised to inject our opinion into everything and are not doing so today.
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I believe there is a problem with people assuming or deciding that it is simply not their place, when discussing race, or intervening in a race related issue. Political correctness has become so absurd across the world that in some case it is creating a barrier towards racial assimilation. Many are so cautious of how they will come across to someone of a different race, that they feel more comfortable to simply 'stick to their own' and 'stick to what they know'. Once poeple start to feel comfortable when expressing their opinions on race, and when we decide it is our place to comment regardless of the involvement of race, maybe then we will start to break down some of the imaginary barriers that exist in today's racial discourse.
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I would have to disagree with the person that said it is not out place to say something. I know that if they were me I would have absolutely said something to the bakery owner. Until that video, I had never really realized how many bystanders there really are in these types of situations. So many people probably just stand around idle while another person is being treated unfairly. That can’t be right. I would hope that if I were in this type of situation someone would stick up and help me out. So I would do the same thing for another person. Fair is fair and I do not really think anyone should be discriminated against just because they are a different race or ethnicity. One of my very good friends is a Muslim. She doesn’t wear a turban or anything like that but I know that if I saw someone discriminating against her I would have to stick up for her. And I know that if I were ever being discriminated against she would have my back in a heartbeat. Luckily back home she doesn’t experience anything like the Muslim girl in the video. Maybe it is just me, but I don’t feel like I could just stand there. I read in an earlier post about someone saying they would look at the danger of the situation before speaking up. I can understand this. They used an example of a person threatening to shoot another person because of their race. I maybe wouldn’t flat out start screaming at the shooter in this situation, but I know that I would DO something. How can people just stand around while another person is being treated so unfairly? I think the bystanders really are a huge part of the whole discrimination problem. If people are not willing to stick up for others, or help everyone to be treated fairly how can we expect to move forward. If people can stare at such blatant wrong doing to this poor Muslim girl and do nothing how can people hope to get past race. Everyone needs to work together to move forward and if so many people are willing to do absolutely nothing moving forward is never going to happen. I understand that some people might be shy or afraid. But at some point people have to look beyond that. No one would want to be in that Muslim girl’s position, and just because they aren’t, does not mean that they should not help the people that are. Kind of like, it’s not me, it’s not my problem. That’s what wrong with society. It is everyone’s problem. Everyone has to come together if we every want to live in a fair and equal place.
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I believe that the class was very interesting and that it really opened up everyone's eyes. The experiment that the actors performed in the bakery was very well conducted and I think that it gave very accurate results. The kind of racism that was shown towards the muslim woman does really exist and if anyone had doubts about that, then well, after watching that video, shouldn't. But it was nice to know that a considerable amount of people stood up for her. Although there were a number of people who stood up for her, and a number who stood against her, the majority of people were ones who did or said nothing and just went about going on with their lives. Even though I believe that if the actor was a muslim man instead of a muslim woman, the number of people standing up against him would have been relatively higher, the majority of people would have still been the ones who chose to not take a side. And according to people of color, or people who struggle with racism such as the muslim woman in the video, that seems to be a problem.
Majority of the people who face racism, or have faced racism in the past, or even a lot of people who haven't/don't, believe that one of the most major problems is people making comments like "it is not my place", people who do not take a stand. Or simply put, people who do not choose a side. A lot of people find it offensive when others choose to remain silent and say "it is not my place to say" etc. They would rather them choose a side, even if it's when they decide to be against them rather than with them.
It is a popular belief that a lot of problems caused in the States is because the people are very reactive, and not proactive. That they do not take action, do not try to solve a problem, until that problem is right on top of them and it is often too late to do anything about it. They often leave it, or ignore it, until it directly affects them or someone they know or love or care about.
It is no wonder that is why a lot of people outside the States, or the immigrants in the States, believe that Americans do not care about other people, and that they only care about their own problems. It is also why they think that white people are racists because a lot of them would just rather stand watch unjust things happen than to take a stand and make a move. I believe that it is time for them to start being proactive rather than reactive and take a side rather than just saying "it is not my place".
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This question really made me think to be honest. If I were to walk into that store or in any situation what would I do? Personally, I think it is situational based on danger of my own life.
Let’s go back to Elementary school. Our teachers would tell us that if there was a bully that we should tell on them. Now I do not know about you but I was always in fear of getting my ass kicked by the bully for being a snitch. I would tell the teacher but I would make sure it was well hidden and no would know who told on the bully.
Now to high school, oh high school, what a great time. I was involved in a lot and one of the clubs I was a peer leader. Now in this club, my job was to mediate students who had issues with each other and teach freshman ways of resolving conflicts. This was all happy zippidity doo-dah in high school land, but I know in the real world if it was a dangerous situation, “just say no” might not always work.
Here comes college, I was starting to grow up as I entered Penn State and up until now realize that if there was a situation in which someone was being harassed, I would stick up for them, but to be honest if it was a dangerous situation, this may not be the case. Yes the double sword of a dangerous situation. Please write back if you disagree, but if someone is holding a gun to someone else and you could get hurt would you say something? I do not know what I would do, I feel like it would be in that moment I would have to decide.
The video we watched in class was a whole other story. Someone was being prejudiced against. I was brought up with the value and belief to stand up for what I believe in. I believe that no one should be discriminated against. If I saw that owner being rude to the Muslim girl, I would definitely say something especially because there was no immediate danger. The look on her face of sadness and being ashamed should not have to be on anyone’s face in this day and age.
So anyway my point is a little foggy. I would stand up for my beliefs and I would help someone in need, but if I was in direct danger I might have to back off. I would look out for my safety because yes it is right to help someone out, but at the cost of my life? I do not know. So to your question, I was not raised to be quiet and not speak my beliefs, but I do not think my dad would say “yes definitely help someone whose being held at gunpoint by yelling at the shooter”. I may call the authorities or when we were younger tell the teacher though. Basically I understand where the kid was coming from but not in the video situation. They were right to stick up for the Muslim girl.
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I think that I would hope that is someone was being treated that cruelly people would know they should say something. There are some situations that people should maybe keep to themselves, but not one like this. I think that there are other factors to that story, I think that it depends on where in the US it was filmed, people in different regions of the US are very different. I agree with the person about that says that a lot of time when people are not quite so politically correct and are honest it shows almost that they don't really care about race, which sounds like an odd concept, but its that really what we want-people to no longer SEE race?
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This is an interesting subject. It's not my place, when is it my place? Our country is founded on standing up for ourselves, for what is right, as we did to the British. We have a righteous responsibility instilled in us. Of course we had slavery then too, so we have a biased righteousness. With this history of slavery, even though we admit that we are not a racist country still, we are. Just as independence and liberty are written in our history, privilege is as well. If we are being treated fairly, and our family is being treated fairly, why worry about a stranger? This is the reason for the answer given in class that it's "not my place". We know it's wrong, but we have become too damn apathetic and self-centered to do anything about it. Having visited other countries, I think it is safe to say that we are a pretty introverted bunch. In Italy, people acknowledge each other, good or bad. We simply ignore one another. I don't know if it's because we're afraid of each other or what. Our general attitude towards strangers is that they are…strangers. Strangers are bad, that is what we have always been taught. We don't help others because we don't know them. It is is not right, but it is the truth. It should be our place though. This is the reason I think we have fallen into our poor economic situation. We want others to take care of it. We trusted others with our money, and they used it irresponsibly. We still seem not to care much though. Without turning this into a current events/economic response, it is not our place because we are afraid to reach out to one another.
Racism is created out of this fear. We don't know each other, we draw negative conclusions, fear, anger and other negative feelings arise, and racism is created. It is hard to deal with one another after this. It 'may not be our place' because we're afraid to do what is right. I think that we are all inherently good people, I really do. Fear, anger, etc. all develop from ignorance. Once we know more, maybe by becoming friends with those who are a different skin color than us, or after taking a sociology class, we start to see though this ignorance. We are all 99.99% alike, right? We have to be experiencing, seeing, and feeling some sort of similarities. It is always our place, because we all know the truth. Racism, sexism, etc. are all wrong and if we see wrongdoings, we should intervene. I believe we are headed in the right direction though. We have a half black president, only 150 after slavery was outlawed. If we keep speaking up for what is right, we will all become closer to the truth.
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The people who say that it isn't their place to say anything or do anything are either afraid of what could happen to or they really don't think that anything they do will help. Which I believe is quite understandable because I mean people can just go into shock and mean well but they just cannot do anything about it. However, those people that just would not do anything at all because for the simple fact that they believe it is none of their business are just fools and inconsiderate. They have no understanding of what it feels like to be in a traumatic situation and therefore feel no need to help or a desire to help. If the script was flipped and they were in a dangerous situation and there were people all around them not doing a single thing about it, I think they would be highly upset that no one took action. Unfortunately those are the people that would say such a statement like that because they do not learn or choose not to understand things unless it involves them. Selfish is the word to describe them.
I can only understand those people who say that it is not their place because of fear for their own lives or that they do not know what to do and go into a shock like state and cant do anything anyway. For instance I would not say that it is not my place however I am not sure what I would do. I would like to think that I would do something about it but it is hard to say because I have never been in that situation. I honestly think I would go into complete shock and not do anything but then again I do not know.
I really enjoyed this class because it being out the selfish part of people and how far that concern for them can actually go. In this case it would be so far as to watch people getting hurt or the high possibility of them getting hurt. I have read stories in the newspaper where victims have been murdered and there were several witnesses around and not one did a single thing about until AFTER the event. And honestly I guess that is better than not doing anything at all. But in all reality if you could live with yourself after seeing something of that caliber and not doing anything about it, says a lot about the person you are. So as for those who, like I stated before, would not doing anything because they feel that it is none of their business really need to re-think that. Re-evaluate the things you believe in and the morals you have, and most of all question yourself as to why you like as though it isn't your place to do anything.
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This class is definitely eye opening and by far my favorite class this semester. This specific lecture was so profoundly interesting that the rest of the lectures can be horrible and this class will still be great. I was shock at how many people didn’t speak up for the Muslim woman and shocked by the number of people who agreed with the bakery owner when he denied the woman service. I would like to think if I encountered such a scene that I would be one of the few who did say something in the woman’s behalf, but the truth is I don’t actually know if I would or not. I don’t say that to be rude or prejudice in anyway, it is just the blunt honest truth. I have been in stores where white men won’t sell their goods to Mexicans, and, while I think it is wrong of the white store owners, I have never spoken up on the Mexican’s behalf. Every time I saw this happen I was still young and didn’t really think I was allowed to tell an adult how to act, but now that I have grown up I realize I can speak up and tell the owners what they are doing is wrong and disrespectful, let alone un-American. ( to be continued)…
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I do see where the student who said it isn’t his place to say anything is coming from though. It is not his store or him being harassed, so I could see why someone would think they shouldn’t get involved. This being said, I feel like if every one were to take that approach then there would no human rights and race relations would go down the drain. Letting things like the scenario in the video go is a step backward. We have freedom of speech and I think we are all born and raised with enough educate to no when something in politically and morally wrong, and therefore, we should take the initiative and speak up in behalf of the discriminated. Whether it is a man, woman, black, brown, white, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or nudist, they should all have the same rights to be treated the same as human beings with the courtesy and respect they deserve. (to be continued)…
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I think that if this scenario were real and more people would have spoke up in the woman’s behalf, then the clerk would have backed down. I think this because most people do and say racist things to be approved by the people surrounding them, so if more people didn’t like what he was doing and saying then he would have stopped in order to gain the respect of the non-racists. After seeing this video I know I will always try to speak up for someone being discriminated against because it shows you are a good person and you know right from wrong.
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I don’t believe people should think they don’t have the right to say something because it isn’t their place. There are a lot of people who unfortunately can’t or don’t have the opportunity to speak for themselves. I can only imagine that if anyone was put in the position where they were being restricted because of their race, someone would come to their rescue. It isn’t fair that in today’s society people are still being discriminated against according to their race. If they can’t even go out in public and be treated the same as everyone else, how are they supposed to feel equal to the rest of society. I also feel that the general public needs to make others aware that this behavior is something that we simply do not stand for. If someone hears something prejudice being said, they need to take appropriate action. If no one says anything, people will just assume that what they are saying is okay. Personally, I know that if I were in a situation like the one in the video, I would say something.
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There were no excuses for people not to say anything at all. I do believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion but agreeing with someone who blatantly is acting arrogant and against the law, is simply not right. It’s just as bad not to say anything at all. By being silent, it’s almost as if you’re agreeing with the statements being said. The only people that acted the right way in the situation were those that stuck up with the young woman. It’s really troubling hat a majority of the costumers had nothing to say. I don’t necessarily believe that they didn’t have an opinion, but that they were miscued by the ways today’s society works. People are afraid to go against the norm of what others say because they don’t want to seem to “radical.”
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People believe that if they form an opinion they are subjected to ridicule. They would rather not say anything at all then have their opinion be tested. It almost seems impossible to me that people could actually keep silent during the owner and women’s conversation. I don’t believe in the actuality in saying that it isn’t their “place” to say anything. I’m sure if something of the same nature was going on in a public place, most people would have the common knowledge to help stop it. Discrimination should have no boundaries; it shouldn’t matter if a conversation of this kind of nature took place on a public street or in a private home. No one should be discriminated against just because of their race. It’s our duty as a part of mankind to make sure everyone gets treated fairly.
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I totally agree with the two videos above. How could you see such a situation blatantly happen right in front of your very own eyes and not let it affect you? The video with the Muslim girl highly disturbed me. As much as I respect the people who stepped up for the lady, I did not think the people who did not budge would get me so upset, ever. Whether or not you are taught to keep away from other people’s business at home, come on seriously, can people not think for themselves? Do you have no conscience?
I am Indian, lived amongst all kinds of religion and color all my life. Terrorist groups always tried to threaten our safety, bomb scares still lie vivid in my mind, temple riots were common, headlines of burning churches are familiar, that’s when I started to question religion. I came to an understanding that organized religion gave people a guide to a lifestyle of what was right or wrong; the core central values are all pretty much the same in my book. But man definitely used it to make his mark and conquer nations. And I do not feel threatened by any of them in particular. It does not matter if you are white, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, black or brown, in every area there are nice people and then they are the crazies. It does not matter where you come from; we are all human and should treat each other with respect. Nothing makes anyone better than the others and your life is not more valuable than the person next to you. It’s utterly horrible to see hypocritical or cynical people around you, especially when your friends act in such a manner. I have always, always stepped up for what I knew was unfair. I have lost friends, gone days without interacting but the same ones have always come back to me and told me that I was the one who ever really did care. And I feel good because I did step up for what was right, else I’d be a miserable person with a few too many regrets. I would want my friends to always act as my check and balance system in life. Just because we are college students now and have that freedom to make our own decisions does not mean we are right. We need to step up to that friend no matter what situation and let them know if they are out of line. If someone in my friend circle ever did do something wrongful to someone else, I would let them know not just stick by them. All that does is let them know that they have support in their wrongdoings. People close to you could always be wrong, be it your parents, spouse or friends.
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I completely agree with the in my place videos when they questioned how someone could feel like it was not their place or their responsibility to say anything. I, personally, don't understand how you cannot say something when someone else is being wrongly discriminated against or just targeted in general. It is people like this who let the genocide occur that is happening all around the world. Even though they are not the ones who are outright hurting these people, they are also not helping them and standing back, thus in a way condoning the discrimination. Whenever someone says they feel it was not their responsibility I think back to the Holocaust. I am merely bringing this up as a good example of what happens when people do not speak for others and just stand by and watch something happen that they know is wrong. A famous quote written about the Holocaust perfectly describes this situation and the consequences following it. "First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me." This is exactly what happened and what is going on in the world everyday. If no one speaks up for each other than who will be there at the end for us? Something so terrible happened simply because be did not speak up and help. If people band together and do what they know is right I feel a lot can be accomplished. Maybe I am just being an optimist but it is worth a try and if you do not express your beliefs and help others than no one is going to help you out either. The video that was showed in class sadly showed how much discrimination there is in the world, even in America where we are built on the ideals of freedom and equality for all. I was shocked when the one guy actually gave the owner a thumbs up. I guess that is one way to express your opinion, however, even though I definitely feel it was a disgustingly wrong one. Thankfully there were girls who stood up for the Muslim target, and in the Holocaust there too were people who tried to help and spoke up about it being wrong and even risked their own life for hiding Jews. I just think that it is crazy events like this even happen and I do not understand why. I know some people do bad things but there should be enough people to speak outright about it and take action to stop and control these horrific acts.
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I agree with the two responses, when is it our time? And I say are time is ALWAYS. When ever an unjust is being done we all have the right to act PERIOD. I feel that is our place or anyone’s place. I feel like everyone has a moral obligation do help everyone, maybe I have that “tree hugger” mentality but I believe we as a individual and a country should help other places. Standing by watching things happen is worse than stepping forth and helping someone. This is why Haiti is in the place that it is now. I understand there are laws treaties and what not that stop us from helping some of these people but, I think we should ignore stuff like that. Yes the United States was giving Haiti millions of dollars, but it was not getting to where it needed to go. And now since the earth has happened it is a disaster, the worst in the western hemisphere, and that should not have been. If our government would have went in and cut short all the corruptness that was going on the people of Haiti would have been doing better, they would not be the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. That is my prospective on a more global scale. Not domestically if we raise each other instead of waiting for each other to fall, then very few would fall. In America first off we are a very competitive society. Some individual’s main objective is to keep other people down the “king of the mountain” example that Sam gave us in class. I can not sit here and say that I have not felt that is was not my place in some instances, I mean we all have, but that is exactly why the holocaust happened, and over six million Jewish people were murdered. What would you say as a woman or a man being abused as a child, wife, or husband if your neighbors said that IT IS NOT THEIR PLACE, I would have felt like everyone turned their back on me. What if GOD turned his back on us or ALLAH or, JEHOVAH? What would we do, could we be upset? The people who feel like it is not their place need to watch the LEGION good example of what I am talking about. Think to yourself would you really sit there and not stand up for someone; because if your answer is no, I shame you. I am I firm believer of karma and there will be one day when you stand before who ever and they will judge you on your life, and that may be the deciding factor if you enter the kingdom of heaven. I am not saying that we all have to be life warriors and go save everyone from all the evil people (unless you are in the peace core ) but if we are seeing a wrong or an unjust action being done we have a right to stop it period point blank! No excuses because always remember nobody stood up for Jesus; and we need to ask ourselves do we want to be like those people?
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I think that we all have the right to what sort of actions that we wish to take. I do feel, however, that we have a responsibility to look out for others and their safety and well being. We cannot stand aside and just let injustices go on. We would be upset if our rights were violated and no one was there to back us up. So why leave someone to fend for themselves when they should not be subjected to such harsh treatment? I am pretty sure that we can make a difference with a few choice words. It means so much to a person if you lend out a helping hand and stand up for them.
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I understand both points of view. Sometimes people do not feel as if it is there place to say something. Some times people do not want to involve themselves in any altercations. I definitely think it depends on the circumstances as well. Some times when you involve yourself in other people’s business, you suffer as with that person and some people don’t feel like it is worth the hassle. In every situation, there are the people who risk it all to gain victory whether it is equality or something specific and then there are those who just sit back and will say nothing at all. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and to express that opinion or not.
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debateordie Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
I agree with what you have stated. When I try to relate to a situation that occurs like that I try to put myself in the situation of the victim. If I was a victim of racism and there with strangers who witnessed it occur. I would hope that they would stand up to the person who is clearly wrong and put them in their place. But I can understand why people wouldn't say anything like you said they might feel like it isn't their place to get in someone else's business. But that is where we as an Americans need to change.
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I think we need to be careful saying that this is our place and that people need to speak up and take action, as the consequences of this can be quite undesirable. I agree with what the person in class said probably more than most other people because I do think there is a certain level of internal respect you have to have for other people’s disputes. A person that spent a grand total of 2 minutes inside the store does not need to speak out and butt into an argument that they may not have an entire grasp on (and potentially misunderstood). On the other hand, if a person has seen the argument from the beginning and knows of the exact details, they more rightfully can address the participants with their own beliefs.
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When I listened to both videos it appears that they are saying they don’t understand when people say it is not your place why don’t you step up and say something anyways. I agree and disagree with these statements and I know I am on the fence about this but I believe there is a time and a place for everything. First off as to why I agree, we need to make our voices heard more often, that is a given. I believe we are scared to say something and someone else take offense to it and then it lead to and argument. You cant be afraid of what others will say to you, you just have to go out there and make your voice heard. If we all stay silent nothing changes and were at square one with the topic of conversation. We always talk about change in our country but without saying anything people will assume that everything is all good. When you assume you make an ass out of you and me so don’t assume anything be proactive about the topic not reactive. I can also see why others do not say anything and I think there are two main reasons for this. 1 people are scarred to stand up sometimes in a crowd or a situation that doesn’t involve them and stir up controversy. A lot of people tend to stay in the dark because they feel safe there, I do it sometimes I am not afraid to admit that. We feel as if we step into something that is heated we may add to tension in the topic and cause it to get more heated and lead to something greater than words. Pretend you see two people about to get into a bar fight, you want to say something so it doesn’t happen, but then you think well if I say something what if someone will take a punch at me because they thought I was interfering. We are all afraid to step up because sometimes that leads to consequences we do not want to deal with. The other reason besides people being scared is that a lot of people are not educated enough on the topics at hand to say something. I know if I do not know what is going on, I stay out of it because I do not want to sound like an idiot or corrupt someone’s view who is probably right. There are so many issues in the world it is hard to get educated on all of them and if someone feels like jumping in that’s fine, but you better know what you are talking about otherwise you are going to look like an ass.
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When the kid commented during class that he would move on with his day without saying anything, I really didn’t know what to think at first. I guess it kind of shocked me that somebody would feel that way about what was happening to the woman. If I remember correctly, the class as a whole reacted the way I did, too, so I know I wasn’t alone with my surprise. Even though the simple and correct reaction to me would be to stand up for the woman who was being verbally attacked, I can (very slightly) understand why some people wouldn’t do anything about it. It’s normal for people to want to avoid confrontation. Standing up for somebody else means you risk creating a bigger scene or risk being attacked yourself, and nobody enjoys being in that position I’m sure. It’s a lot like stories you may hear about an abusive parent, when that parent tends to focus his/her aggression on one child more than the other. There may be one child who isn’t getting the worse end of the abuse but may be too afraid to stand up for the sibling who is abused no matter how badly they want to help them out. When you think about that scenario, it may be hard to imagine what you would do if a stranger is the one in need of your help. Of course it is hard to compare the two, since one is physical abuse and the other is verbal, but not everybody has the courage to put others before themselves. I want to believe I would take the high road, and most people are probably the same. We may think it’s bogus for somebody to say how much of a hero they would be, but if we imagine ourselves in a scenario like this, then, in our heads, we would not hesitate to take action and stand up for the woman who is being treated so unfairly. Who really knows how they would react until a situation like this really happens.
Even so, it’s very weird that he would say he wouldn’t do anything in the bakery because his parents brought him up not to be disrespectful; and he thinks he backs up his position by saying it’s not his store. It’s like he believes it’s okay for people to say whatever they want and serve whoever they want if it’s their property. It isn’t okay. Discrimination has to be everybody’s business. If your parents brought you up to be respectful, then I’m sure that they also taught you to treat everybody fairly. And when you see somebody treat another person unfairly, then it’s your job to point that out and do something about it, even if it’s showing quiet but clear support for the victim rather than doing nothing at all.
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I feel like all of us will have a long lists if people gave us the chance to say what we really believe. Since i have always held what I felt back. After seeing the above video, i realized that I have alot of issues. The first that I would like to address would be inequality of education among minorites. As a student growing up attending an inner-city Philadelphia school, I realized that education was not valued to the same degree as in the suburban areas. The inequality of education is a problem in areas with large minority populations and the solutions to this problem are the school budget, the qualifications of teachers and also the schools teaching Curriculum.
Every child is usually taught to take advantage of education because although the opportunity to learn is there it will not be handed to them. Unfortunately, it is not always equal. There are differences in test scores in suburban schools and public schools” and this is often reflected on how minorities are rated by the colleges.The quality of education each school offers students varies a great deal also. It has been stated that “often it is not the fault of the students, nor is it the fault of the teachers, but it is the lack of money provided to support the system.
Also it is the poor curriculum and often the lack of qualifications for some teachers. If all schools have one purpose, one goal, and a body of students that wants to attend and learn, then they should all share one mission and be taught in the same way. Inner-city schools are treated differently than those of better economic areas. However, the importance is not to identify the problems, but instead lies in finding solutions. My own experience is that some teachers are only in front of the class for a paycheck, not for the best interest of the students. Many have no passion to teach. If we had better teachers to teach the curriculum, and offered tutoring after class hours, the test scores should go up and students everywhere would gain the education they deserve.
Inner city students deserve the same education rights as students at suburban schools. Having a more fair budget, better curriculum and better qualified teachers in inner city schools would really help inner city students excel and motivate them to want to achieve greater things than are expected of them. Allowing students to understand that no matter where they are from they can become somebody great is the most important lesson of all for schools to teach.
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i am kind of on the fence with this one because i really agree with both sides. i definitely see how you could think that how could you not do something and explain to him that what he is doing is wrong. but i also can see the other side because it is his store and he has the right. when she talks about freedom, well he has the freedom to refuse anyone the right to buy something at his store, it might be really wrong but not still his right. and if someone is like that, your not going to say or do anything to change a crazy mind like that, so the only thing i feel really strong is that its wrong
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When do we speak our minds and step up? These questions cross our minds whenever we see injustice. We can feel peer pressure to remain silent. Sayings like “If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing” encourages us to not step on toes. However, sometimes we must stand up and step on toes for the greater good. For example telling a friend they are completely wrong and ignorant for their racist comments isn’t nice, but it is necessary to open their eyes. We will not always step up, sometimes we will walk away and let it go. We might even create excuses in our head about why we did not step in. The woman that was refused service in the store was a great injustice. The people that walked away and did not say anything or simply continued on with their business probably made up excuses in their head. They were probably like the kid in class that said they were raised to mind their own business. However, how wrong must something be for them to step in. Hitler thrived on the silence of regular German citizens. For the most part they ignored the situation and did nothing to try to stop it. Silence can encourage injustice just as much as support does. We must step up because an injustice, even if it is small, is hurting another person. We must recognize that our voices could make a difference. It is spring break and I was in Philly last night. I went to a comedy club and my friend and I were the only white people there. The comedian started to make fun of us. He continued to make comments throughout the show and as another comment was directed at us and I sunk a little deeper into my chair, a women stood up. She scolded the comedian for his remarks. She walked over and patted me on the shoulder then walked out. The comedian turned that into a joke, but slinked off the stage quickly after. We thanked the woman, but all she could say was sorry I took so long. This woman made me realize that even something as small as a joke hurt my feelings. The fact that someone stood up for me made it so much better. Obviously, black and brown people encounter this situation much more often and hear jokes and comments all the time. I know have a better understanding that words can hurt and I will never ignore situations like this again. When I am deciding on if I should ignore something or speak up, I have every intention of telling someone how I feel. I can truly make the difference in the way a person would leave a situation.
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I would have to say that I agree and disagree with these comments. It is definitely hard to know when it is the right place and time to say something. On one side of the situation, when racism is so evident to the point that it is demeaning to a group or an individual person, people need to learn to speak up. I think of the video of the Muslim woman that we watched in class. In this sort of situation I feel that the right thing would definitely be to stand up for her. When people are deliberately discriminating against a person or group of people, other people are needed to stand up for what is right. I personally have never dealt with any severe form of discrimination first hand, but I could only imagine how hard it is to stand up for yourself after being knocked down so hard. I know that there are so many times when I am so utterly upset and hysterical that I can't even get the words out of my mouth to say what I am feeling. This is probably what it feels like if you are being discriminated against. I many cases, it is too difficult to stand up for yourself and this is why other people need to learn that this would be the right time to speak up in defense of others. Even though many people may feel that this is not their place to be "butting in" to a situation that does not directly involve themselves, it really is. The person being discriminated against will be extremely thankful in the end. It is a great feeling when someone defends your honor. I also see the other side of the situation. Like myself, there are so many shy people in this world. In many cases people find it extremely difficult to stand up for themselves, let alone for others. So many people are brought up to keep to themselves and to not "butt in" to other people's business. If you think about it, there are definitely many situations in which this would be a good philosophy. I know there have been so many times that I wish my parents did not involve themselves in my issues. I know this doesn't compare to something like racial discrimination, but it definitely applies. People may not want to put themselves in danger by standing up for someone else. You never know where violence can come in to play and so many people are so fearful of what others may take to the situation. Overall, it is extremely hard to decipher when to step in and when to keep to yourself. Although standing up for someone may be admirable, there are definitely times when it is not appropriate to involve yourself in the business of others.
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I personally feel that it is always our place to say something. I understand that some people feel that if they are not being harmed or upset there is no reason to say something in a tricky situation but I disagree. The clip about the Muslim women truly upset me. I do not understand how people can not be affected by that situation and want to say something to help a innocent girl being attacked in public. I think that the video really opened up peoples eyes to see that minorities are targeted in daily life even though we do not see it going on, it still happens to innocent people who do not deserve to be hated. ..January 22
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