Comments on: When Do We Do or Say Something?

By: las5545

las5545 — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:40:44 +0000

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

By: tig1590

tig1590 — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:42:30 +0000

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.

By: jackieguarrieri

jackieguarrieri — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:25:24 +0000

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.

By: comebackid3

comebackid3 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:02:49 +0000

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

By: starjones10

starjones10 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:31:25 +0000

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.

By: jtomvp

jtomvp — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:24:34 +0000

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.

By: jjk5071

jjk5071 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:34:34 +0000

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.

By: debateordie

debateordie — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:55:21 +0000

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.

By: jayhawks03

jayhawks03 — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:51:18 +0000

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.

By: nyd5007

nyd5007 — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:17:19 +0000

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.