Sunday, February 22, 2009

American Government 2/23

In Class - Watch President Obama's speech on the topic of race from March 18, 2008. Take notes on the event.

Homework - Using your notes, write a one page reaction to his speech. Is he correct in his interpretation of this touchy subject in this country? Why or why not?

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why do you think that the issue of race is, in a sense, a very taboo subject in the United States? Why isn't there more dialogue about this issue?

Articles to check out:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/03/18/us/politics/20080318_OBAMA_GRAPHIC.html - full video of Obama's speech on race from March 18, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/blotter/story?id=4443788 - article concerning Rev. Jeremiah Wright
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-wright%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cgod-damn-america%E2%80%9D-sermon/ - interesting view point of Rev. Wright's sermon
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/12/racism.poll/index.html

42 comments:

Rocio said...

what i think about this question is that: now a days or even back then not tolong ago people were just worried in offending others that anything might be considered a diragetory term and was said to put the other person down.i think also espeacially change has alot to do with it becasue since you know we do have an afican american perisdent and some times it triggers somethig in peoples mind that are used to think all stereotypical like and well thats not good i think that they havent acknoledged that a man is a man and that race has nothing to do wiht any thing.!!!!
p.s. white people are not blamed for everything lol member from class poor bradley

adriana said...

ithink that race is such a taboo topic in the united states because it has played such a huge role in our history and it wasnt talked about when our nation was founded and now it is basically the same thing. race is a touchy topic because people do get offended and it would be hard to know whether you are saying something that could hurt someone from a different race.

Gladys said...

In my opinion the issue of race is taboo in the U.S because people not only want to avoid offending anyone but also to avoid conflicts. Many people don't want to bring up this subject because of how many times this issue goes back to racism amongst people and when there was slavery.Sometimes even when discussing race it not only causes conflicts amongst different races but sometimes internal racial conflicts occur as well. I would say most People in a way are still in a sense racist because if they weren't i think they would be more open minded about this issue and clearly we as a people are not because we avoid this issue in almost every way possible.

RGorman said...

I believe that race is a very touchy topic because we are afraid that something that comes out of our mouth might offend the race we are discussing. And because of our nation's past, it's hard to tell what is going to hurt someone by its meaning and every person has their own opinion on what is offensive. As well, I'm not sure if someone will take what I'm talking about in the wrong way or just want to make a scene to get attention when it's really not necessary.

QueensGurl24 said...

People are afraid of change and what problems they can't solve they avoid it. From the past to the future no one wants to stand up for there belief there are only a hand full that do and when they do they get put down. The word taboo means a universal no, something that should not be done or said because it goes against the beliefs of other. We are so worried of lawsuits or hurting people feeling about racism but in the same they keep it going but under ground. Racism is still around to day but no just between whites and blacks but with all races. No one talks about it because you can not change the opinions of others so why try. Why try to fix or talk about a problem that cannot be fix?

Frank said...

Racism has become taboo basically because people do not want to be considered a racist. It is kind of the reason why people will stop talking when the person they are talking about walks into the room. There really sren't many reasons as to why the subject it taboo.

L e O said...

I think race is such a taboo subject because the people that might discuss it, don't want to sound racist or naive. I think they make it into such a big deal. Religion is also a reason why race is such a sensitive issue, because someone of a different race might have different beliefs and that would spark conflicts

Jlao said...

I believe the reason why the issue of race is a touchy topic is because people are afraid of getting criticized of being racist. From what i have seen and heard is that one little comment is considered racism to another. There are also cases where people are not getting hired just because they're black. People should be able to be talking about the problems we have about race. The problem is, people are only comfortable talking about it within their own race.

Yesenia said...

To me this subject is very hard to talk about, because people have diffrent opinions. On the other hand people should be talking about it because if we dont deal with it right now it is going to get worst in the furute. I also think that people are more aware of race now that we have Obama as our president, just because of the color of his skin with out even thinking that his half white. we always judge by what we see on the outside, instead of what is on the inside.

Mauricio said...

People dont like talking about rae because they get heated up and fights and riots break out. Many people have died due to racial fighting. People have different opinions and most of the time they dont like people that disagree with them.

macrina said...

i think the reason why race is so taboo in the US is because, it would question the foundation of our country. when columbus came to america he and others tryed to kill off all the natives.years later they brought africans and made them there salves.both natives and africans suffered for many years and somwhow the white men became more powerful. these great united states started with discrimanation and the thought that a race can be better than another.

demodext said...

i think that raisicm is a conflict thats hard to talk about, because if someone does talk about raicism and they say even smallest thing people would take them as a prejudice person and somehow they could be looked at in a bad way, and nobody wants that. someone in a diffrent race could take the statement in an offensive way.

-ricardo vargas

period.3

Tesssmith said...

Basicly we got off on the WRONG FOOT. Its like sibling rivalry & Americas political 'correctness' is the fat mother hen ushering everybody off into there respected corners of the coupe. We NEED to talk that is a given at this point, what about I havent the slightest clue but with any good relationship being open and honest and above all not lieing too yourself about the issue at hand are key to succes and shared happiness! I have spoken.

Dorkyboy said...

I don't think that talking about race is taboo its just that we have better things to talk about then talking about how two people can't get along. You can't solve the problem of racism, its there until everyone else is one color(we will all be one color in a couple of million years). We can't change how people think. People come from around the world and have different cultures. There's nothing we can do about it. You can't solve racism, so why even bother talking about it.

adriana said...

hello PALO :]
well i think that race is a very taboo subject in the US because if one talks about another race, then some automatically consider that person racist. If i were to say something about blacks or asians to another mexican, they would automatically think that im being racist toward those races. Americans still dont have the courage to talk about race openly. If one talks about another race, conflict is most likely bound to happen. I think people in the US still feel intimidated and scared to bring up this RACE SUBJECT, even though we have come a long way.

adriana [per4]

mnguyen said...

in my opinion race is such a taboo subject because for so long we go through discrimination and today some people are more careful about what they say to not offend others. i think todays isuue is that a lot of people are constantly accusing others about being racist. we leave the subject of race just hanging over or heads because some people do not see things from different perspectives and cannot handle other peoples' opinions.

Nick said...

I think that people avoid that subject because they feel like it's a thing of the past & they shouldn't have to debate about it anymore. Plus, no one wants to see anyone get hurt because of different beliefs; just like in the past.

Sergio said...

i think the subject of race is very taboo in the u.s. because this country was founded like that. when the country was founded we had slavery so of course people are going to be racist if thats how we started out being. also this topic isnt talked about too much because people are afraid to talk about it. they willl think that just because they say something about it someone will think they are racist. maybe because its hard to bring up the subject without saying something that someone will find offensive.

Sergio said...

i think the subject of race is very taboo in the u.s. because this country was founded like that. when the country was founded we had slavery so of course people are going to be racist if thats how we started out being. also this topic isnt talked about too much because people are afraid to talk about it. they willl think that just because they say something about it someone will think they are racist. maybe because its hard to bring up the subject without saying something that someone will find offensive.

Sergio said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Garrett(aka..The Beast!) said...

In my opinion the issue of race is taboo in the U.S because we are ashamed of our past. There maybe some that just want to move on and think things are ok now, and others that are not sure of what steps to take in order to make the proper changes. I do believe our country has gone a long way, but no where near to where we need to be. I think in the end we should ether be "color blind" or completely integrated. It is ok to be proud of your race, but not to the point that you think others are lower of less important then you.

AND thats the word!

Garrett

treina said...

i think that the issue of race is in a sense, a very taboo subject in the united states is because it gos why back into slavery and the reason why i think there isnt more dialoge about this issue is because people might be afraid of hurting someone from a different race or maby they are just embarrassed.

Arnold said...

what i think about this question is that since race was a big thing back in the days people dont want to look back and see why it was wrong. But even today racial probles are still accurring some people are still races and look how long it has been. But one thing that i think that causes these problems is that some people just think that their better than other people or races and thats what is making these racial problems still accure to todays time.

William said...

People are scared. It's as simple as that, they're afraid to look like jerks, and they're afriad to offend others.

Either that, or they just don't care.

Jon G. said...

I think that the issue of race is such a taboo subject is that people are scared to talk about this subject because it is a really sensitive subject.

Hugo Ruiz said...

I think that that it is a very taboo subject because people do not want to sound racist. If someone is going to make a comment on another race and they see a person of the race they are commenting on they might stay quiet because they do not know if how that person might react. I guess it depends who you are taking to and what you talk about.

Hugo Ruiz said...

I think that that it is a very taboo subject because people do not want to sound racist. If someone is going to make a comment on another race and they see a person of the race they are commenting on they might stay quiet because they do not know if how that person might react. I guess it depends who you are taking to and what you talk about.

Jp #24 said...

I think that it is taboo to talk about it because people think that you are racist if you talk about another race. Another thought that comes to my mind is that when people talk about race and racism people dont want to hear it. As they know its out there and they rather not hear the truth. You could also say that people dont want to hear it as they know the hard work that went to get equal. An that they are mad/ embrassed of that there was and still is racism out there. Racism is a topic just like sexually talk its a topic you only talk about to your closest and most trusted people. Everyone must see that racism is a way to bring down another person just as if you were to say someone was stupid or dumb. People that are races are taught and raised that way. As you seen in that one picture in class with the little baby in a kkk suit and walking up to a plocie offiecer. The people to blame are the people that put it into their minds. Just like Nazi Germany they were taught that in forms of proganda , books , and radio to hate the Jews. Racism is a topic that brings alot of emotion, a emotion of pain, anger, and sadness. Emotions that are pritave and not for everyone to see and hear just like racism and the whole topic of it.

diana said...

i think that race is a very touchy subject still today. When we talk about races a lot of people still get offened. The past has helped us overcome segragation, but it didnt really help to express our thoughts towards the subject of race. People talk amongst their own race, but for some reason when it comes to other races there is a certain uncomfartable feeling.

ls.n.franco said...

I believe that race is not talked about that much, because people can and sometiems do take things the wrong way if their race is being discussed about. I know that i would take it the wrong way, if some one said a racial comment about my race. I think the US is afraid of what would come of talking about other races, because people get offended. No matter what someones race is we are all citizens on this counrty and have equal rights. No matter what we do about race it is always going to be around, and tere will always be people making racial comments because you cant stop what people think in their own minds about other races.

noggin56 said...

i think about this question is that it will not change because ppl now a days are really racist.

-Victor Lopez

AdrianA. said...

i think the issue of race is a taboo subject because not to many people want to say something that might offend others.
i think that the reason there isnt that much dialong about this subject is cause if someone says the wrong thing it could lead to worse problems

ms.sparks said...

this is Liz Merlan

i think race is a big thing in the our history becuz many people judge by the way they look and they dont care about what they can do in our country and that they can make a difference for example obama i know that he can make a difference with the economy. But i also think that there is going to be more rasicum becuz of our president like in the newspaper when you showed us the cartoon thing about the stimulas plan that was a sign of rasicum and just because our presdient is black dosent mean people have to hate on him they should think about how he will make a difference in the u.s not they way he looks.

kenzie said...

I think that race is not talked much about because i am sure the government does not want to remind people of how this country treated other reaces. No one wants to remember the things our founding fathers did to the African-Americans, the Native-Americans, ect. I think another reason is there are so many more important issues happening in the world then race! The economy, the war in Iraq, ect. With the mixture of not wanting to revisit the past and more imortant issues going on i can understand why it is almost never mentioned other then the fact that we now have an African-American president.

Elizabeth said...

i think the issue of race is such a taboo subject now because we have dealt with this issue as a country in the past and most of the times it has ended in violence. basically people just dont listen or choose not to listen because they dont want to be proven wrong. recently most americans choose to ignore the subject. they see it as if we choose to ignore it then it will just go away on its own but that is not the case. there is less dialogue today because people cant see past our differences. but like obama said if we dont face this issue now, then we as a country can never face challenges together that affect us all beyond race.

keisha sharisse .. said...

I think that race is such a taboo topic in the united states because of our nations racial history. When this country was founded, no one really did anything about the issue of slavery. It was a long time before the government actually started to take action, and this was all brought about, in my opinion, because of the civil rights movement.. which makes me wonder, if that never took place, how long would it have taken them to stay true to the phrase that all men are created equal. Back then, people acted so hostile towards others just because the color of their skin. And still even today, you see people being discriminated against just because of their ethnicity. With all this still happening today it would seem as though we haven't really learned anything from what has taken place. Unfortunately, you can't change the way that people think. The only difference now is that people are scared to talk about issues concerning race for fear of accidentally saying the wrong thing, offending the wrong people, and in turn be categorized as a racist.

stephanie mcphetridge said...

i think that people are afriad to stand up for others because of what happened to MLK. they might feel that the same thing will happen to them. also some poeple may think other situation in the U.S.is more important then race. people may be afraid to express their own opinions to others.

Amanda M (: said...

Race can be an issue that involves powerful opinions of different races that are usually offensive and strongly opinionative. People are biased, perhaps from personal experience. The subject of race is taboo only if you have a strong opinion against someone of a different race, religion, or background. Some people may use the topic to hurt a certain group of people, and others are afraid to discuss it because of its sensitive topics. Resulting in embarrassment, shame, and rudeness. In my opinion, race shouldn’t be considered a taboo, only because we are all humans and should be able to come together as one. “All men are created equal”, stated Thomas Jefferson, and that is what we should believe in to abolish discrimination.

megan2317 said...

i think race is such a taboo topic because of the simple fact that people are afraid of possibly offending someone. they dont want to sound racist or ignorant by talking about someone of a different race. they're afraid that someone could take what they say out of context or just take it the wrong way. also when people do bring up race it seems they only focus on the negatives and try to fit all of one race into a stereotype that might only include a fraction of that race. people are afraid of talking about that fraction for fear that those not fitting into that category might get offended

Clos said...

Well i think its that because that the united states has always had issues with race. The thing that is so taboo is that people take race seriously and if you even say the slightest wrong thing or say it in a way that they would take it negatively then it would just be a disaster.

Liz said...

I think race is very taboo in U.S because it's one of the most sensitive subjucts in the U.S, some people just can't get over discrimination and accept people for what skin color they are or where they are from and nobody like talking about it because it's such an offensive topic

Adrian Zanabria said...

Well in my opinion, i believe that the controversie about race, is a main topic. Many poeple know that we still have racism, and discrimination, but they dont want to start off on the wrong foot, like back then. People can't change the past, but they can look towards the future, but the color of your skin doesnt have to be such a big deal and fuss about it.