Wednesday, March 29, 2006
For those who think racism isn't that big a problem in the US...
Exercise: None tonight - not enough time.
Think again! Last Thursday I watched Primetime Live. The report was called What Would You Do? and it was about experiments ABC News had done to see how people would react to a variety of ethical situations. It was sort of like putting the movie Crash into real life.
The first experiment had to do with bullies. They got some child actors together in a park with other people around and had a few of them pick on one in the group. In the first round, the bullies were dressed in your average 12 year old gear. Not quite 1/3 of the people who witnessed what was going on offered to help, however, when things were changed to where the bullies were dressed like gang members (hoodies & baggy pants), nearly everyone standing by got involved and call the cops right away.
The second experiment had to do with a couple having an argument (physical & verbal) in public. The first couple was white; the second black. Again many people chose to stay out of things or told the couple to take it somewhere else, however, more people seemed to take notice and give more empathy to the white woman. Oh and people also seem to pay more attention if the couple is wearing wedding bands.
The third and final experiment was a set up where they had cab drivers make racial comments to get reactions from people. Out of the 50 or 60 they "tested", there were only about 7 who actually spoke up and said they thought the cabbie was out of line. What was even more disturbing was that there were many who agreed with what was being said yet claimed they weren't racist or they would disagree with a statement made, say they weren't racist but then go on to make prejudice comments. I think the topper had to be the woman who went right along with it and turned out to be on the diversity board of the company she works for. Gee why is it not surprising she was the only one who didn't want her face shown?
What it boils down to is that everyone will at some time or another judge a book by its cover and most likely form an opinion of a group based on a few (Muslims appear to be one of the top groups who are faced with this these days). What is most scary about this is the number of people who think they aren't racist but in reality are.
And now for something completely different....
Touch play machines have now been banned in Iowa. All I can say is what a bunch of prudish whiners we have in this state. I mean I'm all for keeping them out of places where kids can play them, however, I see no problem with putting them in bars where you have to be 21 in order to enter. I couldn't believe I actually heard some people going on about being addicts and the machines being too much of a temptation. Oh please! If it presents that much of a problem, don't go into the places that have them. Get a little self control for God's sake! We still have casinos and grocery stores that sell lottery tickets and you seem to get along with them around.
Next up...I received an interesting email the other day from someone who happened across my blog. It seems that someone from the Raccoon River Valley animal shelter had found the post I made last May asking anyone who could to please donate so they could raise the funds needed to stay open. She informed me that although they didn't get enough money, they were able to find a way to continue to help animals be adopted rather than put down and thanked me for pleading on their behalf. It's nice to know there are still people out there who appreciate random acts of kindness. :)
On a final note....Chi got to bring his brand spankin new car home Saturday. I've got to say if I were going to be the main driver of the car, we more than likely wouldn't have bought it. The overall outside design is pretty cool (for a 4 door LOL) and I like the recaro seats (although they aren't the best for napping LOL) but the ride and the interior design leave quite a bit left to be desired in my opinion. Of course because this is sold more as a performance car that's to be expected but I would take the amenities in my car over the extra bit of power just about any day. Oh well as long as he's happy with it, the $40 grand is worth it. Oh and just to show once again just how completely AWESOME our dealer is...Ant found a bolt in his tire the other day - something that isn't covered by warranty because it's considered road debris and "preventable". Keep in mind each tire costs $250 - $300 and that really isn't an expense we didn't want to have to face so soon. As it turns out, our dealer is going to take care of it for us. :) I can't say enough about how wonderful their customer service is. For those of you in the market for a new or used car - this is definitely the place to go (click the link on the right side of the blog and check them out)! I can even guarantee that the silver 2001 Dodge Stratus R/T with less than 65000 miles they have there (assuming they still have it - it's not listed on their website), is a gem. In our 5 and 1/2 years of ownership, we never had one problem and it was kept up meticulously. :)
Otay....gotta dash.
Til next time when I will be back to discuss the immigration garbage going on.....
Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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