greymom's Comments (1506)

“The fear is simply xenophobia.

As someone who has experienced/ observed racism from whites there is such a lack of awareness and consciousness of their actions and words because at the end of the day who wants to admit even to themselves that they are a bigot?

So the language is cloaked by banal statements like "lose our freedoms" etc.”

“It is ironic that these people are allowed the freedom to spew some pretty vile stuff, yet they keep whining about their loss of freedom. They also cry that they want their "old America" back, the one where people with darker skin tones knew their place and it was always much lower on the totem pole than those with fair skin. Apparently, they've been hermits for the past decades, as America has become more and more diversified. They are like Rip Van Winkle - asleep for a 100 years and now the world has moved on, changed and left them behind and they want the rest of us to step back into their lost world. No thanks!”

“fanned :-)”

“This is a question I have posed over and over again to no answer. Finally I think I have it figured out: It means the freedom to put religious icons on public property, the freedom to pray at any public function without criticism, even in the public school classroom; the freedom to tell the gay or unmarried couple they cannot rent their apartment; pretty much anything they want to do that the American Civil Liberties Union doesn't want them to do because it's either discriminatory or unfair. And probably those things you mentioned as well as to not wear a motorcycle helmet. I really wish someone who is fond of saying that would belly-up and answer the question.”

“THe freedom of having an old white dude in control.”

“Blue dogs are republicans who couldn't get elected running as a republican.”

“What kind of screening did they use at that time? You can pass the screening and develop GD later in a pregnancy.”

“unbleivable the level of shallowness to these posts. THis young woman is beautiful - so many guys post here on her lack of hotness as if a) they'd even have a chance and it and b) as if she was just Tiger's date rather than the mother of his kids.

She deserves some respect fro that.”

“People in general carrying extra weight”

“Even in the modern era, you won't find too many world leaders outside the U.S. grinning for the camera like car salesmen.”

“There are so many misconceptions about Africa. Since I am an Ethiopian-American, I would hear it all growing up. In many ways, I blame the media for a lot of it. They like to show the bad in Africa and hardly any of the good. I can't remember how many "Feed the Children" ads I'd see on television growing up featuring Ethiopian children. It feeds the assumption that ALL of Ethiopia is like this, when that is so far from the truth. They assume that most Africans have HIV/AIDS. They assume that most are malnourished. I don't have a single family member (and I sure do have a lot living there!) with HIV/AIDS or that are malnourished. My family actually have thriving and successful businesses.

I think people should step away from their televisions and travel the world. There is so much beauty in the world that so many people are missing out on. There is a whole lot to learn and many of these misconceptions, myths, and superstitions could be broken.”

“One would think that if someone were wealthy enough, one would be educated enough to not believe in witch doctors "prescript­­ions."

Apparently not Sarah Palin!”

“There are a lot of myths and superstitions on the continent of Europe too. And Asia. The Americas (yes, us too) have plenty. It's a human condition that persists across the globe, and unfortunately it's the cause of much pain and suffering.”

“The person paying 75K would be the middleman retailing segmented parts to make a profit over a period of time. Its capitalism at its finest.”

“Grey, ROFLMFAO. I bought 3 cans for 2 pies. My husband I tend to OD on the Reddi Whip with pie. Love the "creamy" style best.”

“sjpersonal - Yes, the rules are different for him, sadly, but how fortunate we are that he is more than equal to the task!”

“thank u. unfortunately the rules r different for Pres Obama than for every other past president.”

“That's the problem with being an achiever, people have such expectations!”

“We'd have these finished if the GOPee and a few Blue Dogs stopped trying to block everything.”

“"Within recent memory, there were laws on the books in Massachusetts that said a man could beat his wife with a stick if it were no thicker than his thumb."

No, there were not. There has not, in the history of America, been a law like that. Read "Ceasefire" by Cathy Young - her book discusses the myth of the "rule of thumb".”

“The problem is not with the character of the job, but the unnecessary work and challenges attached to it.

Your cleaning lady might have her own business, but she is not her own boss. She caters to her clients. While her pay might be good, she has to work very hard for it. Hard work can build character, but parents don’t want to see their children having to do it every day to live well.

Your cleaning lady, if she really is self-employed, does not have benefits like health insurance or dental, and must pay for those herself. When she gets too old to work, she will not have a fund from an employer. Though she might have your respect, she is probably generally regarded as lowly by her other clients.

Parents would like their children to grow up, get the job they always wanted, live comfortably without having to be overworked, and have some kind of recurring money when they retire. Being a janitor is not something to be ashamed of, but the fact is that it is something society generally looks down on. It is not the first choice of most people, and it would not be what I desired for my child.

There are toys that teach children to be tidy without a janitor's cart and the janitor label. It is one thing to encourage cleanliness (some certainly need it), but it is another to encourage children to aspire to less than they are capable of.”

“....Mommy, where do fish fillets come from.....”

“you are justifying the idea of a double standard??? or are you just saying the one who weighs more is the one who should be held accountabl­e... sheesh!”

“First of all, in America, wife beating has never been condoned. Even if you were right, I doubt we should be correcting the situation by making it OK for women to hit men. Second, I know women who are stronger than me, so stop with the blanket statements. Women are also more likely to use a weapon when abusing their significant other, as happened in this situation, so muscle strength has very little if anything to do with it.

Nothing makes domestic violence OK, and implying that women should be allowed to hit men but not the other way around is bigotry.”

“"It is a true double standard because men outweigh and have more muscle strength than women and are able to inflict more damage"

Wow, I was unaware that was how the law works. That means that an 18 year old kid who weighs 150 can punch me right in the mouth or menace me with a weapon and I will be unable to do anything to defend myself. You're also making a sweeping generalization - not all men are smaller/weaker than all women. I would prefer not to get into a fight with someone like Gina Carano if I could avoid it.

Your reference to historical practice is immaterial for the broader point. You claim that it is acceptable to maintain a double standard, you are just arguing about which should be maintained. Either domestic abuse is acceptable, or it is not. In a civilized society, I hope we go with the latter.”

“Actually that is one reason some men remain victims and don't fight back. They know if they ever let loose they could really hurt the woman. I do have to agree that if the roles had been reversed and if a man had gone after his wife with a golf club, he probably would have been in jail. But, I would also say that when you are dealing with celebrities and the ultra wealthy the rules are a bit different too.”

“Lesson there for someone; isn't there....i­ncluding the Boston professor.”