Kelsey Fuehrer - CAPS #3

I had come across this site about a week ago, as I read through it I was disgusted by some of the things that people deem appropriate for the internet. There were some that I thought were also taken in the wrong context. This just goes to show that what people consider racist differs between different groups of people, while there is still (I believe) a general understanding of what is racist. I was not surprised to find out that other schools has similar sites. I think people are taking advantage of the rights our founding fathers gave us, while at the same time forgetting that everyone in the country is afforded those same rights. The post that reminded me of this read:

"An asian in front if me has his phone set to japenese" #thisisamerica

This poster is right, this is America, and therefore that person has the right to set his phone to whatever language he so chooses. While English is the unofficial language of the United States, we do not have an official language. This poster probably vigerously defends his 1st Amendment right to free speech and his right to make this post, but he has seemed to forgotened the other persons rights as well. 

I was reminded of just how precious our rights are just the other day when I met a girl from Indonisia. As we were talking I asked if she planned to return home after graduating from UNL, she expressed her desire to stay here because of all the freedom she has here to be who she wants to be and do as she pleases. 

I think that a lot of people on campus think that the foreign exchange community gets a free ride while they are in America and here at the University, that however is not true. They all had to apply and be accepted to the university just the same as you and I. They also have to maintain their grades in order to stay here, but unlike you and I if they are not in school they are not allowed to remain in the United States. They also have to go through the process of getting their passports, and student visas, as well as their governments approval to leave and study here in America. 

As for all the posts complaining about how they can't understand the teachers, drop the class. I once read that if you can't understand the teacher for any reason you should leave the class, if you can't understand the information you are not learning nor getting any smarter. So instead of complaining all semester about you "horrible professor, that doesn't speak english" find another section of the class so that you can get your monies worth from the class. I will not pretend that I have never thought nor said anything that could have assessed as racist, but I do try to think about how other people will be affected by what I say.