Comments on: Stories for Uplift

By: ThePit100

ThePit100 — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:03:29 +0000

The first story is a real heartwarming story about a selfless man who definitely believes in the quality and quantity of human life. I can definitely understand why it is classified as story for uplift. I don't feel as though I'd be able to make the same selfless sacrifice as this kind man. Now I'm not saying I wouldn't do it for one of my family members, but just that I wouldn't do it for a acquaintance. Seeing as though a kidney goes for $150,000 on the "black market," I don't feel as though I'd be willing to make that sacrifice with that much money at stake. The woman did seem extremely happy in the interview because she obviously wouldn't want to be on dialysis for the rest of her life, and that could be worth any amount of money for the man who donated.
The other video is very cute and funny. The boy is funny because of his innocence and naivety. The boys face when the girl says that he is her boyfriend is priceless. That girl just made him the happiest child in the world. I have to say that the boy is probably one of the happiest humans when the girl confirms that she likes him. The way that the two children interact suggests to me that they don’t have any problems with each other’s race and that they are probably good friends. The problem is that when they grow up, they most likely will separate and most likely won’t be friends because they would be looked at as an outcast if they consistently hung out with someone of a different ethnicity. I think the video is a good way to show older people how dumb they are with their preconceived prejudices. I feel that race relations are a result of upbringing, and not natural instinctual causes. These differences are all from nurturing, not nature. It’s good to see that CNN is actually covering stories that deal with the humanities side of news. So often are they worried about ratings, viewers, etc. that they post things that shouldn’t be considered news, and everyone knows they do such things. I guess they were too tired with reporting on the Middle East, the oil spill, wikileaks, some corporate scam, etc. that they decided to choose a news story that makes people feel better about the world, instead of living in constant disdain. These stories give me hope for the world we live and are definitely uplifting in the way that they make people see a different side of the world that they aren’t used to being exposed to. I think CNN should do more stories such as this and people should be more open and accepting of this as actual news.

By: GnarlyBro1

GnarlyBro1 — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:49:32 +0000

These two stories are very touching. The first gives me hope that the people in this world are moving in the right direction to end racism and prejudice and to "love thy neighbor as theyself." Many people develop close friends over their lifetime but how many of us would be willing to give part of our body to one of them. I would have to think for a very long time. The second made me smile as I remembered the first crushes I developed as a young boy. The way we view others is tremendously impacted by our upbringing. I have been involved in discussions where people said they were brought up "colorblind" and do not see why they should not befriend someone just because of their background. And others say why we must protect our race and stay together. Shown in this video, these young children only see each other as two people and not two people from countries that do not get along. He fell in love with her for her attributes and his smile at the end made me smile to think of how happy he was knowing she like him back. Shown through these two videos, I believe humans are moving in the right direction to a society where people interact with other people. We are not put into categories of race, background, or stereotypes and we befriend each other because we enjoy each others company and not exclude some great people just because our appearance is different. I have several minority friends and could not imagine how much different my life growing up would be without them. The first video definitely had the biggest impact on me. One man with the kindness to see if he was even remotely a match for his favorite cashier and to save her life. Im sure we all have at least one favorite cashier or employee some where that we all know and prefer to see. I know I do, but ask yourselves if you would give a part of you to them. In all honesty, I probably wouldn't. This man has more courage than me and even though I may not follow suit, I have hope that his courage will develop throughout generations and one day every one would be willing to help a neighbor, whether they know them or not, just to let them live a little longer. Love thy neighbor as theyself is an important message and this is an example of how it was carried out in a huge way. the majority of people today are selfish but every now and then you hear about one special person who changes another's life forever. That man is a hero.

By: Duprey

Duprey — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:18:52 +0000

Both of these stories were really uplifting, i enjoyed watching both of them. I was more moved by the first story concerning the man who donated his kidney to the woman he knew from the local grocery store. In many ways i'm an idealist and I feel like some aspects of the older times we need to go back to more. One of these is the level of trust that we used to have towards each other that i think has lessened over the years with the advent of the Internet and mass media and terrible crime stories. I recently bought a used Ford Mustang from private owners not a dealership, i really enjoyed learning about their life, why they were selling their car, and getting to know them better. I was supposed to get the car inspected and throughouly checked by a mechanic but i just kind of "forgot" to do that and bought the car from them. I trusted them and my trust pulled though I've had no problems with the car. I love stories like this, people trusting each other and not disrespecting each other even if one person has a higher occupational position in life.I used to work as a cashier at Weis Markets my local supermarket and people would often yell at me if they didn't like the price or if i bagged things not to their liking. This man always treated Mira with respect the way everyone should be treated. I have been going to my local gym in my hometown for upwards of 5 years now and i have developed a friendship with the older African-American janitor who cleans up during the night shift. At first glance it would not appear as though we would get along well me the young white kid at the gym and him the older African-American employee. My father is also a member at the gym and over the years the three of us have talked on multiple occasions. One time during the AFC Championship football game i don't know what year, (the one where the Colts beat the Patriots in the last minutes of the game) the gym closed midway through the 4th quarter but he let us stay and we along with some of the other employees watched the end of the game together. I always make sure to talk to him whenever I'm at my hometown gym, he's such a nice guy supporting his family and never seems to let people get to him as you can expect some people don't treat him with as much respect as he deserves being a janitor. I don't think he would ever let me know if he was sick, he's too tough but if he did i would love to be able to help. I really admire what Dan did in helping Mira, he made a real difference.

By: rmg5194

rmg5194 — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:47:38 +0000

This video was both uplifting and thought provoking. It goes to show that our first perceptions are not always correct. The fact that Tan Hong Ming did not think it was possible for his love interest to share his feelings was heart-warming. Although the primary concern regarding their relationship is the fact a Chinese individual should not “fall in love” with a Malaysian individual, it does not affect either of the children. I think we can learn a lot from children. Most often, adults ridicule at the logic of youth and their judgments of the world, when in reality, children have the most pure of intentions. At a young age, individuals have not yet been affected by the cynicism of the world. Their thoughts are unbiased and unprejudiced. Their intentions are genuine and unaffected by preconceived labels. This video illustrates the fact that even though we believe our society to be racist and bigoted, we can still find sincerity in the most unexpected of places. Though we preach the diminishment of judgment, we subtly teach the most unadulterated of minds that biasing is accepted. The environments, the media, the opinions make us susceptible to forming labels and judgments. We strive for equality, but ironically we demonstrate inequality in the process. In this case, Tan Hong Ming is not looking at the world through a predetermined lens. He loves what he loves because of friendship and similarity, rather than acknowledging faults and differences. Because they are young, the video is both able to illustrate their innocence at heart and in some sense their bravery. Colorblindness is a phenomenon of bravery and wisdom. Contradictory to their age, the children demonstrate these traits in the fullest extent. They care about love in friendship rather than what other people will think of their being together. This idea is a conflict that arises in life everyday. Too often we make our decisions based on the thoughts and opinions of others, fully neglecting to go after what we truly want. If we weren’t so concerned with what everyone else wants for us, our world would eliminate so many prejudices that arise just from this concept. No matter how hard we try, the thoughts and ideas of others will continue to affect our judgment of the world. I wouldn’t know how to rid biased verdicts from affecting our perceptions, and frankly, I don’t know if it’s even possible. You would have to convince a very large number of people to completely change their thought process, their insight on life. Are their ways we can catch cynicism before it infects the minds of our youth? How do you make a group of people see that we are all the same when we are so troubled by our differences?

By: cel5125

cel5125 — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:50:04 +0000

First off, I'd like to say that I enjoyed both of these videos and I think they give a little hope to people who think there is no longer any "good" people in the world. The first video involving the man who donated one of his kidneys to a woman he knew from the grocery store he shopped at. I didn't mention the woman was of a different race because in my opinion, this is a people story and not a race story. The video was very uplifting for me because it goes to show that there are people who view others as equals and treat everyone with the respect that they would like in return. I think it's pretty safe to say that the man who donated the kidney would have done so even if the woman was green and had a tail. He saw an opportunity to help someone that he respected, and he followed through with his actions. The next video is also a great example of people having the ability to go through life being "colorblind." The fact that the two lovebirds are so young reminded me of when I was younger and going through school. I was raised to mind my manners and be respectful of everyone. My parents never discriminated against anyone of a different race, ethnicity or anything else so I naturally didn't either. When I think back to the first time I was in frequent contact with children of different races, I realize that I actually made it somewhat of a point to include them in games and groups that I was a part of. When you are a young child, it's very easy to have this outlook because even though you notice not everybody in the world is the same color as you, everyone is still a person. A person just like you with a nose, two eyes, two ears, etc. This is why I believe it's very important that the children of the world are brought up in homes where race can be an open subject and parents stress the fact that everyone should be treated with respect. If this sounds like I'm saying you should like everyone you come in contact with, I'm not. If you don't like somebody, that's perfectly fine. Just don't dislike somebody based on silly things like the color of their skin or their country of origin. It's also important to avoid stereotypes and generalizations. If you have a bad encounter with a person of a different race, don't show off your ignorance by assuming that everyone of that race is a bad person or an asshole. Their are good people and bad people all over the world and all races have their fair share of both kinds. The important thing to remember is that no matter what, good or bad, everyone is still a person.

By: kyleholmes

kyleholmes — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:06:58 +0000

I thought the video entitled “Tan Hong Ming” brought up a very interesting point. As children, people do not hold prejudices against one another. They don’t dislike somebody because of some kind of physical feature such as skin color. They will dislike certain people because they have been wronged by them, or they have seen or heard of them doing wrong. I don’t think we are biologically predetermined to be racist. I think racism is something that people absorb from their elders/superiors in society.
I remember back in the 1960s, an elementary school teacher ran some experiments with her students that prove this point to me. Keep in mind that what she did was highly unethical. She taught in an all white class and was trying to teach her kids that racism was unfair. So she, the elder/superior, told her students that some of the her students were better than others along the lines of physical characteristics.
In her first round, she divided the students based on eye color. She essentially said that kids with green and blue eyes are better than those with brown eyes. She went so far as to tell the students that those with blue and green eyes had all sorts of positive qualities and those with brown eyes had all sorts of negative qualities. To further separate these two groups, she would not let the brown-eyed kids drink from the same water fountains as the blue and green-eyed, and she made the brown-eyed kids wear an arm band to distinguish themselves from everybody else. Rather quickly, the two groups began to divide themselves. Those with green and blue eyes treated looked down on those with brown eyes and even treated them cruelly despite any prior friendships.
After a few days the teacher told her students that she had been wrong, and that in fact it was the brown-eyed kids that were superior to the blue and green-eyed kids. When she said this, the rolls between the two switched almost immediately. Furthermore, nobody from the brown-eyed group, that was now superior, stood up for anybody that was now being picked on as they had been only days before.
What this teacher did was highly unethical, but it proves a point. These kids had no prior existing ideas that one group was superior to the other. Some of the kids with blue eyes were best friends with some that had brown eyes, but when an authority figure told them that one group was better than the other, the kids, who previously had no animosity, quickly turned around and were no longer friends with their prior best friend.
When you extend this idea into society as a whole, you can begin to understand where racism comes from. Some people still holding onto the beliefs that they were taught when they were younger, and they never challenged what they had been taught.

By: razbury97

razbury97 — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:31:38 +0000

We are culturally defined to the point where I find it hard to believe we have much control over who we are at all. A professor of mine once said that the society around us, the society we have constructed is merely a projection of our psyches. We need to adopt psyches that will truly be conducive to our and our children’s freedom. We have to adopt a way of thinking that will celebrate human emotions that should be shared and interchangeable no matter the color or language those feeling the emotions speak.
In regards to the video, we see two children much closer to a culturally ‘clean slate’ than we are. I hope, I truly hope that skin color doesn’t end up dictating those two children’s lives, but my gut says that unless our psyches radically change they will fall into a society divided by shade, dialect, and religion.
People told me and still tell me that loving a woman and being a woman is wrong. WE ARE ALL HUMANS. Get it through all of your heads. Life is too short to sit idly by and watch opportunities for the most sought after human emotion pass you by. Sometimes I honestly doubt homophobes, racists, sexists etc on their ability to love. I feel as though love dwarfs all differences and ‘faults’ or at least should. When someone claims to be in love and discounts mine, I lose all respect for the person and their ‘love.’
Maybe it sounds harsh and as though I am speaking from a lack of perspective but I thought I would never stray from my ‘type’ brunettes with light eyes. Now I am madly in love and she is not at all what I predicted for myself, but infinitely more beautiful in our differences. But I am going to say this and mean it, I don’t care if she turns black, blue, orange, heavy, slim, ripped, shorter, taller, wrinkly, dark eyes, red eye, I don’t fucking care if she turns into a vampire. I love her. I find it impossible to believe in the love of two people when they can’t admit to the things I just said, when they can’t say that they wouldn’t care if their lover was fat and yellow. In those instances it isn’t unconditional and from my point of view shouldn’t even be characterized as love.
Unfortunately, my previous paragraph just debunked the lives and lies of bigots everywhere. My sincerest apologies. I honestly would love to hear a counter argument. I would love to hear someone explain why their skin color is superior and why anyone below will simply not do. AND I would love to hear a heterosexual convince me my impulses are going to result in my fiery demise.
I personally am always going to root for love, the real thing. I hope someone agrees because we need a psyche change and we need it soon.

By: ThePit100

ThePit100 — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:28:33 +0000

By: GnarlyBro1

GnarlyBro1 — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:04:13 +0000

By: cep528

cep528 — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:22:27 +0000

In the world today, the majority of the news that we read, watch, and listen to is negative. It is very rare that the front page of the newspaper is filled with something other than war, murders, or devastations that have occurred. Which is why I really enjoyed these two videos. The first video about the man donating his kidney to the grocery clerk moved me. Dan Coin, the donor did not know or have any ties to this woman other than going down her line at the grocery store. She was not a member of his family, or a friend that he would call to hang out on the weekends. He simply was a customer that went down her line regularly and enjoyed talking to her. While he may have liked her as a person, in no way did he have to give up his kidney for her. Yet he did. Dan Coin did something that not many people would do, and he is an example of extreme kindness and compassion. As a grocery clerk myself, I come across hundreds of different people each day. Some are rude, mean, miserable people. But every now and then I will have a Dan Coin come down my line. Someone who exemplifies kindness and takes the time to ask me how my day is going or helps me load their groceries into a cart. Although they are not offering to give me a kidney, the small acts of kindness go a long way. Although there is a lot of bad in the world it is important to remember that their are also many people like Dan Coin out there.
Along with the first video the second video also had a very important message. Although, the little boy and girl were of different races and from different countries, countries that do not get along, they did not allow those factors to get in the way of their feelings. Even though Chinese and Malaysians may have their differences, love has no borders, or colors. These two young children are helping to defy what society says is “correct” and what is “incorrect”. We shouldn’t be discouraged from befriending someone or falling in love with someone just because the color or the skin or the nationality that they are. In reality, as we learned today in class, the color of our skin is the way in which our ancestors adapted to their environment and were able to survive. It is nothing more than that. Those closest to the equator have more melanin in their skins and are darker. Those who are farther from the equator tend to be lighter skinned. If our ancestors had not made these adaptations we would not be here today. These two children are helping to send the message that \where we are from, what we look like, or what color skin we have, doesn’t mean we can’t befriend or like those who are different from us. Because at the end of the day, when are all just people.