NCAA ban on mascots

[theboys]

Like Mark, I find this discussion interesting, and educational.

I worry that the biggest obstacle our country faces isn't liberal/conservative or rich/poor, but rather our tenuous race relationships.

Race relationships in America remind me of the scene in "Men in Black" where Tommy Lee Jones is explaining to Will Smith why there's a need to keep the public in the dark about the presence of alien creatures on Earth. Will Smith responds by saying something along the lines of "but people are rational, sane, and understanding". And, Tommy Lee Jones rebuts, "A PERSON is rational, sane and understanding. PEOPLE are irrational..."

On a person-to-person level, I think race relationships are pretty healthy. We work and play with people of other races. But, when we talk about problems, its the grander scale "them" we have issues with. That's why its so important for discussions like this. The more we know about each other, and the more we can discuss these things in a respectful way, the better things will get.

As for prejudice, for most right thinking people, our prejudices are more subconscious. It reminds me of a management case I heard once, where a consultant was asked to review the structure of the senior management group of a company, which was all white, all male. As the consultant spoke to each of the executives, he discovered most had attended the same alma mater as the CEO. Without consciously realizing it, the CEO had surrounded himself with people he was "familiar" with. We all have to be willing to step outside our comfort zones.

Last - and this is off the subject - someone mentioned "Red States" in passing. I hate that term. Hate it. Many of the states pigeonholed as Red/Blue were closely contested. The media's obsession with categorizing everything once again causes conflicts that needn't exist.