Tiger's Eye

I think that it would be extremely difficult to avoid the subject of religion in a western civilization class, especially when part of the course is going over culture and philosophy of specific time periods. It seems a bit ridiculous that college students should go to this extreme and fire a teacher over his opinion. I would expect a little more from students, and teachers as well, especially in an academic setting. Sure, one might get his feathers ruffled up upon hearing something that he doesn't like or that contradicts his beliefs, but again, an academic institution is supposed to be a place of debate. I had this one class that studied the history of the arab middle east. In this class, you HAD to discuss religion, because it was such a defining factor in history and culture. The teacher was, for lack of better terms, a smart ass: extremely intelligent and he used this to his advantage, at the expense of our feelings, to an extent. He didn't hesitate to put you on the spot and make you look like an idiot. But he challenged your thinking. He used hard and blunt methods to make us understand. And we learned. Sure, he would bash us, say that the majority "of you white kids don't appreciate what the Qur'an means to the Muslims" and the list goes on. Now don't anybody go jumping at the 'white kid' comment. None of us did, so I don't see why you guys should. Actually, we found it very amusing, considering that about 60% of the class were ROTC, lol. But again, we didn't try to get him fired because he allegedly made racist comments or made certain statements about our religions that we didn't agree with, because this was an academic setting. People should be able to say what they think, and if we think that they are mistaken, then talk about it. Dialogue and debate: this is what university should be about, not about catering to the students just because they feel a little uncomfortable. I also find it surprising that the college was so quick to dismiss him. I wonder how far they actually looked into this.

Ya, the fact that they were stating that "she was lucky" bugs me as well. It seems like they're trying to tell her that SHE was wrong and that nothing on their part was stupid or a mistake. That's not really fair, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of airport security, granted that their job is hard. Going through airports is difficult nowadays, and though I understand it is for safety, I still think that people are overly paranoid. As some people have already said, you would think that terrorists would attempt to be more subtle about their missions. I would imagine that half the point of a terrorist attack is the element of surprise: to shock people into fear, so that they become submissive. No sense in waving a banner so that people would take you out right away. I travel a lot, and I don't think that I exaggerate when I say that security is a little high-strung. One security lady started freaking out and wouldn't let my mom pass through because she had documentation that looked foreign to her (it was a visa). She got so caught up in how 'strange' (and somehow suspicious) it looked, that she failed to notice that the document specifically said it was approved by the US government (she had to call over another guard...). Another time, I met a guy on one of my flights into O'Hare airport: he was Indian, spoke english with a very heavy accent, and was somewhat mousy and kept to himself. It was the first time he had travelled anywhere outside of India, so he was rather lost. We got to talking, and when we were going through security, the guard looked at this passport, and ushered him to another security checkpoint, away from where the rest of us, and they kept him there for about ten minutes. He came out looking slightly frazzled, since they basically rummaged through his messenger bag very thoroughly, as well as his clothes. They prolly thought he had too many pockets It makes me wonder what 'suspicious/suspicious behaviour' is defined as. I agree with iNow. Sure, it was stupid to go into a Boston airport out of all places with a wired up sweatshirt, but was it necessary to threaten her with guns? Something seems a little screwey here. I guess no one is innocent now. It's now "guilty until proven innocent". Fine, maybe not quite that extreme, but leaning towards there. With situations like this, why aren't airports coming down on bringing in iPod, computers, and cellphones? I'm not against the fact that they checked her out; they probably should have. I just am a bit unsettled that they jumped the gun, quite literally at that.

Ah, I was in 8th grade, and I had just gotten home from school. My mom ushered my sisters and I up to the 8th floor (we lived in an apartment building) and basically sat in front of our neighbor's TV for the next few hours (we didn't have cable). So ya...

Hullo, herme3 & co. Been reading this thread for some time now, and I'm not entirely sure how to address it. It's...complicated, if I may say so. I guess that is just to say the least But anyways, it would make sense to address the most recent stuff, so I guess I'll just do that. *ahem* Graduation....hmm...an event that comes to the mind with several mixed feelings. It's an exciting, nerve-wracking, and heart-aching event all at the same time. After spending several happy years at my school, graduation was the big red flag that told me that the dreaded moving period was approaching very quickly. And it did. I'm currently still coming to grips with this fact, and even now I don't seem to realize that I won't be going back to high school again. My present that was build upon routines of waking up every morning, going to school and greeting people is now somewhere in the past, and it's time to move on. Again, a very difficult time of transition that is difficult to come to terms with. Okay, sorry. I'm just rambling on about what's going on in my life now when I should be addressing yours Well, herme3, honestly...I don't think that a friendship should be this hard to figure out. I dunno, I think that perhaps you're making too much of a big deal out of it. Is it trying to hard? I'm not sure. What I mean is, you talk about this wonderful girl being your best friend, and how you want things to remain that way so badly. It's pretty obvious that you care about where this relationship turns by posting your issue on this forum. But I honestly dunno how much of a help we're being And besides, you're going about planning your next moves and stuff. How to act around her, what to do, etc. You're discussing this with other people who perhaps don't truly understand what type of friendship you two have, thus making it difficult for all of us to give you good advice. If you should discuss this with anyone, it should be someone who knows both of you. Rewinding things a bit, I find something odd about planning everything, technicalities and stuff when it comes to this girl. Eventually, u start to care too much about what she thinks of you and you only try to please her. You a call her your only friend, so what does this amount to? Is she your only friend just because you please her? Well, that's not too happy. If we all worried about what people thought about us, that we'd be too occupied to truly enjoy a friendship that we believe to be there. Don't try to please people; you end up trying to be like everyone one else, and in the end, you are no more unique than they are, which is boring. Also, you may become disappointed with yourself. I grew up moving more often than I liked, encountering people of several different beliefs, ethnicities and backgrounds, and so it was difficult to establish strong friendships of trust, much less happiness. On top of that, I was way shy, and that always left me in the dust. My idea of friends was only having someone with whom I could eat lunch with, and after that, the days consisted of only following them around, pleasing them, and doing as they asked. Basically, I pleased people because I was afraid that they wouldn't like me otherwise. I think I developed a little insecurity after that, due to lack of confidence. I hated being alone, yet I've had to deal with it, as a result of my shyness and way too many language barriers to adjust to. All in all, my life was about schoolwork and what people profiled me as. After a while, i realized that this life was the pits, and so I tried to take things a little step further: i tried to get over my shyness my talking. It didn't matter to whom or what I said, and fortunately, it all went uphill from there. I guess that somewhere in the eleventh grade, I said "oh screw" to what people thought about me, and I found myself laughing more and feeling very happy. Personally, I don't care what people think about me anymore, and I've been told more than once how people think that I'm rather "weird", "abnormal", etc. But you know what? I happen to like my uniqueness and who I am, and I've many friends who feel the same way, who are also equally considered "abnormal" This year in particular, school has been very trying, and my fellow classmates and I found ourselves required to make some pretty difficult decisions where we were pretty divided among ourselves. It was a time during which we really had to establish who we are, and there was no time to go around pleasing people. It wasn't always fun, but it happened. Ugh, rambling about myself again, moving on... Going back to pleasing this girl, I can just tell you to not try to fit in with her popular friends. Just be who you are. If she really likes you as a friend, then she can care less whether you are weird, or a loser, or whatever. You can say the most random thing or send a letter and she would just laugh it off easily. I think that's the most priceless thing about friendship: you don't have to be so careful about who you are, cuz you're free to be yourself. Of course, you have to mind the huge trust factor that is involved, but that's besides the point It's difficult to be alone, but I guess sometimes that is an obstacle that comes along when finding true friends (I can count all my good friends on one hand Maybe two, if I'm lucky). Just as a last thought, in addressing to the event of girls freaking out when being asked out by a guy, I plead guilty I have to admit, at those particular moments, I felt like booking out. It's a strange feeling, but it happens. I think i could describe it as fear. Of what? I still am not sure. Rejection? Not likely, since I'm being the one asked, not the one asking. Expectations? I think that is the most likely. I don't like having people set expectations for me, and I don't want to have to fulfill them. So i mean, afterwards, u end up avoiding the guy concerned, and have the sign "GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE" on your forehead. But I guess I'm gettinf over those defense mechanisms. Otherwise, I'm not too interested in having a boyfriend. I think that there is something great about a casual friendship that would be lost if involved in a relationship. But again, I wouldn't know, having never been in one But yeah, there's one explanation as to why girls freak out at being asked out, though it's just according to me. Another, I don't think that she forgets that u're a guy. She's just so comfortable talking to you that she just doesn't CARE. All in all, don't spend your time trying to get her to like you even more; be yourself. Just try to preserve what you have, and maintain it. Long distance friendships are tough burdens to bear, but the ones that matter will last for quite some time. Well, if the effort is put into it, that is Be a good friend to her. That's the most that you can do, and perhaps the only thing that you really have to do. Send the occasional letter checking up on her; send a birthday card, anything to let her know that you haven't forgotten her and that you miss her. She will most likely get the message There can almost be nothing more risky, more challenging, or more memorable than a good friendship. Cherish what u have, and give urself a bit more credit. We'll see what happens, eh? Best of luck, Tiger P.S. Sorry, i know this probly won't make a lot of sense the first time I was just writing.' P.P.S. Ugh, long post. Apologize for that, too. Hope you can get SOMETHING out of it, herme3

I don't understand the question..."with the whole modesty thing?" Are you referring to the fact that women wear veils? That's a good question, but I'm not sure I could provide you with a suitable answer, though, since I'm not veiled, or Muslim, for that matter. Maybe they all stick to wearing swim caps and body suits I dunno (I can't really speak for ALL veiled women since I really don't know; my coach wore a cap and full body suit, though). Not all Muslim women are veiled: some dress just as casually as the women in the West do (at least, where I am), so wearing regular swimsuits, shorts, or tank-tops is not a really huge issue for them (depending where you are, since conservativeness varies from place to place, IMO). Could you rephrase your question? Perhaps then I could further elaborate an appropriate reply.

Doesn't say anywhere that it's UNACCEPTABLE to compete. One of my former swim coaches was an Olympic swimmer (she was sooo awesome! ). Actually, she was recently selected to join the current International Olympic Committee in 2004. Ah, here's a link about her: http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/ioc/members/bio_uk.asp?id=900

Going back to the title of this thread, what lessons are we learning from this incident?

I stand corrected. You are generalizing. While I agree with you that the West is less likely to respond violently to what Iran does, again, it's the groups of Muslims extremists that are burning down the embassies and seeking blood. Don't catergorize or label a religion as warped because of the actions of certain people. You don't see the entire population of Muslims marching down the street and torching places, do you? Also, Islam is a religion, not a culture.

I'm just guessing, too, but I think that you might mean... The Sunnis and the Shi'ites? Those are the two main sects of Islam' date=' I believe. I thought that it had something to do with the Prophet, but I don't remember... Hmmmm...... I was gonna say the Crusades, but I must be wrong then. Can't help you there, sry.

All these violent protests are soooooo disappointing. The reactions to the cartoon have been uncalled for. Okay, these people have the right to be upset, but they are taking it way to far in threatening people's lives. And Iran? What is up with that? The Holocaust is not something to poke fun at or take lightly. Iranian newspaper is just dying to provoke people. Ugh. I feel bad for its civlians who have no part in all of this......