[Stacey L.]

There are several reasons for this. One is that Judaism is not just a religion, but also a culture, with its own traditions, foods, etc. Another reason I remember being given in religious school is that, throughout history, Jews have often not been considered to be true members of the society in which they lived. For example, a Jewish person who lived in Russia years ago but was the recipient of constant prejudice by the government would be more likely to choose to identify himself as Jewish than as Russian. However, there are also Jewish people who object to Judaism being referred to as a culture and identify themselves primarily as Russian, German, etc.

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Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

[Stacey L.]

It depends on the situation. Sometimes if I think it's somebody who should have known better or it's a situation where I think they should be more aware, I will (nicely) explain that I don't celebrate Christmas (or Easter). Most of the time if it's just like a total stranger like a cashier or waiter or whatever I just let it go -- it's the thought that counts and correcting every single person would be hard! Some people apologize for making the assumption and you can tell they mean it; others you can tell they really don't care and they're still going to say the same thing to everybody else they see. It used to really bother me that people wouldn't really even consider the fact that not anybody celebrates the same holidays they do, but now I've just learned to appreciate those who do try to be sensitive.

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Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

[Stacey L.]

I have worked for the past four summers at an overnight camp for children and adults with physical and/or developmental disabilities. There is one sesson made up entirely of children and teenagers with physical disabilities, nearly all of whom use wheelchairs. For new campers, when we tell them that we're going to have a camp dance, they are often skeptical. Most have never danced before, the unspoken assumption being that since they can't walk, they can't dance. But when the night of the dance arrives and they see everyone else having so much fun, they have to join in. Maybe they don't dance the same way as most people, and maybe an uninformed outsider would say that dancing would cruelly remind a child who used a wheelchair of what he or she 'couldn't' do, but for many of the campers the dance is the highlight of camp and the thing they look forward to each summer. Is this inappropriate?

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Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

[Stacey L.]

Saying Italians are 'congenitally ignorant thugs' does nothing to help the issue. I am not Italian but grew up in a city where there were a large number of Italians. There was no more animosity between Italians and blacks than between any other groups. There will always be some people from one group who do not like some people from another. Has every Italian you've ever met hated you, or was it just some? And don't you think there must be some black people who hate Italians?

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Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

[Stacey L.]

I don't know about this as a generality - all I know is that at my high school (in Cranston, RI), relationships between black males and Asian females were very common, much more so than those between while males and Asian females.

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Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

[Stacey L.]

First, I want to correct something you said. 'Being told that if you sin you will burn in hell' is a strictly Christian belief, not a Judeo-Christian belief. Judaism focuses on doing good in life for the sake of doing good, not because of what will or will not happen when you die. With that said, I personally am afraid of death, simply because I enjoy life and do not want it to end, not because of any religious beliefs.

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Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

[Stacey L.]

I am not a parent, but I have spent many years working and volunteering with kids and adults with all types of disabilities, including Down Syndrome. A child with Down Syndrome should be raised and treated in much the same way as any other child. It is important to take advantage of early intervention programs and therapy (physical, occupational, speech, etc.), and also to be involved in the child's education to make sure he or she is receiving the best possible experience. Aside from that, the child should be treated the same as his or her peers, as far as creating friendships and experiences.

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Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

[Stacey L.]

The Boy Scouts are relying on an old policy that might not even have meant what they are interpreting it as - that members must be 'morally straight' - because they don't want to actually have to deal with it. I have been involved with Girl Scouts for 15 years (since I was 5), and their policy is that sexual orientation has nothing to do with Girl Scouts, which makes much more sense. I have gotten to know quite a few lesbians through Girl Scouts, and it was never an issue. I worked at Girl Scout summer camps with counselors who were lesbians, and several of the women who worked for the council were homosexual. It wasn't something I learned until after I had known all of them for a while, and it made no difference whether I knew or not. It's not like they were about to start making passes at the girls, no more than a heterosexual woman helping with a Boy Scout pack would be expected to make passes at the boys. There are no grounds for people to be banned from Scouting because of their sexual orientation, and the Boy Scouts need to realize this.

User Detail :  

Name : Stacey L., Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Durham, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : student, 

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