I was searching through the videos Alec has on his weblog about Media Literacy and while going through different links, I found a video on Youtube that I thought was quite interesting.

To give you a short summary (because I think you should watch it)… while talking on The View one day, Rosie O’Donnell decided to talk in “Chinese” and repeatedly said ching chong chong, as if that is what it sounds like. Now, I realize it is *funny* to some people to make a joke about how other languages sound, but do we actually realize how ignorant it is?

I am not going to lie, pretend I am perfect and say that I have never laughed at a prejudice joke. It makes me sick to my stomach with guilt, but I probably have.. and it really makes me wonder why this kind of behavior is still somewhat acceptable.

I work with a girl named *A* from Ghana and when she showed up late for work yesterday I asked her why. She said that she got suspended. Being a teacher, it upset me a little so I asked her why; she replied with something I never expected. In history class, her teacher was talking about Martin Luther King Jr. and mentioned something about his life. *A* had a question so she lifted up her hand and proceeded to ask a question. Apparently, her teacher looked at her and said “Shouldn’t you of all people know this?” *A* was so shocked and upset that she just got up and left class….. and got suspended.

I was soooo incredibly shocked when she was telling me this story. I wanted to go to the school and have a few words with this teacher. It’s 2008 people… don’t we realize things have changed!? Or have they? I sometimes wonder if things have even gotten better…

This video is a “response” to Rosie’s comments on The View from a guy who is being honest and real about the situation and the way he does it is really appealing to watch. He’s calm, collective and just trying to get his point across. I think he did a darn good job.