Racism in "A Bronx Tale"

The racism Collegero is exposed to in "A Bronx Tale" is brought on by the people around him. He does not seem to be racist himself, but he is surrounded by people who are, so it is probably hard for him not to be. His family is racist, his best friends are racist, and Sonny and his crew are racist. As hard as Collegero tries not to let them rub off on him, it's like being a republican in a room full of democrats. How can some of their views not sway him at least a little bit?
I think another small thing that may make Collegero a little more racist is the black people that he tries not to have any problems with, but they just assume he does. Like in the scene with Jane and her brother, Collegero really has no problem with her brother and he is trying to be nice to him, but he already has the preconcieved notion that Collegero is just like everyone else in his neighborhood, so he is mean to Collegero because he immediately assumes that Collegero is going to be mean to him, which only causes Collegero to actually be mean to him, even though he didn't actually plan to be.
Although Collegero may not actually be racist, in the day and age and neighborhood he lives in, it's almost like he doesn't have a choice.

:)

"teen drinking is very bad.. yo i got a fake id though"

in class we talked about teen drinking and how glamorized it is here only because it isn't allowed. in other countries where the drinking age is eighteen or lower, it's no big deal, and they would look at the way teenagers drink here as juvinille and embarassing. but the only reason drinking is so glamorized here by teenagers is the mere fact that it is not allowed. if it was a normal, everyday thing like brushing your teeth, it wouldn't be something to rebel against, and teenagers wouldn't feel so urged to do it. i think that the drinking age should be lower for this very reason. if teen drinking wasn't so frowned upon by society, teenagers wouldn't feel the need to get ridiculously drunk and make a big deal out of it every weekend. i agree with sal that it does make it more dangerous, the fact that teens have to hide their drinking, because if something bad should happen, the people in charge are other teenagers who don't know how to react and don't want to get caught, so they might not make the right decision to help the person in need. the only reason teen drinking is so bad, is because society makes it that way. if teen drinking was an okay thing, it probably wouldn't go to the dangerous extent that it does now.

the awkwardness of silence

i believe that most people are uncomfortable with silence, i know i am. i think the reason i am uncomfortable with silence is actually the fact that i'm uncomfortable, because that means that whoever i am with is uncomfortable, too- which makes me uncomfortable. when conversation runs out, all i can think about is what that other person is thinking about me, which i usually assume is bad, since it is silent and i know they are relying on me to create conversation, and thinking i'm weird for not having anything to say. i don't think anyone could ever actually talk too much, because i think that no conversation is bad conversation. i think in this society, most people would prefer conversation over silence. however, silences are usually only awkward with strangers. if i'm sitting in a room with my best friends completely silent, i am totally comfortable, but if i'm with strangers, i feel awkward and uncomfortable in a silence. i think people should be more comfortable with silence because it gives more time to think and be with yourself, instead of always worrying about other people.