I was really intrigued by this blog post. I do not think have ever really given much thought to people in prison. Whenever I have thought of people in prison I guess I stereotype them to a point. As for lifers, I think that they obviously did something to deserve being there and crimes that warrant life time sentencing are pretty heinous. When I read this letter though, I was really touched. I think our views or at least my view of what inside a prison would be like is kind of skewed. I imagine a large number of mentally unstable, angry, and violent men yelling and fighting in a prison. This letter explained to me that it really is not like that. These people, regardless of the crimes they commit are good people. Their one action committed through lack of judgment does not show their real character. This man is explaining the amount of true compassion that takes place behind these prison walls. It is something we do not see and something we do not expect, as this man stated, “in this place that most people think is full of beasts and uncaring violent predators, it is actually rather common.” It shows that lifers, no matter what crimes they committed, are the same as all other people. Committing a crime does not take away everything that makes them capable of feeling anything right and good. After reading this letter I actually feel like some of the people he is describing have more compassion than people on the outside. The idea of putting aside all the hate you have for someone in order to help ease someone else’s pain is amazing, or giving up your right to talk on the phone that day so someone else can have just a few extra minutes to speak with their daughter on her birthday. These prisoners aside from the reason they are in prison have the same feelings as all other people, obviously because they are human too. (I think sometimes people forget that.) They feel upset when bad things happen in the world and they feel sorry for people that are going through hard time. Compassion is a trait that we all possess and something we are all capable of. It is a natural instinct to comfort those around us in pain and being in prison makes it no different. This letter really opened up my eyes and make me rethink exactly how I viewed people serving a sentence in prison. This man as the blog stated has come to terms with his crime and taken the necessary steps to reconcile with himself and what he did. Through his letter, he has conveyed a strong point. Getting to take a glimpse into his mind, into what he thinks and what he sees, has touched me. It has made me take a step back from the stereotypes I would normally assign to people like criminals and understand that they can be good people and experience the same feelings as all humans do.

I think this post is a really great comment and a really good idea of how women should see themselves. I agree- all women are beautiful, but as much as you say that about other women, it is hard to completely believe about yourself. I think as women we all struggle with the idea of beauty and how we look. We are constantly being compared to what we see in magazines, famous actresses in Hollywood, and even our friends. It can be hard to feel comfortable in your skin and truly believe you are beautiful. I know I struggle with that a lot. I find myself constantly comparing how I look to other women and wishing about those little things I wish I could change. “ I wish I could wear that or I wish my chest was bigger or I wish my butt would fit in that.” Do not get me wrong, I love my body and how I look, but I think that there are those small things we all wish we could tweak. In a perfect world each of us would be completely at peace with our bodies and how we look. I think opening discussions like this are getting us all a step closer to that. We live in a world where we are being compared to the minority. We are comparing our bodies to the unrealistic air brushed world of models and Barbie. We are chasing an unattainable goal. In the real world, there are so many women of all shapes, sizes, skin tones, hair color, etc. Each of us is beautiful in our own way and we need to embrace that! We need to realize that we are all different and beautiful for it. Although we catch ourselves going “I wish I had her…” we should really be saying “ I love my…”. Beauty something that we need to believe about ourselves and really embody as women. I think that the girl in this post is extremely right that we are all beautiful and it is time for society’s idea of beauty to change. Instead of trying to fit into the stereotypical definition of beauty, we should show the world that everyone is beautiful in their own unique way and it is all about how you feel inside. Beauty is about what is on the outside, the inside, the mind, the spirit- it is about all of those things. Beauty is about self perception and being happy with who you are and not how others see you. Women constantly worry about how men perceive them and how other women perceive them, but if you are unhappy with yourself, you will never feel beautiful or sexy. It is time that we as women realize we are all amazing creatures and we have so many things to offer the world. We are beautiful inside and out and our flaws only accentuate that idea. Our “flaws” make up more beautiful and unique. We just need to start believing in that and really feeling that way about ourselves.

After watching the broadcast from CNN, it is hard to put into words what I think and feel about this video game. I am completely shocked, dumbfounded, frightened, disgusted, and repulsed. There are probably a lot of people out there that are thinking it is just a game, it is no big deal, but putting a video game like this on the market seems extremely dangerous in my opinion. A game that glorifies the rape of girl and allows the player to sexually violate her is degrading and wrong. In this game, the maker is exploiting women, making violence and sexual violence fun, and helping to endanger our society. Although it is just a game, there are plenty of people in this world that have a blurred vision of fantasy and reality. These people have been know to take what they do in shooting games and transfer it to their real lives. What’s to say that these people will not to the same with this game? Who’s to say that they would not go out into society and fondle or rape a woman because it is okay in the game? It could happen and although it would be that person’s fault, the maker/producer of this game should also be held responsible for circulating this type of glorified violence into the world. I do not think that these are the types of things we want to teach children and even the adults that are playing this. If we let people play these games, the seriousness of rape and violence would get lost; it would become more okay and accepted. It is these types of games that are becoming more and more real in their nature. They are getting more violent and more graphic and are also falling into the hands of younger and younger players. I think that something needs to be done to keep things like this off of the market. I understand people should be allowed to play whatever they feel, but at what price? I think that the government, parents, producers, etc. need to keep a close eye out for games that could be potentially dangerous to society. They are teaching the wrong type of lessons and making violent acts seem cool and accepted. I think that not only games that revolve around sexual violence, but shooting/war violence should be kept under close eye as well. I was shocked when I heard what the woman gamer had to say about this video game as well. As a woman, watching the few images they were allowed to show was disturbing and upsetting. This woman played the game and said she was not offended or put off by the violence in game. I think that is ridiculous. Maybe to her, it is just a game, but I can not say that I in anyway agree with putting things like this game on the market. It is allowing these players to think that it is okay to treat women any way they please and commit any action they wish. I guess I just have very different opinions on this game then she does. Overall, I think that this game should not have been created at all and that feminist groups are right to be outraged. As a society, we need to be careful what we think is virtual fantasy because there are people in this world that will transfer what they see into reality.

In class, Sam showed a clip from the film documentary A Girl Like Me. The entire clip we viewed was eye opening as it young black women discussed black stereotypes. The part that this blog discusses though was probably the most shocking video we have seen in class, at least in my opinion. This part of the video asks young black children to choose between two dolls, one white and one black. The reactions of the children really hurt me and made me upset. The first question they were asked was which doll they would rather play with and overwhelming, the children chose the white doll. I was extremely surprised when most of the children said the white doll was the good doll and the black doll looked like the bad doll. I really could not believe it. Even more surprising was that the way these children explained their choices. The white doll was good BECAUE it was white and the black doll was bad BECAUSE it was black. I was sad for these children that they have already grown up around these stereotypes that revolve on race. They have these predetermined notions that certain races are better than others, when we are hoping that we can extinguish these exact thoughts. In a perfect world, children should say that neither doll is bad or good, but that is something that seems far off. It is an awful thing to live in a society where we live by these underlying rules based on race that are both unfair and discriminatory. Granted there are hundreds of other underlying rules that focus on socioeconomic status and gender that have the same unfair and discriminatory ideals. I wish that these things were not issues that faced our society in this day and age, but this video shows how strongly they still exist. The worst part about this video clip was watching that last little girl react when she was asked to pick up the doll that was like her. She had just told the documentary crew that the black doll was bad and the white doll was good. Her face had so much sadness and pain when she picked up the black doll. When she hesitated it seemed like she wanted so badly to pick up the white doll, but knew that was not what she looked like. It is heartbreaking to see a girl that is already uncomfortable in her own skin. At that age she should not have these ideas of race in her head and this feeling of being ashamed because of her skin color. To think that she has the same ideas about herself that she has about the black doll is very distressing. I can only hope that as she gets older she understands that every person is beautiful and we should embrace who we are. Hopefully, she can shed these stereotypes that society has led so many people to believe in and know that her race does not have to define who she is.

I think that there are so many things about this situation that are truly a shame. Obviously to begin with is that fact that this behavior is occurring in 2010. For people to behave this way to bring about change in this time seems so outdated. Of course people have differences of opinion, especially when it comes to matters that affect everyone in this country. People are going to want to be heard about something that so closely impacts them. The problem though is that there are much more positive and civil ways to be heard. Writing racial slurs, threats, spitting, physically assaulting people is outrageous. In a country that preaches acceptance and unity, these behaviors seems to be conveying quite an opposite idea. Sure, we believe in free speech, but as human beings, I think that there are better ways to treat people and get your point across. Disagreeing with the health care reform should not give people the okay to go ahead and call our country’s leaders derogatory names and depict them as figures that led nation wide genocide. This type of harassment is never acceptable in any situation. Furthermore, it makes me think what it would be like to be in the shoes of our nation’s leaders. To make millions of people happy is a VERY demanding job and I do not think it will ever be accomplished. You can not make everyone happy, but that does not mean you should be objected to such treatment. In this country we value different beliefs so there is bound to be opposition. I think that the way these people handle their opposition is the true test and the way that the tea party is handling it seems extremely wrong. In a country of free speech though, people are allowed to express their opinions. It is good that these people care so deeply about this matter, but it still does not give them the right to spit on someone and degrade them. Protesting is a great way to exercise freedom of speech, but not threatening people. I think the tea party’s system is going about making change in a wrong and unacceptable way. Granted, all parties in the political spectrum are capable of protesting in the same manner and I am sure they have, but at the moment, it is the tea party that is on display. Hopefully, everyone in politics will see this shocking behavior and take strides to stop all people from taking part in it. I think it is important though that we look at the players in this behavior. I am sure not every single member of the tea party is out there waving around signs with Obama depicted as Hitler and in fact there are many party members that are disgusted with the behavior their fellow members are taking part in. That may be how the party on a whole feels, or it may not be, but we can not think that these protesters are speaking for each member of the tea party. Everyone in a political party probably feels that they were wrongly depicted by their fellow members at some point in a protest, just a thought.

I think that this article about the school canceling a prom because of a lesbian couple is outrageous. First off, canceling the prom that the entire school attends because of ONE couple seems so miniscule and ridiculous. They are taking something away from all of the students because they do not agree with what one student wants to do. That though, is not even close to the real problem with this situation. I think it is so wrong for the school to take away prom because this girl wants to bring her girlfriend. They are showing how completely close minded and discriminatory they are as a school district. This girl has a different lifestyle than what the school perceives to be “right”. Who are they to judge what is acceptable and not? This girl should be allowed to bring whoever she wants to her prom, including her girlfriend. It is wrong and unfair to take such actions just because of her sexual orientation. In my opinion, being gay or lesbian or bisexual is not something that a person chooses to be. I think it is who they are, part of their personality and soul. With that thought, how can someone judge her and punish her for who she is? She wants to embrace who she is and her lifestyle; her school is not allowing her to do that. Also in this situation, they are saying that by being a lesbian couple at prom, it would make other students uncomfortable. I am sure that some students would feel uncomfortable, as they probably share the same non accepting view the school has, but if this girl is willing to bring her girlfriend to prom, then she must be out. I feel like her peers should support her in her request to bring her significant other to prom. On top of not being able to bring her date, the school is even refusing to let her wear a tuxedo! Why is that so bad? It seems to me that the school is not only discriminating against same sex couples, but they are also extremely concerned with gender roles. The idea of letting a girl wear what boys wear is threatening to their current way of life. So what? Times are changing and as a whole, we should be more open and accepting to these changes, not shutting them out and causing a scene. I think that she is right when she said that her school would hate her. She was probably already outcast because she is a lesbian, but now being the reason their prom was cancelled will only add to her already existing bullying. She has been completely singled out and that could have detrimental affects on her social and educational life. I think that she is very brave for standing up for herself and her sexuality. She has a right to have a prom like every other high school student and she should not be discriminated against. For the rest of the world, we should be supporting the differences between individuals, not condemning them.

This topic of debate has definitely sparked a lot of controversy at the University of California- San Diego, and through the media, plenty of other places as well. While I think things are getting slightly out of hand, I believe this combination of events at one campus does deserve the attention it is getting. The argument of racism and racist acts has plagued this country for decades. While we would all like to rid the world of unfair treatment and discrimination, it seems impossible. There are some people that will never in a million years change their ideas and opinions to non racist thoughts. This is wrong no doubt, but it is hard to see how you can change someone’s long standing attitude. In this particular case of the University of California- San Diego, I think that the minority students definitely have a right to be outraged. There have been multiple instances where someone/ some people are mocking and threatening them for being of a different race. The reporter in the video kept repeating that the alleged student who organized most of these acts were minority students themselves, but I do not see how that makes the situation any different. Color should never matter in any circumstance, whether it be committing the crime or being the target of it. Now I have to admit that when I first read the article, the idea that this all started with a theme party was baffling to me. I understand why minority students would feel like they were being mocked, but I feel that the initial intention of this party was for fun and fun only. Things do get a little sticky when it comes to the fact that the party planner had so many details figured out. Besides that, I think that the students have a “ghetto cook out” was just something to fill their boredom. Plenty of students have theme parties that could be seen as politically incorrect, but in most cases it is just an immature way to have a good time. The noose in the library is something completely different in my opinion. I think that that act was way crossing the line and extremely offensive. The noose has been a symbol of the unfair treatment minorities have had to face in this country for decades. It holds so much emotion and hate; by putting that in the university library seems to be sending a direct, racist message. I think that the minority students at this school have a right to be offended, outraged, and threatened. They should and are standing up so that the school knows that they can not have such terrible actions happening on that campus. By standing up they are helping to try to change those minds are the people it seems impossible to change.

I do not know exactly what to make of the newfound oil refineries on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. There are so many things that started flying through my head as I read the article, some positive, some negative. I think that overall, it is a good thing that has happened and really good turn of events for the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes. As Sam has shown in class from the beginning, Native Americans are almost ALWAYS at the bottom when in comes to income, educational achievements, and many other aspects of societal achievement. With this new discovery of oil that seems to be extremely plentiful, some Native Americans are receiving large sums of money. This is a good thing considering the huge poverty struggle they have been facing for years. Now they have a way of getting themselves into a new standard of living that includes having money to put toward debt payments and necessities, as well as a plethora of jobs for members of the community. Although they are getting different amounts of money, overall the community as a whole is benefiting from the large lump sums the oil companies are paying. In the article, it was mentioned of righting a type of wrong done to the Native Americans by the government years ago. This wrong can go back even further to the settlers killing Native Americans and kicking the rest off of their land, or when the government displaced the rest of Native Americans onto reservations in a type of confined living space. It’s right that these actions were wrong, but I find it hard to say that these are the reasons Native Americans are in their current socioeconomic status. It had a large role in their current situation, but I think at some point, the Native Americans had to try to help themselves a little more than they did. But back to point of this particular situation, I think that it is good that the people on this reservation have a new source of income and job opportunities. It can give the reservation and its people a whole new life and help pull them out of poverty. It seems to be bringing the community together as well since members of the tribes are moving back to take the jobs that the oil companies have opened up. As someone else mentioned, I think it’s good that the government has not interfered in the oil discovery, trying to claim the land and the oil profits. On the down side though, there is the obvious threat of pollution. With so many drilling sites started on this reservation, they are running the risk of ruining the land they live on, as well as their own health. In addition, the tribes need to be careful with the spending of their newfound fortune. Levings had the right idea with how the money should be spent, paying off debts and affording things to help the reservation as a whole. The individual members of the community need to be careful. They have never had such an increase in income before and they need to make sure to spend it on things that will be helpful, useful, and resourceful for them.

I believe it is true that lesbian couples are more widely accepted than gay couples. Although I think that all gay couples, of any gender, should be accepted the same, some people in society do not necessarily agree. I guess the reason behind this though is that in society, women are seen as more nurturing, caring, and affectionate individuals. It also comes from the way that boys are girls are raised. Growing up, girls are taught that they should show their feelings, not hide them. It is acceptable for girls to hug one another, have sleepovers, be close. For boys, it is another story. Many boys are brought up being told they should play sports, chase girls, and never to cry. Boys are tough, rugged, macho, and they love to look at girls. Therefore, when a guy comes along that does not fit that mold, they seem to stand out to more people. I think this is completely ridiculous because people should be allowed to show all sides of their personality, including men showing sensitivity. In the world there is this predetermined notion of gender roles, how we think that men and women should behave. These ideas tend to give us tunnel vision when we look at sexuality and public displays of affection. It goes back to the example that Sam used in class. If two girls are walking down the street holding hands, it does not seem to stick out. These girls do not necessarily have to be lesbians; they could be best friends, sister, anything because girls are brought up with the idea that it is acceptable to be that affectionate with people you are close to. I do not think it is fair to say though that all people are more comfortable with lesbian relationships or that no one is comfortable with gay relationships, because that is obviously extremely untrue. I think in the general sense that the public is more accepting of lesbians because their relationship seems to be closer to the “norm” than gay couples. I think this idea can be challenged though when you really examine lesbian relationships. Although I believe that the reason for its wider spread acceptance is because of the gender roles girls are brought up to follow, I wonder how this could be affected by the partners in the relationship. Would people think that it is less acceptable if one woman was more “butch” and one was a feminine woman? Or would this make it even more accepted? Here again is a challenge of gender roles. Girls are taught to be pretty and feminine, so if a woman goes against this norm does it stand out more to the public? Not all masculine women are lesbians, so this could have no affect on the public’s acceptance of who their partner is. I think that the world should stop paying so much attention to gender roles and embrace people for who they are and who they love. As a whole, we should be more accepting to all people.

I think that the statement Bauer made is completely outrageous. Maybe he really did not think his words through before he spoke them in public, but there is absolutely no excuse for the remarks he made. Referring to people as animals never seems appropriate to me, but when referring to people on welfare takes it to a whole new level. Welfare is a touchy subject, especially in this economy. Some people do abuse the system, meaning that the government gives them money to help them buy food and things for their children and some people spend this money on frivolous things and lavish lifestyles. In most cases though, the people on welfare have faced unfortunate circumstances in their lives and need help buying things that most people do not think about twice. Living from month to month not knowing if you can afford a roof over your head and food on the table has to be extremely stressful. Welfare is there to help people in these situations survive. For those people that take advantage of the system, it does seem like something should be done about these instances, like somehow monitoring welfare to make sure that recipients are using the money appropriately. The systems in some states that help the recipients get a job and start helping them help themselves is in my opinion the best system for welfare. That way the government can make sure that the money being given is used in the right way and then after a certain amount of time, they can wean people off of relying on that money. No matter what though, in any situation, I think it is wrong to refer to people, on welfare or not, as animals. They are human beings and one’s that need more help than other (at least in most cases). We should try to help them so that maybe one day we will not need welfare. I think Bauer made a serious mistake and his apology, although a good try, was less than what it needed to be. He did not apologize to say that he was sorry for what he said, but that he should have used a different metaphor and that he was not trying to offend anyone. Well as a politician, you need to be especially careful about what you say and how you use your words, because they are quite powerful. Obviously here he forgot that and showed the public something unlikable. We all have flaws, but as a politician, you need to put those flaws aside. Bauer should be sorry that he referred to people as animals, not matter if that was the way he intended the metaphor to come across or not. As a nation, welfare is a serious subject that does need some work so we can better the system. But the people that really need this government help, as Sam said, mostly children, have no choice about their financial standings especially in this economy. We need to remember this and try to help those who are in unfortunate situations, and one way is not referring to them as “animals”.