I agree that the situation is different now then it was in the fifteen or sixteen hundreds. There was a lot of exploration going on back then and there were super powers fighting for territory. When the Americas were discovered the Native Americans were in the way of claiming the territory for their country. They did not consider themselves to be invading a foreign country with a government and an army. They were taking what they considered to be rightfully theirs because they were the “first” to discover it. There was a battle between the Europeans and the Native Americans and the Europeans won. I think that the major difference is the development of the land. When the Native Americans lived there they lived among nature and did not develop areas or have a single government ruling the entire country. They may have considered a certain area to be their territory but it was not defined and established. Today there is a enforced border and a solid government. The land is developed into cities and suburbs and we are technologically advanced. We have an economy to worry about and a government that offers services to their citizens. If there are illegal immigrants who are not paying taxes then they are leaching off of the government. We are paying for them to get the same benefits that we are. They are not contributing to the cost of roads, police officers, public services, and all other government run organizations. If the amount of people getting let in really depends on the business community as Sam Richards stated then I agree with the process. Why let more people come in when there are not enough jobs to support those who are already citizens of the country? We would be forced to pay for their welfare if they were unable to find a job. I do not find it cold hearted to only allow immigrants in when there is a need for workers. This is probably one of the main reasons they are attempting to come to this country. They want to work. Well, if we do not have jobs to offer them, then why would we have them flood into our country only to not be able to find work or leach off of the money that we have rightfully earned and payed to the government? I do not know a lot about the situations that the immigrants find themselves in but there needs to be regulations in everything in order for our country to remain stable and not resort to chaos. Current immigration is not comparable to the Europeans first discovery of this land. The way of life has changed completely and therefore so has the system of immigration.

There are very few people who are recognized in the world for living normal lives. In order to be acknowledged and known to the world you have to be an extremist. There has to be something about your life and your actions that set you apart from everyone else in order for it to be news. This creates a feeling of uncertainty and biases towards certain groups of people. Every country is going to report when there was a major event in another country, not just when everything is running smoothly. Average people rarely show up on the news, especially not on international news. This girl’s husband is one of those normal people who is practicing his religion. He was brought up to be of the Islamic faith just as many of us were brought up to live as a Christian. Most of us do not question our religions or follow the teachings to the word absolutely and consistently. There are just as many crazy Christians in the world, but because we are surrounded by normal Christian families it is easy to realize who the radical people are. They are not part of the majority. Muslims have the same issues. There are always going to be people who take their religion to the extreme and follow their holy book word for word. Unfortunately when you do this you find that there are many different interpretations of holy books and what they are really trying to represent. Everyone takes away something different from what is written. Then you have those who feel that it is their responsibility to make everyone around them and even people on the other side of the world believe what they believe. They need to save them from the wrong path. This way of thinking is pretentious and arrogant. As the girl in the video said, Allah or God or whatever you worship they are all the same. You may feel that your religion is the only religion, but there has to be some part of your mind telling you that there is a chance you are wrong. When people are missing this part of their conscious thinking, they decide to destroy those who are not following their path. When these people are broadcasted on the news they become the representative for that religion to people who have no other experience with it. There is always going to be an association made and they are hard to ignore. This is why people like the girl’s husband die a little inside when they see Osama bin Laden. They know that this terrible person is going to be the representative of their beloved religion to all those who are not familiar with it.

First, the discussion groups more than the lectures have helped me to think differently about racial issues. I enjoy the lecture, but hearing about the personal experiences and opinions of those in my group has made more of an impact on me. It is Sam’s lectures however that stimulate the conversations. His class gives us a starting point to discuss race issues amongst ourselves. We may not leave Sam’s lecture with a new understanding or opinion, but a desire to learn more about the topics he brought up. It stimulates curiosity around race relations. He asks us our opinions, but in a class of that size he cannot take the time to discuss every topic in detail. Whereas in the discussion groups you can spend fifty minutes discussing one subject and hearing from everyone in the room. There are always some that agree and disagree with Sam. The groups meet every week which gives you the opportunity to bond with your group to a certain extent. Then when one of them finds something offensive you are more likely to consider it than blow it off. We discussed a ghetto party that was thrown by a frat and whether or not we found it offensive. My first inclination was to think that it was funny and not really a big deal. After hearing everyone’s opinions, especially those who identify in some way to the black race, I found it to be less innocent. The stereotype that they are portraying in the ghetto theme is furthering negative black stereotypes. It may be funny, but there is a prominent belief in many people still today that black men are dangerous and black women are loud and opinionated. This combined with the requirement of thug dress encourages this stereotype. I still believe that the people who hold those kinds of party are not meaning to cause trouble, but I realize now that it may not be taken in such a light attitude by those directly affected by it. When I hear of the struggles that many of the people in my discussion have gone through because of their race it makes me understand why they are proud of their race, culture, and / or ethnicity and why they feel that there needs to be something done to change the attitudes of many people in the world today. I may not change by beliefs completely because of what is said but it is slowly picking away at my predetermined opinions on race issues.

One negative I have found with the class, however, is that while the discussion groups make me want to understand more about what people of other races go through, sometimes the people in the class do not. I do not know if this is due to the fact that those who get the chance to speak are more outspoken and passionate or if because I cannot ask follow-up questions I misinterpret what they are trying to say. Whatever the reason sometimes I am offended by the comments made by people around me of other races or I find them very close-minded. For example, when there was a picture of twins where one looked white and the other looked black, I heard a couple of black girls making loud comments about how the white baby looked sick. Also, when we are able to text open ended questions, it is accepted when other races knock white people, but there is a big uproar when white people do the same. I understand that this is because we are the majority, but I still find it to be quite annoying.

I am not in favor of Affirmative Action. However, I would not presume that everyone hired because of affirmative action is under qualified. Whether it is a subconscious preference or not, employers are more likely to hire white men. This is where affirmative action makes sense. It is important that everyone is considered equally and that race does not affect their chances of being hired. The only problem is the situation where the top five qualified people do not fit the quota that the business is required to fulfill. This is where you have people who are not as deserving of the job taking the place of those who are. In this case, affirmative action is not helping the desired equality. It is reverse racism. They are hiring the black man or white woman over the qualified white man because of regulations. This leads to resentment and a less productive workplace. Affirmative Action either needs to be revised or eliminated. Even in the cases where it is effective, Sam pointed out that it is white women gaining advantage which in turn helps white men. This was not the goal of affirmative action. Affirmative action needs to be focused on economic class, not race or sex. There are plenty of women and people of color who do not need the advantage given to them and there are plenty of white men that do. It is not an efficient system.
Nepotism is a similar unfair advantage given to family members instead of women and people of color. However, this is something that occurs across the board. Everyone of every race, sex and social class give their family or friends the advantage. I do not feel like this is as big of an issue. If the relative is in a great enough position of power that he can have an influence on the employment of his family member or friend then he is smart enough and has enough stake in the business to only hire them if they are capable of doing the job. The relative who has them hired is now responsible for how well the family member fulfills the job requirements. A family member is someone that you know and someone that you trust. Therefore the workplace will improve. Having a family member in the business you are trying to get into is like having a really impressive reference letter. It vouches for your character and your work ethic, just as a family member would. It is not unfair in the sense that it is based on your qualifications, not your skin color.
It would be great if there was a way to hire those that were the best for the position based on their qualifications and personality alone, but it is impossible to do this. We just need to work on keeping unfair employment to a minimum. Affirmative action, however, is not the way to do it.

I wouldn’t say that bleeding is disrespectful way of saying period, but it does add to the eww factor. Bleeding makes menstruating sound like it is an accident or a problem, instead of being normal. Otherwise, I think it is a pretty common term.
I would really love it if there was a way to not have your period and still be healthy and normal and fertile. That would be awesome. I do not especially like having cramps, feeling moody and gross, and bleeding for a week. But it is worth it in order to be healthy and fertile.
I do not think that your menstrual cycle is something that needs to be shared. It’s not that I am ashamed of my period or that I feel other women should be. I just think it is a natural bodily function that is not something everyone wants to hear about. It is comparable to having a bowel movement or throwing up when you are sick. It may be natural, but it is not what you want people to picture when they look at you. On the other hand if a woman feels the need to talk about her period to someone close to her, whether male or female, they should be willing to listen without being rude or making comments about how gross it is.
I am lucky enough to grow up in a family where it is very accepted. I do not have any sisters, but I do have four brothers. While my brothers are not thrilled about hearing about my period, they understand when I do not feel well because of it and they are quite caring and understanding about it. My dad is even more open to the idea. If I need tampons, he has no issue buying them for me. Oddly enough, when I first started my period I was the one that was too embarrassed to buy tampons, so my dad would do it for me. This may seem weird, but my dad’s explanation is simple. He says that when he was younger it would gross him out too, but as he’s been married for 30 years and had five children, there is not a lot that can surprise him or embarrass him. Having such an understanding male dominated family has made it easy for me to feel comfortable with myself during that time of the month. If I need to talk about it with someone close to me I will. If it bothers them I know I can always talk to my mom. I do not feel the need to force them to accept the idea. Yea it would be great to not get moans and disgusted faces when the topic comes up, but I do the same when guys feel the need to share how big their bowel movement was.

Natalie Randolph may be getting into more than she is bargaining for. There is a very slim chance that she will have it easy being a football coach. Although she seems sensible and qualified she is still a woman. She mentions that she has not had any significant opposition to her being named the football coach for the Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington. This may be the case, but this fact was not well-known to the public previous to the interview. People may be quiet and appear accepting at first, but I am confident that they are harboring feelings of doubt. She is a woman attempting to coach a large group of athletic young men. There is a chance that her coaching is effective, but the fact that she is a woman may cause issues with her keeping control of her team. Young teenage men are not as likely to listen to an athletically built but slim woman as they are a brawny male coach with a deep demanding voice. She is going to have to overcome her team’s doubt in her before she is going to be able to coach them properly and then she is going to be forced to take on the task of proving her abilities to the public. Her pictures may depict a man-like form while playing football and she may be talented at the sport, but if she is not a phenomenal coach she is going to have problems. The minute the team loses a game, she will be ridiculed and most likely people will blame it on the fact that she is a woman. Natalie’s experience playing football helps her case and is probably why people have not stood up against the idea yet. She has calmed them down for now but when the mistake hits its going to cause a huge tremor throughout the community. She is not going to get the understanding view from the community that a male coach would receive. I do not think that people believe they will act this way, but when the time comes you know that there will be people blaming it on the school for having the stupidity to hire a female football coach. It may be true that up until this point and maybe for awhile longer that she has not had to deal with antagonization from the general public, but it is destined to happen. Whether by a majority of the people or by a few narrow-minded people, someone is going to make offensive comments that she is going to have to deal with. But if she’s man enough to be a football coach then she should be man enough to take the heat.

Europeans murdered Native Americans, pushed them off of their land, and destroyed the Native American culture. These three tribes were forced onto a reservation against their will and without regret by the federal government in the 1800s. The government even flooded more than a tenth of the small amount of land received by the Native Americans to create a reservoir. The federal government had no idea that this land was worth millions of dollars and now they are paying the Native Americans for it. They are also being forced to use a new form of technology in order to get to the oil that is under the Lake that they put there. I think this is great. It is the best revenge I have heard of in awhile. To be forced off of your land without compensation only to find that you are the ones now sitting on a treasure chest. Not only are they being compensated for the oil, but the oil excavation process creates a surplus of good paying jobs for those living in the area. They were forced to suffer so much and now they are the ones that have the upper hand. I feel that this is a godsend meant for them. It is karma. They were placed on undiscovered oil rich land. They were treated poorly by a group that now has to pay them millions of dollars annually for their resources.
Some people have commented that they fear this takes away from the Native American culture and drilling itself is against their ways. Native Americans are known for their great respect for the earth and not sharing in the common materialistic mindset of our culture. This may be so, but I think that we took away their chance to preserve their culture long ago and at least they are finally receiving something in return. There is also a concern that the newly rich are not spending their money wisely. Wilkinson Jr., a casino general manager, has advised the tribal leaders to invest the money being received into their futures. And as a community they need to invest in their homes, children, and future, but after so many years of suffering I feel that a little bit of careless spending on acquiring a few luxurious possessions is deserved and expected. Anyone who has struggled financially is going to instantly want to buy the things they coveted and were deprived, when they gain a substantial amount of money. They have been an oppressed culture long enough and they deserve to enjoy their newly attained advantage. There is always a limit to this, but I feel that they will become more frugal after satisfying their initial cravings for extravagance.

The video that was shown in class today involving the muslim woman and the sales clerk was surprising. I was very happy to see that more people stuck up for her than I was expecting. Unfortunately since the event of 9/11 there has been an unfair view of anyone who arab or muslim. There were the predictable people who feel it is "unamerican" to support any muslims in our country. I feel that this person is not a bad person just close-minded and unaware of the cultural differences between the people who flew planes into the twin towers and the americans who are of the muslim religion. The man who's son fought in the Iraq war was a great example of how americans should be. He stood up for those who were being mistreated based on a personal decision. When told that he was "unamerican", he defended himself by letting the clerk know that his son had just returned from serving our country. That could not have been a better argument if the news team had planned it. No one can argue with a man who has his son risking his life for our country. The two girls, with the one friend being muslim, were also very insistent and were not about to back down. I am very glad that there are people like this to represent our country the way that it should be represented. Those people who were not responsive and did not obviously take a side may be disappointing to some, but I do not feel this way. I am glad there were more people supporting the muslim woman than were supporting the man behind the counter. I feel that this is what we should be concentrating on and those that were in support of the muslim woman may be more comfortable standing up against injustice the next time that they come across it. The person in the class that said the people who did not comment were minding their own business has a point. Although it may be better to say something, it may not be in their nature to say something. You have to be slightly outspoken to stand up for someone when you are not directly involved. There are people who do believe to stay out of others business or feel too shy or unsure of what to say. They may go home or to work and spread the word about what they witnessed to family and co-workers. This is just as effective in the long run as if they would have stood up for the muslim woman in the store. It is just their way of dealing with unsettling situations like the one seen in the video. I know that I would have said something, but this is because of my personality and the way that I was raised. I am slightly outspoken, especially when I witness something like this. I cannot stand to see when people are completely rude and feel justified in what they are doing or saying. I would have to say something for my benefit of peace of mind as much as for helping her. But not all people think and feel the same way as me. I do not feel that they should be put down for this

It is perfectly heterosexual to love people of your same sex. The line is drawn when you have a sexual attraction to them. Like she stated in the video clip, she loves her roommate but she has no desire to do anything sexual with her. You can have very close friends that you love of the same sex without wanting to have sex with them, just as you can have friends that you love of the opposite sex without wanting to have sex with them.
Bisexual is when you are sexually attracted to both men and women. It does not necessarily mean love. If you are bisexual, you fall in love with your partner just as you would if you are straight. Bisexual only has to do with your sexual preference. If you are a guy and as you walk through campus see a woman that you would want to sleep with and then directly following see a guy that you feel the same physical attraction to and you want to act on your desires then you are bisexual. On the other hand if you have been friends with the same guy since elementary school and have shared much of your life together, you are going to feel a connection and a love for him. You are still heterosexual; you have no secret desire to get in his pants.
I have many friends that I love and that I share every detail about my life with. I would do anything for them and they would do the same for me. We are completely comfortable giving each other a quick kiss when we see each other or a hug or cuddling when we are watching a movie together. We are all aware of our sexuality and the known fact that we are all attracted to the opposite sex. We are open enough with each other that everyone is aware that there is no sexual attraction between us. We are not bisexual, we are close friends.
Another point that goes along with this is the ability to tell if a person of the same sex is attractive or sexy. I notice good looking people of the same sex just as much as I do good looking people of the opposite sex. It is very evident that they are good looking and acknowledging this fact does not make you gay or bisexual. It is just as nice to hear that you are pretty, handsome, fit, or sexy from a person of the same sex, as it is from a person of the opposite sex. Maybe even more so because you know that they do not have ulterior motives and are being sincere in their compliment.

Anything that causes controversy is going to be a popular discussion topic. White people at one time in our country owned black slaves. Slavery was unjust and immoral and will not be forgotten. Although slavery became illegal, one hundred and fifty years is not going to resolve the anger and resentment that children of former slaves have. Even though slaves were freed in 1865 there was no place for them to go and limited opportunities for jobs. They were uneducated and homeless living in a racist country. Because of slavery being in our past there is still going to be tension in our present and our future.
Today everyone is supposedly seen as equal, but we still have injustice in our government and our lives. There are still many racist assumptions and stereotypes about black people. Many white people do not trust a black person as much as they trust a white person. There are still employers who will choose the qualified white man over the qualified black man. There are grandparents who would be against their white grandchildren marrying a black person. There are many more white people who claim not to be racist but still make racist remarks and negative references toward black people. There is not yet the feeling of equality throughout our lives. We are trying to rid our lives of racism, but it is still evident.
Not only do some white people have a prejudice against black people, but some black people have a prejudice against white people. Because of the injustice that many black people have experienced, some do not like white people. Black people want to gain power in order to have equality. But at this point, and with the resentment with slavery, people seem to need more than equality. There are government interventions such as affirmative action that requires companies to hire so many white men, so many black men, and so many women. I understand the idea behind this, but I also feel that those who are most qualified for the job should be hired. If they are all black men, then hire all black men, if they are all white men, then hire all white men, if they are all women, then hire all women. I think that these actions further inequality. They do not solve anything.
Black people resent the fact that their ancestors were treated so unjustly and that there is still racism in the world. White people still have the power in a lot of situations and some of these people of power still believe black people to not be equal. This controversy leads to many discussions because it needs to be discussed in order to be resolved. Other races do not have the same history as black and white people so there is not as much of an issue to be discussed.