I think this whole tent cities thing is amazing. People are so resilient to instead of being upset about all they have been through and having to live in a tent they are making the most of it to do what they can to get by and support their families. Instead of just crime increasing and people stealing things from others they are helping out each other by buying things from each other. It is important that they are still doing things to add relaxation or enjoyment to their lives by watching movies or getting their nails done. I could not imagine living in a tent with the only money being the money they had on them on the day of the earthquake. That is an extremely scary thought, but it is amazing that they are doing the best they can to support their families and enjoy their lives.

This letter from the impact really opened my eyes and made me think. I'll admit that when I typically thought of someone in prison I would usually instantly think of a scary criminal with tattoos and huge muscles that was always looking to start trouble. However, after reading this letter I defiantly have a whole new perception on prison inmates. Yeah at one point that did something that was horribly wrong, however everyone makes mistakes and it does not mean that they are a bad person. Unfortunately they do not have another chance out side of the prison but at least they are making the most of the rest of their lives. Instead of being resentful and angry I think it is amazing that they comfort each other in times of need and help to do whatever they can to help out others from inside the prison like donating blood and sending donation letters.

This brings up a really good point that I have never really thought about before. When saying that you think you can do more to contribute to the world you technically are saying that you think you better than other people. However, I do not think that you are being racist. There is a very fine line between thinking you are better than other people and being racist. I think that if you were racist you would be saying that you are better than other people and can accomplish more than them and contribute more to the world because you have a different skin color than them or something to that sort. However, I honestly think that this guy is just being honest. I think that people in developing countries can contribute a lot to the world and have a lot to offer. I just think that sometimes people in developing countries do not have the opportunity or resources to contribute their great fortune to the world, and this is extremely unfortunate. I think that this student was trying to say that compared to people in developing countries he has a greater chance to go to college, further his career, and more access to resources that can help him contribute to the world. For most people in developing countries they are more concerned with working and trying to get enough money to support their families, therefore they do not have enough money to go to school or do things that would get them noticed enough to be able to contribute to the rest of the world. I think that people in say the United States are just more fortunate to be able to get to the sources that they need to help and contribute to the world. I think that this is very unfortunate because I think there are so many creative, intelligent people in developing countries that if they had the time, recourses, and access to the things they need then they could do amazing things that would help out the entire world. So I think that the better way to state this would not to say that he thinks he is better than the people in the developing countries but to say that he is fortunate enough to have the access and resources to and opportunity to accomplish great things and help our others. If it is stated somewhere along those lines I think it would be far away from the racism line. Also maybe he should say that he can affect the world in a greater way because that does seem a bit conceited or getting close to the racism line. Instead he should say that he has a better chance at making and impact on the world.

This student brings up a good point. I think that the end result of all of this is for all of us to get along. The whole point of race relations is so that people of all different races no matter what skin color you have or where your ancestors are from. If race relations solved all of the problems then we would not have to worry about people being racist or judging other people. The whole point of this is for people to move past the idea of people having different skin color and on to seeing people for who they really are and what their true personalities are. Because in the end what is on the inside matters unlike what is on the outside.

This post really brings up a good point. Coming from a female's point of view I think that most males try to conform to society, that it is not only females who do this. Although females may do this more often males defiantly do it as well. Especially guys who are in high school or college. They typically want to fit into the "norm" and have nice bodies or wear nice clothing. A good example of this can be seen around campus. Many of the different fraternities on campus has a certain "stereotype" and the males that want to be in that fraternity might conform themselves to try and fit into that stereotype. This may mean tanning, or working out more, wearing their hair a certain way, or buying certain clothes. Although they may not take it to the extremes like getting plastic surgery they are still conforming to society.

I believe that there is not as much pressure for males as there is for some females to conform to society and what everyone else looks like. I think that part of this reason is because of the most males personality. For the most part males are more relaxed and easy going. Where as some girls are more caddy and based around material things. But of course there are some males that do care a lot about their personal appearance. From a personal opinion, I have noticed that my male friend who is gay and his friends are always trying to be the skinniest and best dressed. I am not sure if they are trying to conform to society or doing it for them selves, or trying to impress others.

I think that males have some pressure in society however not nearly as much as females. With all of the model shows, magazines, and just caddy other girls around them girls are always surrounded by the competitions to be skinner, have the best clothes, have the biggest boobs, or be the tannest. I think this is a shame because Sam is right that most girls are conforming to society and doing these things to their bodies to impress other girls and boost their self confidence, not to impress other guys. Of course if you had big boobs guys may be attracted to you more, however if your personality sucks then big boobs mean nothing because it will not become anything more that maybe just a one night stand.

It is a shame that both girls and guys have to conform their bodies to fit in. People should go to the gym to make themselves feel good, stay in shape, and stay healthy, not to be the skinniest person or have the biggest muscles, it should not be a competition. People should be able to be proud of how they were born, whether it was with really big boobs or really small boobs. Because appearance really is not everything. Eventually we are all going to get old and wrinkly and saggy and none of this conforming to society is going to matter.

I do not understand why video games like these were created in the first place. Who has a sick enough mind to take the time and make these things. Personally when I used to play video games I would play games like Mario Brothers or like race car ones and those were fun. I do not understand why people feel the need to play such violent and grotesque games. It is inappropriate, especially for younger children. Of course they put ratings on these games. But it not like they are going to a public place to play them. There is no one really to regulate what they play especially if their parents are not playing close attention. A younger kid could easily get a hold of their older brother's game and be exposed to violent and nasty things that they should not be exposed to.

This is an interesting question. I have defiantly learned a lot of interesting facts this semester and have enjoyed the class. However, I do not think that there is anything that was a like a huge life changing moment. I am not sure if it is because I am a pretty open person and did not have a very strong opinion to be changed. I do think that the things that I have read in all three of the books that were assigned this semester and also what I heard people say during my race relations group has made a difference to me. I learned a lot through Disposable People about slavery in different countries that I had no idea still existed. Also, during my race relations group I heard stories from other students that really made a difference to me because I was hearing them in first person rather then reading them from a book.

This post brings up a good point. And it made me realize that I do not like the whole "team" thing. I understand that is makes things easier for things like the text voting and quick classroom discussion. However I do not think people should be categorized like that. We always talk about how we want everyone to be equal, so then shouldn't we all be on the same "team"? I feel bad for this student because it kind of seems like he has to take sides. And if I was him I am not sure what "team" I would pick. I think it depends on how he was raised.

I do believe that this video post brings up a really good point. I believe that how and when people come about the re visioning stage is dependent upon the person's environment as well as personality. If someone grows up in a diverse community and it surrounded by colored people then they will probably go through he re visioning stage before others who grow up in a predominantly white community and rarely interact with people of other races. I also think that is depends on the person's personality. If someone is a very open person that is open to talking and interacting with all different people then they will probably go through the re visioning stage sooner than those people who are close minded or maybe just shy and do not like interacting with people that are different than themselves.

As it was talked about in lecture, welfare does cause some problems in today's society. Of course there is the option of shutting down welfare all together however, I think that if the government was to shut down welfare completely this would cause major problems. I believe that there are ways we can maybe alter welfare or change it a bit to try and decrease some of the problems that coming from welfare, but I do not think tit would be smart to completely get rid of it. Welfare is a really great opportunity for some people to get back on their feet, find a job, and take care of their family. And it should only be used for those that really need it. Sometimes illness or other really unfair circumstances happen to people and they need a little boost to get back and continue on with their lives, this is where welfare can help out a great deal. If the government was to get rid of welfare completely then it would mean that the people that need a little extra boost just to get back on their feet would not have that opportunity anymore. I think that this is not fair. If some of the people that tend to take advantage of the welfare system just got jobs and did not need welfare, then this would solve of the problems that are being caused from welfare today. One of the problems I think that we have with the welfare system is that there are so many people that cheat and lie and get away with it. If the people that are on welfare are watched and screened more closely before they go on welfare as well as while they are on welfare maybe we would not have as many problems. There are some people that are on welfare and they find new jobs that are off of the books so to the government it seems like they still need assistance however in reality they no longer need welfare assistance. This is not fair because they are cheating everyone else. Welfare should be strictly for the people that truly do need it and it should only be for a very brief amount of time. Some people become so dependent on welfare that they forget the point of it, that is it meant to get you back into the working world and find a home of their own for them and their families. For most people welfare is something they do not want to have to deal with and are embarrassed to tell people that they are on it. Sadly in a way if everyone felt like this then this would get rid of the problem of having people abuse their welfare assistance. However, welfare for the people that truly do need it should not be something that they should be ashamed about, because everyone needs assistance at one point or another.