I think the difference is, you are just thinking this. You think you have more to offer, and you may think you are better than someone else, but that does not mean you are against anyone proving you otherwise. That does not mean that when you meet someone you think you are better than, you do not hear what they have to say, and respect them for whom they are and what they believe. I think thinking this way is a natural part of being human. You have to have faith and confidence in yourself in order to get along in the world, and to be the best person you can be. A racist, however, would do whatever they could do, to make sure nobody proves you wrong.

I think this is really important, but also I find myself not being that surprised. This leads me to think about second chances. Everyone messes up, but also everyone is also human. While some mistakes are more costly than others, that does not change the fact that people are multidimensional, and are capable of change. I think that understanding the ability to be compassionate and understanding is not a skill that everyone has. However, the fact that this man, a convicted felon, has this ability is really opposite of what you would think. It is sad to think, that we are the only ones that get the ability to learn from him, when he has a lot to give.

I have to disagree and say that I do not think the majority of people are not helping because they do not want to. I think a lot of people, if they could help, would want to. The thing is, life does not stop, even if we want it to. We take moments of silence to mourn the loss, but we still have to go on with our daily life. Not everyone has the luxury or the ability to help out as much as they want to or feel that they should.

For me, I feel conflicted in a lot of ways. There is only so much I can do, and only so much I can give. I donate as much money as I can, but are a couple of dollars really enough to make a difference in these people’s lives after being confronted with utter devastation? I feel that it probably does not make that big of a difference, but I hope, and I think that it probably makes a small difference.

If I could spend a month in Haiti helping out, and everything else could be put on hold, I would probably do so as well, and I think a lot of people feel the same way. I would love to go down there and offer my assistance, and view the issues first hand. I would love to talk to people, and try to understand their situation, and volunteer my time. The issue is, we cannot put our lives on hold, and Penn State is not going to allow us to pause our education. So we have to move on. Not because we choose too, because we really do not have a choice.

I think moving on, and making myself a better person, is in fact helping others out in the long run. If I get a good education, graduate, and get a good job, then there may be a time in my life where I will be in a situation where I can donate an amount of money that really makes a difference. If I do everything I need to do now, hopefully one day I will be able to take some time out and help out in a way that is actually beneficial.

I think for now as long as we are sympathetic to the situation and do as much as we can, we are doing the right thing. The right thing could even be talking about it to your friends and family. The right thing could be simply trying to understand, and being sympathetic and understanding in as many ways as possible. Some times this kind of support is just as important as any other kind.

Like she said on the video, all women are beautiful. But I have to also disagree that this IS a big part of being a woman; and a really really cool and empowering part at that! Are physically features, are what separates us from the male gender. Being amazing, smart, powerful, generous, caring, and wonderful is what makes us FANTASTIC women! Thankfully, it is all those things that really matter, but I think it is pretty fantastic that we can use our appearance to our advantage. I have to also disagree that I do not think Hollywood portrays all women. I think it has gotten better in terms of accepting people that look “different” (Mo’Nique winning an Oscar, for example), but generally I think pretty much all actresses look the same.

When my government is basing reasons for war off of their religious pursuits, it has something to do with me, and it bothers me. This is my government, and my country, just as much as it is a Christian country. I understand how important having faith is, but when it affects my life, and the lives of my family and my friends, then I have to say I do not give a shit about your religion. When your religion impacts my government to the point where it bends the Constitution to almost the point of it breaking, it has something to do with me. When I walk to class everyday it really hurts me to hear the preachers at Willard and the HUB. I am Jewish, so therefore I will burn in hell? (By the way there is no hell in Judaism) I do not understand. Why this person is talking to me, and why is he judging me?

There is definitely a lot to think about after today’s class. This is simply my small and unimportant opinion, and I am not trying to offend anyone in any way. First of all, Christians terrify me. Yes, Muslim extremists are definitely frightening, and I definitely see what they do as threatening to my well being, but Christian extremists are a bigger part of my world. The video he showed today in class with the children at the Christian camp, really made me uncomfortable. These kids are so young, and pretty much anything you tell them is going to have a strong impact on them. So what I am wondering is why would you not give them the option to form their own opinions? To me, it just seems like they are spreading a lot of hatred into the world, and forming narrow-minded ideas into very young heads.

Another question I have is for anyone that agrees with this war: After hearing what Sam said about it being “okay” for the United States military to kill 29 innocent civilians to get one bad person, how can you still agree? What if they are almost positive there is a bad person in a certain spot, they kill 29 others, and it turns out he is not there? What if he is there, but they kill 30 others in the process? What if they kill 31 people in the process, is it still okay and do you still agree? Again, this is just my opinion, but to kill just 10 bad guys, and almost 300 others in the process, just does not seem worth it.

This recent class has definitely put me in a difficult spot. I have always been a person that does not agree with war in any way. I understand the need for it on certain occasions, but I will never agree with it. I completely support our troupes and always will, but I feel now, more than ever, that this war is so completely and totally wrong. I can see the other side, and I feel so horrible because these people are being attacked and they can basically not do anything about it. We are the strongest, so they cannot fight back, but they also cannot keep doing what they have been doing, because their country is so poor. I thought the United States was supposed to be the police, not the bully and definitely not the bad guys. I think the United States really needs to think of another option than oil. We have some of the smartest people in the World living in our country, and some of the most progressive thinkers and ideas, and we need a new one ASAP. We need to be on defense, and definitely stop killing innocent people.

After being aware that the issue exists I think there is a clear second step. I think the second step would be telling others about these issues. Explaining to your family and friends that this exists and hoping they tell someone about it too. Writing a blog response to the issue, or posting something about what you learned on facebook or twitter. Keeping these issues, and what you know inside is not helping anyone. Raising awareness happens fastest when it extends off a tree of communication. I feel the more people are aware, and the more they are educated, the more they can make educated decisions.

I understand the issue that people have the right to do what they want to do. In the United States especially, we have the right to say what we want to say and play the video games we want to play. However, I think the issue here is that it is normalizing rape and sexual assault. I really think the last thing we need as a country is for people to think doing these sorts of things to women is okay, because it certainly is not. Even if the people playing these games would never do it in real life, it still is completely offensive and crosses the line. I hope the Japanese government does something about this.

I do not really think my opinion has changed all that much as a result of this class. A lot of the things we have talked about this semester I already knew a little bit about, and had discussed in other classes. Especially in terms of racial inequalities in the United States, I have learned and discussed this topic in a lot of my other classes. I was already well aware of these inequalities and their basis. I already knew that a lot of times these inequalities are just formed simply on the basis of racism, and that the only thing that can be done is allowing people to understand where this inequalities come from and raising awareness of their existence. For example, I knew about the differences in income and wealth that pertains between the races, and that some races have a much more difficult time getting ahead, simply on the base of their race.

This class has allowed me to expand my ideas, figure out and formulate my views, and learn more about these topics. As much as I may have known before, I really think this class has stretched my ideas and my knowledge. More than anything I think this class has allowed my views to become more concrete, and I feel that if I were to debate my side of an issue, I would be able to do so confidently. This class has not changed my opinion because my mind was pretty much already made up on a lot of these issues.

What has made a difference to me though, is that these ideas are being debated. I do not like the classes that only give me one side of the story. Even if I agree with the one side the class is presenting, which a lot of times I find myself doing, I feel that it allows me to understand more about why I agree when I hear the other side of the story. I like hearing people debate about theses issues, and hearing why they feel the way they do. I think that doing these blog entries has helped me learn a lot about this.

This class has also made me feel more comfortable discussing uncomfortable topics, especially those pertaining racial issues. I always felt before the need to be somewhat politically correct. And while I still feel that a little bit, I feel now that it is more important for me to be politically polite. I feel more confident discussing racial issues, and feel that I could defend or debate either side of an argument pertaining to these issues. I also feel like I know more where I stand in terms of these issues.

I think that you should allow yourself to identify with whatever part of yourself you wish to identify with. And I do not think that you should have to choose to identify only with one side of yourself if you do not want to. If identifying yourself as a Hispanic person feels right to you, and is what you are comfortable and confident with, then you should definitely identify yourself as such. If you feel in some situations you can better identify yourself as a white person, you should do just that. If people come up to you and ask you or treat you as a “white person” and you more identify as Hispanic, simply explain to them that you do not identify yourself as a white person. People are not going to know what you are, and what you stand for, if you do not tell them. Simply assuming they should understand, or getting angry if they get it wrong will not help you in this situation.

I think for the most part people will be open minded and interested that you are multiracial since there are so few people that actually are. One of my friends is half black and half white and he identifies himself as a black man. However, a lot of his friends are white and he grew up in a town that consisted of mostly white people. However, just because this is what he grew up in, he still does not see himself as a white person. In fact, a lot of times he sees himself as a half-black person, and this works for him. I think that is the really cool and interesting part of being multiracial; you are more than one thing! I think you should embrace this because it makes you special and unique, a quality that a lot of people (including myself) wish to have. I was wondering if there were experiences in particular that make you identify more with your Hispanic side than of your White side? Was this a conscious effort or did you always feel this way?

I totally understand where you are coming from when you explain that people assume you are something you are not. A lot of times people mistake me for a lot of different ethnicities that I am not, as well. However, it really does not bother me. More than anything I think it is sort of cool that I am unidentifiable, and that maybe I look different than the “normal” person. I think that is how you should look at it as well.

You explain on the video that you feel you are in conflict with yourself, and I am just wondering what kinds of experiences, besides general confusion from others, you have gone through? Do people think of you or speak to you differently when they think you are one hundred percent white, than when they figure out you are 50% Hispanic as well as white? Do your other Hispanic or black friends think of you differently when you say you are also part white? I genuinely hope that these conflicts have not been too traumatic or disheartening.