I get it. I understand Sam's lecture on Christian invaders. I really didn't think I was going to be able to sit through the entire hour and fifteen minutes giving 100% of my attention to Sam, but I did because everything that came out of his mouth was true. It all made sense in so many ways. Ethnocentrism is behind it all. We believe what we do is the right thing because we only see things through our eyes and our perspective is completely biased on the entire war of Iraq. We think it's okay to be in Iraq fighting against "terrorism" after September 11th. We think it's okay to still be there almost ten years after the terrorist attack occurred. They don't. Why would they? We sure wouldn't if we were them. We are in Iraq because of their rich oil reserves that we don't have. That's what they see, and the terrorist attack is a safe cover up for the United States.

I know damn well, that I would not stand by and let foreign soldiers come and bomb my home, run over my car with their tanks for no reason and take our natural resources that belong to our lands and our people. Why should they? I feel biased in a way because I was never for the war in the first place; even before Sam taught this lecture on Christian invaders, but this just gave me an even better reason to oppose war after all.

Why are we being so hostile towards other Middle Easterners that live in the United States? They weren't in Iraq when 9/11 took place, they weren't a part of the awful attack. Why do we make hasty generalizations when we have no clue who these people are? We don't know how long they've lived here and the worst part, we don't even know where they are from because we don't ask questions, we just assume. I know sometimes it's just second nature to be afraid of someone because of their race because of all the negative stereotypes that is portrayed about them by others in the media, but I feel like once a person goes through the revisioning stage of race identity they finally stop being afraid. Now they start getting upset with other people just like them that act scared or alarmed when they walk by people of other races. It's funny how all these different parts of sociology start to fit together like a puzzle.

With all this said, I don't want people to think I'm bashing the United States army. I'm just not in favor of the war in Iraq because one I don't think violence is the answer to anything in this world and two, because I see the war through their (arab's) lens' now. I understand it.

Sam is absolutely right about the first step in doing something regarding modern slavery which is just by "feeling some way about the issue." The second step is to further educate oneself about the topic. If there are 27 million slaves in the world today, where are they from? Where is this abuse taking place? Who is behind it all? How did is start? Then go and spread the word, educate others. Disposable People by Kevin Bales would be a great and easy way to build awareness among others in the world who are oblivious just as I was.

Going back to our class discussion last Thursday on modern slavery and the video that Sam showed us about the cocoa plantations. It really hit home when I watched that. I know I've read about the conditions other slaves lived in just like those men, but I never could picture it in my head. Once I saw how they were unjustly treated and physically abused as though they were less than animals is horrific. I can't believe it's still going on this second. I knew when Sam passed out the chocolate before he showed the video that it was going to be about slaves on cocoa plantations because I remember reading articles about companies such as Hershey and Nestle who went out on a limp to make sure their cocoa came from plantations where the workers were equally treated and compensated for their work. I'll admit that I did eat the first chocolate, but I couldn't get myself to eat the second one after the boy in the film said that the people who enjoy eating chocolate are, "eating my flesh." Even when Sam mentioned that we should eat the second piece because if we don't it'd be like saying we're never going to eat another piece of chocolate again in our lives and who could really promise that right there and then? I know I couldn't, but that still didn't convince me to eat the second piece right there and then.

This is very controversial in that it's like saying if we saw a video about slaves making our clothing we're going to stop wearing clothing. That won't ever happen. Maybe if it's just one company of clothing like Nike for example, people will protest against their sweatshops and Nike will lose a majority of their loyal customers. They still won't go out of business with such a huge brand name like Nike. So I guess my next question is after we "feel something" about modern slavery and after we educate ourselves and spread our knowledge of the topic, what's next? What's step number three? What's the next little step would could take to improve the situation without drastically changing our lives?

Honestly, yes, some of the things Sam has told us in class has changed the way I think about certain things in life. By all means, not everything he has said but some things like the whole modern slavery. I had no idea whatsoever that there are currently 27 million slaves in our world today. 27 MILLION! It was like I was hit in the head and awakened, I was speechless, but most importantly I was angry. I was angry that I went my whole life without knowing about something so huge, so significant. How can we be so blind? Why aren't we doing anything to stop it? How can we help? If by just educating people of the truth and raising awareness is all I can do then so be it, i will.

Another thing Sam said that stuck with me is about LGBTs. I really didn't know where my opinion stood on this subject- did I believe LGBTs made a choice or were born like that? My parents are both strong advocates of being LGBT is a choice that one makes and that there is no way in hell it's a biological matter. I don't know if they were raised like that, if they followed their strict catholic religion or what but it's pretty ignorant in my eyes. How can someone judge someone else's life if they aren't them and they don't have a clue about what they are experiencing? I specifically remember hearing Sam say something like, why would LGBTs choose to be different and stick out from everyone else? What child wants to be the odd ball out with all the fingers pointing at them? No one. Yes, there are some people who try their hardest to be different in some ways to purposely stick out from the crowd but they still have a sense of belonging which is normal. They have to be accepted by someone. So now I my opinion about LGBTs has become more clear, I believe that being LGBT is something you are born with but I do think some people make it a choice.

Just yesterday I ran into this girl that I met in one of my orgs, and she saw me reading Crossing the Blvd. while I was waiting in line for an aerobics class. She asked me if I enjoyed the class and if things Sam said stuck with me. I explained to her how soc 119 has really opened my eyes to a lot of things and at the same time changed me as a person. For example, when I went home this past weekend I found myself talking to my mom and little brother about drinking and relationships which I would have never done before at least not with my younger brother. I talk about things more openly with my friends and family. When I come back from class and if the lecture was something that really interested me, 9 times out of 10 I'll be telling my roommates all about it at dinner.

I can honestly say I watched the doll part of that video at least ten times. The first couple of times was just because I was in shock as to what I was seeing but then afterwards I kept watching it because I was analyzing the kids' faces more closely. I noticed that only three of the children shown chose the black baby doll to play with and they all seemed very happy to choose it. What really stuck out to me was the girl close to the beginning who didn't even blink before she had the white doll in her hand when asked which one she preferred. Then when that same girl appeared again at the end, she was asked which doll was the good one and which doll was the bad one and then asked to identify herself with one of them. The drawn out pause that she took, and the look on her face before she handed over the black doll that looked like her after she claimed it was the bad doll, was heartbreaking. It's almost as if someone killed that child's hopes and dreams right then and there.

I feel so oblivious and helpless. How could I have not noticed this happening to our youth? Is it because I really don't know any black kids? Could that be because I've always lived in a very non-diverse town in Pennsylvania that never exposed me to any kids like this. Do I blame my parents for choosing to live where we live? Do I blame myself for not making an effort to meet more people of color?

This video kind of made me sick in a way. After listening to the older teen girls talk about how they were always told that lighter skin is more beautiful than light skin, I kind of understood where they were coming from. Think about it...all white girls go tanning because they don't want to look like a vampire and because they have this idea embedded into their minds that being tan skin is attractive. So you have the white girls trying to look darker and the dark girls trying to look lighter. It's almost as if they both agree that medium- tan skin is the most 'beautiful'. Who portrayed this in the beginning anyway? At what point in time did medium- tan skin become the in-style, beautiful look? I feel like it all comes back to the media...it's the one thing that everyone watches on a daily bases. The media brain washes all of us, no doubt. Imagine if people stopped watching TV? They wouldn't have any celebrities to compare themselves to, so they would start appreciating themselves for the way they are and how they look. Young girls would have higher self confidence and immerse themselves into their race more causing them to believe their skin is the 'good' skin, and truthfully that's how it should be at such a young age.

I think you're misunderstanding Sam's intentions behind his whole women bleed lecture. In class today he clearly stated how he understands that people just don't talk about women's menstrual cycles because it's just one of those things in society that isn't spoken of, but he kept questioning why? Why, isn't it spoken of if it's a normal bodily function just like hunger, thirst, and digestion? Then Sam went on to saying it's because people, both men and women, claim they are uncomfortable discussing the menstrual cycle. He's completely right. We are uncomfortable discussing it because we are brought up in a society where some things are considered no no's and one of them happens to be speaking about a women's menstrual cycle. I think what Sam is trying to figure out is, who decided that girls having periods is gross? When did they decide this? And why did they decide this?

This leads me to believe that a guy started the whole "periods are gross, it sucks that women have to go through it, but please don't tell me about it" ordeal. I mean think about it, what kind of woman would be ashamed of a natural bodily function that every female goes through unless they reached menopause?? I can honestly say that I was never ashamed of getting my period, but I really don't talk about it openly with anyone except my best friends from high school because I'm most comfortable around them. My mom and I know when each other have our periods but we don't sit down at lunch and talk about all the details because there's really no reason to unless I'm in excruciating pain and need to see a doctor.

Now I'm going to discuss Laurie's video about the girl and her experiences with her period throughout her life. When she talked about the girl at age 13 on the beach and her brother yelled at her because blood was dripping down her leg and she punched him and ran inside, I pictured that being me in her shoes. I can't tell you how many times my brothers have freaked out on me for forgetting to flush a used tampon down the toilet. Woopdey doo, just like someone forgetting to flush their turds. They both deal with our human bodily functions that can't be stopped. Then Laurie talked about being 16 or 19 I can't remember and her period stopping for a while. This happens to most girls which is why girls start to go on birth control so they can regulate it. Big mistake. My mom has never let me go on birth control and I'm forever grateful because after the research I have done, I have learned of all the bad that can come from birth control. I understand that girls take birth control for other reasons then its main purpose of preventing pregnancy but to me that's just stupid. There are other products out there that can help you get rid of those pimples, and they won't damage your internal organs.

I think you're misunderstanding Sam's intentions behind his whole women bleed lecture. In class today he clearly stated how he understands that people just don't talk about women's menstrual cycles because it's just one of those things in society that isn't spoken of, but he kept questioning why? Why, isn't it spoken of if it's a normal bodily function just like hunger, thirst, and digestion? Then Sam went on to saying it's because people, both men and women, claim they are uncomfortable discussing the menstrual cycle. He's completely right. We are uncomfortable discussing it because we are brought up in a society where some things are considered no no's and one of them happens to be speaking about a women's menstrual cycle. I think what Sam is trying to figure out is, who decided that girls having periods is gross? When did they decide this? And why did they decide this?

This leads me to believe that a guy started the whole "periods are gross, it sucks that women have to go through it, but please don't tell me about it" ordeal. I mean think about it, what kind of woman would be ashamed of a natural bodily function that every female goes through unless they reached menopause?? I can honestly say that I was never ashamed of getting my period, but I really don't talk about it openly with anyone except my best friends from high school because I'm most comfortable around them. My mom and I know when each other have our periods but we don't sit down at lunch and talk about all the details because there's really no reason to unless I'm in excruciating pain and need to see a doctor.

Now I'm going to discuss Laurie's video about the girl and her experiences with her period throughout her life. When she talked about the girl at age 13 on the beach and her brother yelled at her because blood was dripping down her leg and she punched him and ran inside, I pictured that being me in her shoes. I can't tell you how many times my brothers have freaked out on me for forgetting to flush a used tampon down the toilet. Woopdey doo, just like someone forgetting to flush their turds. They both deal with our human bodily functions that can't be stopped. Then Laurie talked about being 16 or 19 I can't remember and her period stopping for a while. This happens to most girls which is why girls start to go on birth control so they can regulate it. Big mistake. My mom has never let me go on birth control and I'm forever grateful because after the research I have done, I have learned of all the bad that can come from birth control. I understand that girls take birth control for other reasons then its main purpose of preventing pregnancy but to me that's just stupid. There are other products out there that can help you get rid of those pimples, and they won't damage your internal organs.

This is exactly what I was thinking in class today... it's almost as though you were reading my mind. I found it ironic when it was the Whites' turn to answer what it meant to be white and someone texted something rude about Black girls being loud and obnoxious or something along those lines, you could hear all the Colored people gasping or saying things along the lines of "Oh no she didn't!" Then when it was the Blacks' turn and they say something like white people can't dance or that they are bench warmers you didn't hear any white person flipping out. To me being told that you are loud and being told that you suck at sports is just as equally insulting.

I think in the end it all goes back to Blacks being slaves in the olden days and that is why they are the more sensitive group when it comes to receiving little insults that shouldn't bother them. They feel as though they have the right to defend themselves in any way possible because of how unjustly their ancestors were treated in the past. Speaking as a person of color I've noticed how different "races" take insults and how they respond to them and Blacks are by far the worst. They over react to an extreme at times and honestly it's quite annoying. It's almost as if they do it for the attention.

This also pulls up the whole stereotype topic. The majority of the things people answered Sam's question of "What does it mean to be White" can be categorized as White stereotypes. Not all stereotypes are pleasant, complementary ones, so you're going to get the rude ones because that is obviously what the majority of people are thinking collaboratively which is what makes it a stereotype in the first place. Getting worked up about a derogatory stereotype of your own race, but at the same time coming up with insulting stereotypes for another race is Sam's pet peeve...hypocrisy to the max.

Now to go off on a tangent because I'm kind of out of things to say on this topic. I was thinking in class today...Sam and Laurie don't have kids do they? If they do, they must not care about them a whole lot because I can't recall him ever mentioning them in class. It makes sense that they don't though because he always has crazy stories of all the traveling him and his wife had done in their lives which doesn't have too much room for raising kids now a days. My mom always told me and my brothers to wait to have kids because the moment you have your first child your world revolves around them and there is no more "me" in your life. Maybe Sam and Laurie were thinking the same thing. Anyone know the story behind this?

This entire post about themed parties is bogus. We go to Penn State, the number one party school in the country. People get bored, that's why they make up themes for parties. The themes to these parties are rarely, if ever derogative towards blacks. Themes usually coincide with what time of year it is, any recent incidents in the media with celebrities, holidays, the most random things one could imagine. For instance I went to a a theme party where the theme was, "I just came from a theme party" which means you could do anything really.

As for the part where she comments on how the majority are white people who hold theme parties well, I don't know if I agree with that either. I'm sure there are plenty of colored people who hold theme parties, but maybe the reason why she's never heard of a black person holding a theme party is because none of her friends have so she is making a generalization that could potentially be incorrect.

Theme parties are great, I love them! They liven up the party and let people express their creativity with how they dress...always a good time. Best costume I've seen this past halloween has to be a girl who was completely covered in a hunter green color from head to toe, stood on a wooden board which was also painted green, held a hand made green bazooka, wore a green war hat, and stood still int he middle of a bar while everyone passed her! She was a GI Joe toy!! Soo good.

Now I am going to ramble about how, this week was hell for me in regards to my school work. This is my last assignment that I have to complete before spring break and I cannot wait!!! You may be thinking, "why are you doing your blog now? It's only due by the 12th" well I actually will be out of the country for the break. I am going to Tijuana, Mexico on a Mission trip with 25 other PSU students. We are staying at an orphanage for 6 days and painting a church and hanging out with the orphans which will be fun. Then we are heading across the boarder and staying in San Diego for two days so I'm pretty pumped for that since I've never been to Cali, let alone the west coast really. We decided to go to the San Diego Zoo which should be pretty awesome since its like the best zoo in the country. I know they have panda bears which is sweet. Hopefully, the weather turns out nicer than the forecast because other wise it's going to be raining a lot and only be in the low 60s. Bummer....guess I just got to keep my fingers crossed.

Let me just start off by saying this is an excellent question, and one that I always pondered. I think after talking to men and women I have come to a collective conclusion as to why lesbians may be more accepted than gay men.

Think back to class when Sam asked how many of us students watch pornography. How many hands were raised? How many of those hands were guys? How many of those hands were girls? I think it is safe to say that more men watch pornography than women. Having said that, it's also more common for a man to watch a porno of two women (whether they are lesbian or not) than it is for a woman to watch a porno of two men.

Another thing to consider is how the media portrays lesbians vs gay men. I always get the vibe that women are more comfortable with their sexuality than men so they aren't afraid to "go out of their box" and experiment. Men are more straight forward...kind of awkward in a way. Think about it, how many times have you heard drunk guys yelling at two girls to make out at a bar or a party? All the time. How many times have you heard drunk girls yelling at two guys to make out at a bar? Never.

Maybe lesbians are considered more acceptable than gay men because the majority of men, whether they are gay or straight, watch lesbian pornography to arouse themselves. Let's be real, they don't sit and watch guy on guy action to get themselves going. Maybe most women don't watch porn so they aren't even voicing their opinion. You need to also keep in mind that most heterosexual men think of beautiful, model-type women making love as lesbians, they don't tend to picture the "butch" lesbians because they aren't what's seen in pornos.

I'm not forgetting the fact that most heterosexual women have no problem with gay men outside of pornography. For instance, how many straight women in this world have a guy friend that is gay? Lots. Women enjoy the company of gay men because they share common interests like shopping and men.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a homosexual won't admit they are gay or "come out of the closet" if you will. I have a friend, well sort of friend, that I met freshman year and the first thing I thought after I met him was wow, that kid is flaming gay without a doubt. He speaks very femininely (valley girl), he has more shoes than any girl I know, he constantly criticizes girls looks and tells them to their faces if he doesn't like the outfit they are wearing, he spanks girls in public and gets away with it, and apparently he had "a girlfriend" back in the day. Never have I heard him talk about a girl that he really liked. He also loves to tell me and my girlfriends that the guy we like is not good looking and that we could do better. How in the world could someone like this not be gay???

We need to realize that heterosexual males would rather see two women together than two males, and straight women would rather see two men together than two women because they represent their own gender and that weirds them out. I don't think lesbians are more acceptable than gay men at all. Lesbians are more accepted in the eyes of men.

Let me just start off by saying this is an excellent question, and one that I always pondered. I think after talking to men and women I have come to a collective conclusion as to why lesbians may be more accepted than gay men.

Think back to class when Sam asked how many of us students watch pornography. How many hands were raised? How many of those hands were guys? How many of those hands were girls? I think it is safe to say that more men watch pornography than women. Having said that, it's also more common for a man to watch a porno of two women (whether they are lesbian or not) than it is for a woman to watch a porno of two men.

Another thing to consider is how the media portrays lesbians vs gay men. I always get the vibe that women are more comfortable with their sexuality than men so they aren't afraid to "go out of their box" and experiment. Men are more straight forward...kind of awkward in a way. Think about it, how many times have you heard drunk guys yelling at two girls to make out at a bar or a party? All the time. How many times have you heard drunk girls yelling at two guys to make out at a bar? Never.

Maybe lesbians are considered more acceptable than gay men because the majority of men, whether they are gay or straight, watch lesbian pornography to arouse themselves. Let's be real, they don't sit and watch guy on guy action to get themselves going. Maybe most women don't watch porn so they aren't even voicing their opinion. You need to also keep in mind that most heterosexual men think of beautiful, model-type women making love as lesbians, they don't tend to picture the "butch" lesbians because they aren't what's seen in pornos.

I'm not forgetting the fact that most heterosexual women have no problem with gay men outside of pornography. For instance, how many straight women in this world have a guy friend that is gay? Lots. Women enjoy the company of gay men because they share common interests like shopping and men.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a homosexual won't admit they are gay or "come out of the closet" if you will. I have a friend, well sort of friend, that I met freshman year and the first thing I thought after I met him was wow, that kid is flaming gay without a doubt. He speaks very femininely (valley girl), he has more shoes than any girl I know, he constantly criticizes girls looks and tells them to their faces if he doesn't like the outfit they are wearing, he spanks girls in public and gets away with it, and apparently he had "a girlfriend" back in the day. Never have I heard him talk about a girl that he really liked. He also loves to tell me and my girlfriends that the guy we like is not good looking and that we could do better. How in the world could someone like this not be gay???

We need to realize that heterosexual males would rather see two women together than two males, and straight women would rather see two men together than two women because they represent their own gender and that weirds them out. I don't think lesbians are more acceptable than gay men at all. Lesbians are more accepted in the eyes of men.