Yes Sam did change my view on the war. I’m completely against people hurting other people in order to better themselves. It’s selfish and crude. Would you want someone from another country to just come and invade the town that you live in, bomb your neighborhood and possibly hurt or kill some of your friends and family?? Let me answer for everyone NO you wouldn’t! So why is anyone anywhere fighting against other human beings?? Is it for religious reasons?? Is it for redemption of a lost item, whether it is land of any type of good?? Or are you just fighting in a war over a dispute?? No matter what, if it hurts someone else’s life you shouldn’t do it! If your doing it for religious reasons then I say you are insane! I’m personally an atheist and don’t believe in a higher power, BUT would your God or whatever want you to kill people I DON’T THINK SO! Isn’t it a sin to kill, isn’t one of the Ten Commandments thou shall not kill.. If you’re fighting for a good, then you’re a child. Especially our war going on right now in Iraq. What’s that war about again? O yeah oil! How stupid is that. The fact that we have to ruin other peoples lives in order to pretty much steal the oil that belongs to them. We have no rights as Americans to take something from someone else! We aren’t better than the Muslims that live there, all in all I feel like we are worse than them. The news makes people believe that Muslims are so radical and out of control. But are they over here killing us for stupid oil.. I don’t think so. Now I know that Osama sent those planes into the twin towers on 9/11 but he is ONE PERSON, and he is dead now and his followers only consist of a handful of people. Who are we to judge Muslims because of the action of one? And I hope that Penn state students can now really wrap their heads around over generalizing. Because of the Sandusky scandal. People are grouping our football team and our education with Sandusky. He is one person! Just like Osama, and we don’t want to be categorized with Sandusky and therefore why should we categorize all Muslims with Osama. I can answer that for you.. We Shouldn’t!! War of any kind is ridiculous to me; I’m appalled that anyone would be ok with just hurting any random person whom they didn’t know in another country. Of course, not everyone will agree with this, and I honestly wonder why. Does someone out there think war is ok? I know it benefits us, but I don’t want to be benefited if people have to suffer for me.. Its not fair al all

If I were a victim of sexual abuse I think it would definitely take me a couple of different occurrences had to happen, in order for me to come forward. First off I think I would be more likely to come forward if there were other victims coming forward as well, I wouldn’t want to feel all alone, and even though it would be a terrible situation, that more innocent people would have had to of been victimized, I would want someone to know exactly how I felt and what exactly I was going through, and what I went through during the assault. I doubt that I would ever be the first to come forward in a situation that didn’t have any attention, because I would be afraid that people wouldn’t believe me or that the person who sexually harassed me would come after me again to try to get me to shut up. The second reason that I would probably come forward would be if I knew the person and some them on a day-to-day basis. Like if it were a stranger, I would probably try to pretend like the situation never happened if I knew that I probably would never see the person ever again. But I guess in that same case I would be scared that he would come back to hurt me again since he would know who I was but I wouldn’t know who he was. (I don’t know how exactly I would react or feel in the situation, and I hope that I never have to find out). If I did know my attacker and I saw them on a regular basis I would make sure that I was never alone with that person and I would be more likely to go to the police or tell someone because I would want them out of my life and with my testimony they would be more likely to be sentenced. I think the third thing that would make me come forward is my age. If the abuse were to happen when I was younger like in elementary or middle school, I probably would have kept my mouth shut, because I probably wouldn’t know what was happening or going on, But If it were to have happened in high school or now, I would holler and tell someone right away, plus I probably would fight my attacker. Its terrible that predator have to abuse younger children, because the kids probably don’t know what is going on and they probably are less likely to come forward. I’m really happy that Sandusky got caught, even though it flipped our school upside down, because since the scandal was so big, I think this really opened up peoples eyes to the abuse that shouldn’t happen but non the less happens way to frequently.

I did not eat the second piece of chocolate. But I should have. Sam was right when he said something along the lines of “you might as well eat the second piece unless you are never going to eat chocolate again for the rest of your life.” Cause if you didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate then went back to eating chocolate you would be a hypocrite, and I guess that is what I am for the most part. I just couldn’t eat the chocolate after that video (even though I knew that I love chocolate so much and that my fast of it wouldn’t last very long), it made me sick to my stomach knowing that children and teenagers were being forced to labor through the entire day without even seeing a cent, and the fact that this has been going on for years and years its just not fair. But I have to admit I have a huge sweet tooth for chocolate so its sad but I only made it a day without having any chocolate. But since Tuesdays class every time I see chocolate or start bringing it to my mouth I think about those kids and how they would give anything to be in my situation, eating chocolate with out having to labor everyday out side under the hot sun. And yet I some how cannot get myself to stop eating it. It is like a drug that one could be addicted too. Why is it that people, myself included, can still buy and consume things made by people of slavery or those who have to work for the most minimal amount, such as sweat shop workers?? I don’t understand, why we don’t care, or maybe we do care and we just don’t care enough to research and find things and maybe spend a little more money on products that aren’t produced by slaves or sweatshop workers. I know that if I were in their situation I would want sympathy and I would want someone to help me get out of the situation or someone to make a law about minimum wages. Its kind of weird to think about, but another side of the story can be that if everyone boycotts certain products or researches alternative products to by, the sweatshop workers would be out of jobs and be making even less, or nothing at all. But it we did that the slaves would probably be better off since they already don’t get paid. At least then they wouldn’t have to work it terrible conditions. So maybe we need to start working with big companies to try to get then to stop buying cheep products made by slaves.

I think that people focus more on illegal immigration because of the word illegal and because they believe that those immigrants are taking something away from the American people. Which really isn’t the case at all, I feel like they are probably helping out American way more than hurting us, if they even are hurting us. Like Sam said in class, illegal immigrants still pay the same taxes, social security, etc that we pay and they aren’t receiving any benefits from paying those taxes that we receive, like tax refunds or collecting social security when they reach that magic age (which slips my mind at the moment). Sam also showed us a video where farmers talked about how their crops were rotting because they didn’t have enough workers to help pick the crops after Alabama passed the law saying that anyone could be stopped randomly and asked to see their papers. The farmer was saying how no American wanted to do the hard long labor that the immigrants were willing to do, he said that most Americans on average would only last an hour working in the hot sun. I think it’s because American are lazy and they take a lot for granted. Most people don’t know the kind of labor that goes into picking fresh produce off of the vines, I surely didn’t know for the longest time. Each tomato or really any plant food that you eat was more than likely hand picked by a human being. Could you imagine yourself being in a field all day with the hot sun beating down on you while you constantly have to bend over all day, I know I couldn’t, the majority of us probably couldn’t. That’s why Americans are lazy, they take things for granted, they expect the produce to just magically show up in stores and they would never imagine having to go pick that produce themselves. That’s why I understand how farmers want to hire immigrants, because immigrants want to be in the US they have the drive to try to make a better life for their families. With that drive one immigrant probably works harder than 10 Americans combined in the fields. Which is kind of embarrassing for Americans. But non the less these immigrants are actually helping the American economy, by paying taxes and working those necessary jobs, to get food on peoples tables, that most Americans wouldn’t want to do. And you cant use the argument that they are taking American jobs because like I stated most Americans are to spoiled and lazy to do the hard labor that is needed in crop fields. So yes I think the benefits of having illegal immigrants here out way the cost. But really quickly on the other hand if we made it legal for them to come over, there would be to many and then they probably would have to start taking other American jobs because they would probably work for less than the average American.

Should we give back what we have taken?? I think that at this point in time we shouldn’t. Yes this wasn’t our land originally and Europeans took over the Native Americans land. And by doing so they had to kill tons of Native Americans and ruin tons of peoples lives, which is a tragedy and not fair by any means. But the fact that we had no control over what those Europeans did and the fact that we are so many generations after them and we have grown accustomed to the way we live that I think it wouldn’t make sense to just give up everything we have and what we have worked for (not what our ancestors took) but what our parents and their parents have worked hard for, to give us the best life possible. I do however think that our government as us as citizens do owe it to the Native American tribes that are still out there, and that are in poverty to give them some kind of special benefits, because they probably wouldn’t be in that terrible situation if it weren’t for our great ancestors, but none the less it wasn’t our land to take therefore we need to be sympathetic towards the Native Americans, because it was their land first, no matter what anyone says. I actually found it very shocking on Thursdays class that Native Americans are the most likely to get abused, and are most likely to be abused by white individuals. Seeing as how white individuals are more likely to have their ancestors as being European, whom could have been the individuals who came over to the new world and conquered the Native Americans land. So as a white individual I do feel bad even though I wouldn’t give up my life to give the Native Americans back their land, I have grown up to my specific life style, its hardships and the easy times. And the Native Americans that are my age don’t know life any differently either, since they have grown up doing specific things. I mean anyone could benefit from being given more money, generosity, or a chance to live in an upper class then his or her current one. But it wouldn’t benefit our country sending the majority of our country into poverty just because our ancestors took something that want supposed to be threes to take. And our entire government and system of living would change and all in all that would be way too much chaos to control all at once. If it was a good idea to give land back the Native Americans then we would have to gradually change our government and property rights, and it would just be a huge disaster.

My friends and I are definitely not in the same stage. I’m more of a stage 3 now, because I absolutely hate when white individuals make fun of minorities even if they say that they are joking. I yell at anyone who is a friend that thinks that they are being keen or funny when they say something to a minority. My friends are majority white, and in my main group of friends one is Asian and one is gay, for some reason my guy white friends never make fun of our friend who is Asian but instead they just say the most terrible comments to our friend who is gay. It pisses me off so much and after every comment, because our friend who is gay doesn’t stand up for himself, and even though he says that its ok and that he knows that they are joking, I don’t believe him because I really feel that deep down words can slowly kill a person. So while im sitting in stage three all of my immature guys friends are living life up in stage two thinking that they are so cool. And im trying to educate them with what Sam tells us in class but they wont budge because they have no idea what it feels like to get mocked for being different. Its kind of hard to be in the same room with my friends if they start “joking” around, because we just get so fed up with each other. This class has turned me into a stage three girl and my stage two guy friends think that im just being annoying and pesky when I but my two cents in. Its nothing that is going to ruin our friendship by any means, it just causes tensions for a couple of minutes until we change the conversation. But I hate having to change the conversation because our differences aren’t going to change, but I guess that I’m trying to change my friends by trying to make them more into stage three and I feel like changing stages is just something that people have to experience and learn on their own. Hopefully my friends will undergo some kind of situation/ experience when they will realize that people of minorities aren’t different and that they are being a little bit racist when they make jokes, and hopefully they will start to defend minorities and yell at people who make stupid immature racist jokes. Because like Sam said you cant make a joke and be like oo its ok because all my friends are black or im dating a Hispanic. Because then you are just dumb and stupid. If you have that many friends who are minorities, you should want them to be respected.

Right now I think I am currently on the cusp of stage two turning over to stage three. I think ive been stuck in stage two for a while, being scared to offend someone of a different race. I never wanted them to get mad at me and I am terrified of being called a racist, because I was once and it almost ruined a friendship with one of my closest friends. I made a judgment about my roommate freshman year, before I even met her, based on her face book pictures and information. And when talking to my friend about being scared to live with her for certain reasons my friend snapped at me and said that I was being soo racist and that I needed a serious reality check, I was crushed because without realizing it I had offended my friend, because he was the same minority as my freshman roommate. So because of that traumatic experience I watch what I do or say around people of a minority very closely. However, I think I am slowly coming out of stage two, which is exciting for me because I hate being scared, and transitioning into stage three. I think my transition is a result of this very class. It has let me see into the minds of minorities and now I understand a little bit better as to what offends them and what doesn’t, so im getting used to talking normally around them and hanging out comfortably without that hint of fear. And I believe that Sam said stage three was when white individuals got mad at other whites for saying certain things about race, or trying to be real keen about it.. Not completely sure. But anyways I honestly feel like im almost at the stage where if a white person says a racial comment that could possibly be offensive I would probably be like woo hold on there.. What did you just say?? And I can see my self-siding over with the minorities. Again like I said I’m not 100% sure what the definition of stage 3 is, but im just going to go along with my definition right now. Even though im only a stage two, I would like to add that after Sam explained all of the categories I did find a little bit of my self in each one, like I could put my self into a situation where I have probably fit into every category, and I feel like most white people have fit into every category at least one time or another, depending on the situation. As I get older though it will be interesting to see how far up the stage ladder I get, because Sam said usually people make it to around a 3.

Yes, I definitely think that the amount of non-consensual sex, or I guess we can call it rape, would drop if the world viewed sex through a women’s perspective. What Sam said about a mans sex drive is leading my thought process as I accumulated me answer. Sam mentioned that when a man gets an erection it takes only a few sections for him to get into the mood and be completely prepared to have sex. Then his wife came in with the rebuttal and said that women are the complete opposite, and she said how women have to feel lived and cared for and “wooed” in order to get that certain same sex drive as men. Therefore it takes a lot longer for women to get aroused, she said it takes kissing holding flirting role-playing. Which I never really realized until she actually said it, is so true. I was in a weird friendship where the guy always asked me to have sex with him, and I never gave into him. But when ever we would hang out and start to get a little bit hot a heavy he would try to pressure me and say why not, your so lame, its not that big of a deal. But it was a big deal; I definitely wasn’t as into it yet as he was, and it occurred to me when Sam’s wife was talking, that I hadn’t been fully aroused yet so I wasn’t at this guys level. Now if he were a bad person he probably would have tried to rape me and make me have non-consensual sex with him, like a lot of guys make other girls who don’t feel comfortable with the idea. But if the world viewed sex from the women’s perspective I think that men would try to slow things down and make sure that the women was fully aroused before he asked for sex. Cause in a way the social norm of sex, as seen through the makes perspective is that if a women says no then she is a prude or she isn’t worth their time. But if sex was seen through the women’s perspective and taking things slow was the social norm, the men would try to calm their nerves so they wouldn’t seem so jumpy and eager to have sex because that wouldn’t be the social norm. That’s probably why non-consensual sex happens more often than it should now, because women don’t realize that they do in fact view sex differently than men and they probably feel like they have to have sex when the guy is ready because its sort of viewed as the social norm, which is unfortunate. All guys should take a class about females to fully understand us ☺

Sorry, I definitely read to far into your first comment. Your right and you have some good points and discussion questions.

Just because your biologically tuned to like the opposite sex damiok92 doesnt mean that everyone is. And you cant try to persuade or lead someone to go back to their natural biological instincts because some peoples are biologically tuned to likeing the same sex. My best friend is gay and he has always been. In high school he dated this girl for two years because he wanted to fit in and be apart of the social norm. and the entire time he went out with this girl he said that he always felt uncomforitable and he just new deep down that it wasnt right. I know it might be hard for you to understand, since you are straight (at least thats how it sounds from your post) but its not something that a person can change, even if they try. My best friend has been with his boyfriend for over two years now and he is soo happy. The old testament in the bible has the story of Adam and Even and I forgot what the name of the story is at the current moment, but it was about god telling one of his followers to leave the city that he was living in with his wife, because god was going to destroy the city, since it was mostly populated with gay individuals. and as the man and his wife were walking away the wife looked back at the city and god turned her into something since she looked back and go took that as she lusted for this gay world and thought that it was ok, or something like that. BUT in the NEW testament god talks all about EQUALITY and everyone accepting of one another. so who gives a shit if god created a man and women originally. Get off your bible/ god driven high horse and just except the fact that people can be biologically driven differently than you and different that what god originally intended for you. all in all DONT try to change who a person is! its wrong!