Ever since hearing Laurie talk about visiting a prison full of lifers last week, I thought about what she meant. How could a person who committed such a horrible crime that they were sentenced to life in prison, be a “good person” as she put it? I had a hard time accepting this statement, because I have never known anyone be sentenced to jail, or knew anyone else who knew someone. So for me, it was hard for me to put myself in a different mindset when I knew no one in a similar situation. But, after reading this I can’t help but think that the kind words and thoughtful message this man wrote were sincere and full of compassion, as he said so many lifers are. I wonder if because they only sit in the same place day after day with the same people, and know that that is their life and nothing is going to change, that they try to change the only thing they can: themselves. The people in those prisons have a lot of time to just think. I am guessing they think a lot about their pasts and their memories. They have a lot of time to think about their crime, and all of the families that have been affected by their decisions, including their own. I would imagine that by having so much time to think, they often feel guilty for what they have done. After, from what the man said in his letter, that most of the lifers often become compassionate and want to try to help everyone. They want to make a difference, and the only people they can impact are really the other inmates. Those two men who were hugging hated each other before, but the one gave him love and sympathy because he really needed someone to talk to. I would say that by having those people live with you in such a small space for such a long time, you learn to like them. They really do become your family and they are the ones who help you when you need it. I really would like to visit a prison, and be able to see what Laurie and Sam were talking about when they said that a lot of the people who are lifers are “good people.” I have always wondered what jail really does to a person, do they become changed, and do they learn their lesson? Imagining myself in jail, I really do not know what I would do. I think I would do the same and just think and try to improve my life. I am sure it is a very eye opening experience. I would like to think that all of the lifers have learned their lessons in the crimes that they have committed, however even if they are compassionate and good people they are stuck in the same place for, well, life.

The lecture today was very interesting and it kept my attention to say the least. I was excited for it, as Sam said he was going “to bring the fire.” I didn’t really know what was going to be discussed, but only that it was based on the idea of ethnocentrism. When he began, I was really interested. He provided a lot of videos, which helped me understand what he was saying. On Tuesday, Sam said that ethnocentrism is looking through other people’s eyes, and that is exactly what he tried to accomplish today and for me, it worked. He continually said for us to pretend we are Muslims in the Middle East, and the way he spoke I felt like I truly was. I actually started to think in ways that they do. He did a really good job of placing us in a different mentality. I never thought about a “Christian crusade,” mainly because I am Christian. I never thought that my religion was trying to take over. I thought it was interesting how the beginning of the lecture began on how Islam is believed to be trying to take over. Then it was changed around, and he provided examples of how Christians do the same. The lecture gave me a sociological approach but it also gave me a history lesson. I discovered that the war in Iraq is mostly because of oil, which I had an idea of before but was never given direct examples and quotes. I thought it was really interesting to see our political leaders talk about God and religion so much. I never really thought about it before, but they are proclaiming our religion to be the best. The one man that was under Giuliani, said that all the Muslims need to go back into their caves. Being in the mentality of an Arab that actually really hit hard. What makes our religion any better than theirs? Also, the fact that it was once said that the Muslim god is not real, was hard to hear too. After thinking as a different person, it was hard for me to hear because I would be hurt if other people in other religions said that about mine. Also, the pictures of Iraq were shocking. The fact that they were taken by a student was sad, because it made them more real. I learned so much, and think that I will try to see other people’s viewpoints more. I really was intrigued and interested in today’s lecture because it was something that I have never experienced before. It actually went further than any other class, and Sam did a good job of playing out the experiment well. I also think it helped of how passionate he was when he was speaking.

Personally, I have never been a fan of video games. I never liked the way that men were always the main characters, and the women were always in tight mini skirts and were barely clothed. However, this particular video game crosses all of those lines. The ultimate goal of this game is to rape the girl? Rape is such a sensitive subject for victims that it is just immoral to even think of such an idea. I can guess that the creator of this video game is male, and has never been through any traumatic sexual advance from a male. So many females each year are taken advantage of and raped. Often times, it leads to depression and sometimes suicide. So in my mind, the fact that these men created a video game where the goal is to rape a girl, while so many girls are dealing with the intense emotions that follow something like rape is just horrifying. Also, while watching they set the girl up in a situation that so many women have to face on a daily basis. Often, while going to work or running errands, many women have to travel alone. I wonder if younger girls who are watching or even playing these games, will fear being raped. I wonder if this one stupid video game will instill such a fear in women to even leave their homes to go down the street because they don’t want to be raped. I also wonder about the young boys who are playing this game. Did these boys know what rape was before this game? Do they have so much fun playing, that they will take it to real life? I also hated how some of the things you could do to the woman were grope her, and touch her genitals. Those are things that should not be exploited in a video game. Also, it said some think that the game is a good idea because it will give rapists an outlet instead of actually raping a real girl. However, that is a completely ridiculous statement that a video game could keep them away from it. In my mind, it would only intensify the desire to rape and they would do it no matter what. As a young female college student, you learn to travel in a group and never alone. If I ever do find myself alone I try to be as safe and careful as I can because I fear rape. It is more common than most people think, and it is something most girls have to worry about. Having it played out in a “game” as fun is just sick. I can see the other side in that other video games you kill people, and that is not funny either and just as horrific. However, rape occurs more than murder. Rape is also something that can be done easier because weak girls give up and are taken advantage of from larger guys. I am glad this game was taken off the market, however I hope that it also finds itself off of other game and media sites.

While watching this video, I couldn’t believe it. I was so saddened watching these innocent young black girls and boys say that the black doll was bad, however, they were more like the black ones. Being a white female, I have never really thought about this. However, listening to the black females in class talk made me realize that this is a major problem in our society. They googled beauty in class and only white women showed up. I thought that was so sad, and then I started wondering what it would be like for me if I did that and only saw black women. It is true that the media is mostly focused on white women. If you look at television programs, most of the stars are white, and there are few shows where a black women is the main character. Also, while listening to the black girls talk in class I felt really bad for them. They said they would answer the same way, and growing up they also wanted to play with the white dolls because at the time they thought white automatically meant you were beautiful. They then said that it is hard growing up in our society because white features are the most beautiful. Just this year, we finally got a black Disney princess, which was way overdue. I could imagine it would be hard growing up as a little black girl watching the classic Disney movies and only seeing white women.
I still wonder though why the black girls looked at the black doll as the “bad one.” While I do understand how they would think the white one is more beautiful, because that is what our society shows, but not the bad one. If I continually saw a different race in the media and in what I read, and what I played with, I think I would be really confused. The girls in this video said they wanted to be more like the white doll and people in class said the same thing. The worst part and the most unsettling, is that these girls were very young and already had the idea that white is better. This class has honestly opened my eyes to what other races see. I didn’t really think about it before, but now I think about what other races have gone through and how hard it is for them to be accepted in our society. Hopefully, with the new Disney movie, there will be more black princesses that young black girls can see and have a higher self esteem. I wish they could see that white girls have the same insecurities as black girls, and most don’t feel like they fit in either.

This brings up a good point, in class Sam says “black, brown, and white” people a lot, but rarely brings up Asians. We did have a brief discussion about them during the last section, however during regular lectures, me mostly talk about black and brown people. Honestly, being a white person, I do not feel left out in lectures; however, if I was an Asian then I feel that I would. I would want to know what other races thought about me. Using text messages, white people can see what others think about them, and colored people can do the same. But does colored people also include Asians? I have never thought of them as colored, but if they are not white, then I suppose Sam clusters them all into one group. When I think of Asians, I often think they look the same. Some black people to me look the same too, and I know that people of other races say that white people often look the same as well. I think that it is interesting to hear that, because I look at other whites and see a lot of different features, but to people of another race they see the same. When I think to Asians, I think that they are mostly thin, have black hair, slanted eyes, fair skin, and are shorter. I know those are all stereotypes, however it is a generalization that when I think of the Asians I know, that is what I see. Most are intelligent and wealthy, which is a stereotype among whites as well. Around campus, Asians travel together and hang out with other Asians. That can be true for most other races as well, as many people identify with people that look like them, as we learned in our first lecture. They also seem to always be outside smoking. It is so terrible to judge a person based on these stereotypes, however when you are the minority that is what happens. I don’t know many people who are Asian, and for the ones I see, I often see the same things. I have never encountered an Asian that was super tall, or super dumb, or super poor. It seems also that that holds true with the averages that we learned in class; Asians on average have a higher income and a higher level of education than other races. I think that this class however is opening my eyes to what stereotypes do. Many people said white people are ignorant and rich, which I don’t see myself as either one. Stereotypes are not accurate, and I know that all Asians are what I think of in my head, and this class is showing me that. In class, we watched “All Orientals look the same,” and saw how different Asians look from each other. That proves that they are not all the same, and I do understand that. As for the difference between Asian Americans and Asians, I know that we did go over that in class. I feel that Asian Americans are Asians that were born in America, while Asians are directly from Asia.

I have thought about this question before, because it does seem that white people are scrutinized more for their comments, than black people. In class, white people were asked “what it meant to be white,” and one person said that it means to listen to loud black girls in the computer lab, and immediately there was an uproar by not only the black girls gathered in the front of the room, but by the whole class. However, when a comment was said about white people, most people just laughed. I wondered why this was, and thought it had to do with white people being the majority. I feel that because blacks have a harder life in the past, that most white people don’t know how to react and so they feel that they should be sympathetic. I think that many white people feel guilty for what black people had to endure in the past. However, when a rude comment is said about white people, we cannot react the same way, for fear that we will be looked down upon even more. The same thing goes for the comments about white people being “rich.” Some less fortunate white people could take that to be offensive, but most people just stay quiet about it because they don’t want to say anything that might offend a black person. Maybe they would think that if they said that they have had a hard life, a black person would tell their stories about how difficult their childhood was and then that white person would just feel guilty. Sam said in class to black people that it is not “all about you.” I thought about this, and I think it fits nicely in with our argument. I feel that black people use slavery and the harsh past that their ancestors had to endure as an excuse to seek sympathy. However, we are all Americans and fortunate for the lives we have. I think that is why white people feel so uncomfortable around people of color. They don’t want to seem better than them, so they say nothing at all. However, we live in a different time now, where most people are starting to be treated the same, although there still is inequality. Unfortunately, many blacks feel that they can say hurtful things to white people and it won’t matter, because they in the end have gone through worse things. But, a person’s background does not have to do with skin color, but rather the luck of where and what family you were born in to. You could be black and be the richest person in your school, or you could be a white person who has the least amount of money. I do not think that black people should be able to say whatever they want about white people, without a reaction. On the other hand, white people should not be able to say anything they want about black people. It has nothing to do with what skin color you are, but instead people should

I think that by canceling an entire school prom so that one lesbian couple cannot attend is so ridiculous. I am thinking back to my prom, and how excited I was to get dressed up; to not be permitted to attend because of your sexual orientation is just stupid. McMillen said that the other students were going “to hate her for this,” which is right. If my prom was canceled, I would be very upset. It takes a lot of preparation to get ready for prom. However, I think the other students should realize that in the end, the bigger problem is that their school district is discriminating against students. The school board said their decision came from the fact that if the two girls attended as a couple, then the other students would feel uncomfortable. However, what high school student has not experienced some sort of a gay or lesbian person? I am sure that it is very few. We live in a society now that has television shows with many gay people, and many celebrities who are openly gay. It is nothing new, and for a school to have a say in their students attendance of prom is not necessary and is very discriminatory. It would be the same thing if the school board told an Asian student and a black student that they can’t attend because it would make students feel uncomfortable. There are the people out there who are still not comfortable with interracial relationships; however, if they did that I am sure the school board would be under greater scrutiny. At our high school prom, we had a few people who went with their gay partners, and it was nothing really surprising. We also had a few openly gay couples that dated for a period of time, and it may have been different, but it is something that we needed to accept. I think that for Constance to ask permission to bring her date is also ridiculous. She shouldn’t have to ask if it is ok to bring someone to her prom, especially when she is told no. The school board needs to realize it is not their right to tell a student who they are and aren’t allowed to bring to prom. Prom is something very special to many students, it is the last big event of their high school experience, and no matter a person’s race, sexual orientation, gender, or age should be told they couldn’t attend. It is wrong and McMillen should be able to attend with her girlfriend. We live in a different time now, where gay relationships are becoming more accepted. If this is the case, then anyone should be able to attend prom whether they be gay or straight.

I actually just finished watching the season finale of the Bachelor a couple minutes ago. It is true that all of the bachelors and bachelorettes have been white, and most of the contestants have been white. I do think that it is wrong that they have not had one bachelor that has been of another race, it is almost like they are saying that people of color are not deemed worthy of being the “bachelor”. I hope that will change soon. However, on a different note, I would like to say that although they are mostly targeting the white audience, they are also discriminating against disabled and overweight people. The show is not something that I typically watch, but I just decided to watch the finale. They have not once had a girl bigger than a size 4, and not one has been in a wheel chair or anything. So, while the minority population may be mad because they are not being represented equally, the overweight and disabled populations are probably just as mad. The ABC network does not do a very good job of integrating different races into their programs, as most of their television shows feature predominately white people. However, on the other side, we can look at other TV networks that, unlike ABC, have made shows with people of color. Take “ For the Love of Ray J”, “Flavor of Love”, “I Love New York”, for example; they have all have had black bachelor and bachelorettes, and have also incorporated white and Asian contestants. MTV has also had Tila Tequila, which targeted the LGBT community. So while we can say that “The Bachelor” is a poor depiction of America and the diversity that it has, many other shows have done a fairly good job of mixing races. At the same time, television shows mostly contain the ‘beautiful’ people we all wish we could be. So, even as a white female watching any of those shows, I often feel discriminated myself because I am looking at gorgeous size 0 female, that only depict a small portion of the population. As a black female, I can imagine that it would be frustrating to always watch white people in the shows. “The Bachelor,” while it may be entertaining, is a poor invention of a show, as people fall in love in a matter of weeks, and then marry each other. It honestly just makes white people look bad because all it is people making out and dating countless people at the same time. Going back to what I said before, about the other dating shows that contains people of color, those channels (VH1 and MTV) are more targeting towards a younger audience, while ABC is more directed towards the older generation. Maybe that is a good sign, that our younger generation is moving in the right direction of integrating more races.

This question is very interesting. As we learned in class, there are a lot more blacks in jails, then whites, and they make up a smaller percentage of the population. I often wonder if the court system is “racist” or not, because there are so many more black and minorities in trouble with the law then whites. However, I feel that the main reason why they are more likely to be in trouble is because of where they are from. I really don’t think race plays a huge role, just your background. If you grew up in a city and had a single parent, and were often living off the streets then education would most likely be the least thing on your mind, and crime may be your only alternative to clothing and food. Unfortunately, the statistics don’t agree with me. It seems to be that more and more minorities are being arrested and caught for crimes, then whites are. I do think that the police are more likely to stop a Black or Hispanic person, just because of the stereotype that they are more likely to be poor. For whatever reason, this society has often placed Black and Hispanics into the “poor” category. Police often think of that, and think they may be from a bad background, and like stated before, crime may be their only alternative. Money does play a major role in the court system, I think, because it can help you with so much. Lawyers and bail all require money; white people are more likely to have more money and also more likely to be able to get out of jail. The other side of this is that if a white person is in jail, they probably are not from a very wealthy background or good family base, so they would be more likely to turn to crime. They most likely wouldn’t have the money to pay for a lawyer or bail, and that doesn’t have to do with being white, but because of their background. Unfortunately, many more whites than other minorities seem to have more money, which means a better family base, and a better background. That means that there is a less chance of being involved with crime. I don’t know any cops, but I do think it would be interesting to ask them on average, how many more black people do they arrest then whites and for what reason. I also thought it was interesting to see that women are the least likely to be in jail. I know that brings up the issue of gender, but why is it that people are so shocked to hear a woman commit a crime, then a black male. In today’s society is almost expected that a black male will end up in crime. This assumption is so present in our society, and is seen in the statistics of jail inmates. My thought is that because black males know they are expected to commit a crime, then they don’t overcome the stereotype but continue it. I just don’t think that race should play any role in how your life plays out, especially by playing a role in if you stay in jail or not. However, because white people have more money on average then minorities, they have the power to get out of the trouble they are in with the law. Also, fewer whites are in the jail system, most likely, because they are from better backgrounds and are less likely to commit a crime.

I think that lesbians are more accepted than gays because girls are overall more affectionate. So because girls in general seem to show more emotion towards others, it is not as uncommon to see two girls that are friends holding hands, hugging, and kissing. Love is pretty much very feminized, so to have girls show affection towards other girls is really not that uncommon. I always hug my girlfriends, and sometimes we lay next to each other while watching movies. No one looks at us and calls us lesbians, but if I saw boys do the same thing I would probably wonder if they were gay. I think that gay men are not as accepted in our society because they are supposed to be seen as “strong, tough, and protective” people. To see a man let that guard down is automatically looked down upon because our society says that is not how a man should act. That goes along again with the feminization of love. Love is feminized to be cutesy and sensitive. Usually, when a girlfriend and boyfriend are together, the guy doesn’t want to seem weak so he often doesn’t act like the sweet guy his girlfriend knows. The same thing goes for gay guys. They don’t want to appear weak, and because of this feminization, they often do. There is no girl making the love appear normal. It is just two men in love, and so there is no woman to say that the feminization is ok. I also think that girls are more accepting of gay men just because they can almost relate to them more, and they have something in common: they both like men. However, straight guys have a hard time accepting them because they feel uncomfortable and they themselves don’t want to be seen as weak if they hang out with them. Girls are also more accepting of lesbians. Like I said before, girls show more emotion and it is more acceptable to be affectionate towards other girls. So when lesbians are seen, then they aren’t immediately looked down upon. Guys are supposed to be seen as MEN, not looked at as girly or sweet. However, some guys are born gay and are attracted to other men. It is not something that they can help, however for guys it is much harder to be gay then it is for lesbians. It is all in how our society is structured. Girls can be affectionate, guys can’t. Girl’s can save they love their friends, guys can’t. Girls can have sleepovers, guys can’t. Girls can share their clothes, guys can’t. It is simply this: Girls have been socially instructed to love, cry, and show emotion. Guys, on the other hand are socially instructed to be tough, strong, and mean. It is just more common to see two girls holding hands and not be lesbians than guys, so lesbians aren’t immediately considered gay. However, two guys always means two gay men. So, therefore because girls are just seen as more emotional and affectionate people it is more acceptable to be a lesbian than a gay man.