When I was scrolling down the race relations page to choose a blog to write about, I instantly knew I wanted to read the Letter from an Inmate. I have always instantly thought that people locked up for life, these murderers and other criminals, were instantly horrible people who deserved to be stuck in prison with no way out ever. I always thought they were scum of the earth and I had no sympathy for their disgusting acts.

Soc 119 has made me open my eyes and change my perceptions of “lifers.” The topic of these people have been brought up a couple of times in class, and each time I become more understanding of what they are going through. It seems like an amazing experience to meet some of these prisoners, and I would feel extremely lucky if I ever get to experience such a mind-boggling event.

After hearing Laurie and Sam talk about these “lifers,” I began to think about several things, and see them in a much different way than I have my whole life. It is amazing to see how intelligent and in-tune to the world these people are. I now realize that these people can feel deep remorse for what they have done, and they can change into compassionate, normal human beings just like everyone else.

Reading the letter that the “lifer” wrote was really interesting and almost beautiful in a way. He sounded so intelligent for someone who hasn’t even graduated high school. I understand that criminals can change, but why would he murder someone, especially when he comes off as so intelligent?

Reading his letter really made me see even more that these people are not all hard-asses, they can actually be nice, compassionate human beings. I would have never expected people who hate each other comfort one another in a time of need, especially in prison. I never would have thought that some of these “lifers” want to help out when tragedy strikes outside of their prison. It surprised me to see that they give blood, fill out forms to donate money, and even send letters to try to lend a helping hand, even though they are stuck in prison for life.

The last two paragraphs of his letter were very intelligently written. It is true that not only innocent people feel compassion, but to any human being no matter what their circumstance. His writing honestly made me look past my preconceived ideas and see that not all murderers are bad, and that they can change their life around.

I now feel compassion for them, and it makes me upset to know that these prisoners, who have truly felt deep remorse and have changed their lives and ways of thinking, will never get a chance to be let out of prison to relive their lives and make a difference in the world.

The play on Tuesday caught my attention, and I thought it was one of the most interesting lectures in class. The play had meaning to me because I decided to get cosmetic surgery two years ago. I have hated the way my nose looked ever since I was a little kid. Even though people always told me it wasn’t bad and I was crazy for wanting a nose job, I didn’t care what they said. To me, it was big and had a bump that made me look like I had a beak. My nose was constantly on my mind and I always felt insecure, even though I know I shouldn’t have. I was scared to death of hospitals and have never had surgery before, but I convinced myself it was what I wanted.

I can honestly say that after the surgery, I have never looked back. It was the best thing I have ever decided to do. I never think about my nose anymore and my confidence has improved dramatically. To clarify things, I got the surgery done for myself. I could care less about improving my image for guys, I just wanted to improve the way I felt about myself.

Even though there are woman of all shapes, sizes, and cultures, there is so much that goes into defining a woman way beyond body image. To me, being a woman is such an honor. A woman is someone who is strong. She knows what she wants and works hard to get there. A woman is caring in nature and extremely compassionate. Women are always ready to lend a helping hand to a family member or friend. Women are intuitive and complex thinkers. These and several other good qualities are what make a woman extremely beautiful, no matter what they look like.

In regards to women in Hollywood, I do not think that it portrays all women. The majority of women in Hollywood are extremely thin with perfect features. There are some bigger women, but they are rarely seen in fashion magazines or modeling in advertisements. There are also very few Asian and Latino women in Hollywood. It is also difficult to see what these “beautiful” people really look like due to the extreme photoshopping done to their pictures in magazines.

Just the other day I saw that Brittany Spears posted her actual picture next to the photoshopped picture for her Candies shoot. It was good to see that she is like other women. Her body wasn’t as tight and toned as the picture to the right of her made her seem, and she had cellulite on her thighs. I think that more women in Hollywood should show their real pictures, because it would definitely help ease the insecurities of women all around the world.

I honestly have to say that yesterday’s lecture was my favorite out of the whole semester so far. I have never really thought about where food comes from and why it is so cheap at times. I always shop at Walmart because of the low prices, but it never occurred to me that their prices are so cheap because slaves make their products. I feel horrible that I shop there all the time, and now I think I am going to have to shop elsewhere.

I had no idea that cocoa comes from the work of slaves. Seeing the scars and bruises on the slaves’ bodies really opened my eyes. I can’t even imagine what their lives are like and what they go through on a daily basis.

When we were asked to eat the first piece of chocolate, I didn’t want it so I didn’t eat it, and looking back, I’m so glad that I didn’t. When we were told to eat the second one, it was no question to even eat it.

Sam said that the first step to ending the modern slavery problem is realizing it exists and feeling something about it. I definitely was feeling a lot of strong emotions after I watched the video. I felt extreme guilt for thinking of all the times I have eaten chocolate. I wish I was informed of the fair trade symbol on chocolate products, because I definitely would only buy chocolate that had that stamp of approval on it. Now I will only buy chocolate if it has the fair trade symbol, and I will inform my friends and family members about it too.

I also feel horrible that not much is being done about the modern slavery problem. This has been going on for centuries, yet well-off countries such as the United States and others can’t even come together to do something about it? That seems very odd to me.

So what do I think the second step is? I think that everyone needs to be educated and informed about modern slavery. Certain products that people eat and use on a daily basis that are made by slaves need to be aware of this. The people who react with strong emotions to this slavery need to come together to make a difference. As many people as possible need to refuse to eat or use certain products until something is done about the slavery used to make them. For example, people should stop purchasing cocoa products from companies like Nestle and Hershey. Their sales will drop dramatically and they will be motivated to do something about the slavery problem so that their business can rise again.

I believe that refusing to buy certain products will threaten businesses to act quickly to resolve the slave problem and to make sure their products are made legally without the use of slaves. Money means power in society, and when it begins to be taken away, people call to action.

I don’t know if it’s the right step, but I hope that something in the near future can be done to stop modern slavery.

I am aware that around the year 2050, white people will have become a minority group. I have heard about this in several classes, and never thought too much about it. Reading the article, “Births to Minorities Are Approaching Majority in U.S.,” really opened my eyes to the amount of change that has been going on in such a short amount of time. It is interesting to actually see that statistics of minority births and non-Hispanic births throughout the years.

It is crazy to see that so much change has occurred since 1990. Twenty years ago, two-thirds of births were non-Hispanic whites, and now in just a year or two, minorities will account for 50 percent of births. It seems to me that the U.S. will be going through a lot of transformations within the next couple of years.

There are a few things that crossed my mind after reading the article. People in today’s society are becoming more accepting of different races, but will this great of a change bring about problems due to resentment? If white people want to try to hold onto their power, how will they do so? I wonder if they will just accept it as unavoidable change, or will violence break out?

Another thing that crossed my mind is this: I understand that whites will soon become the minority, but does that mean they will lose their power? Whites have held power ever since the beginning of time, and I think it would be very hard to shift the power elsewhere.

One more thing that crossed my mind: if the white people lose their power, who will take over as the superior race? Will everyone finally be seen as equal, or will there be a certain mixed race that will be seen with the most power? I honestly cannot make any guesses as to who it will be.

When whites become the minority, will they become discriminated against when trying to find a job?

My mind is racing with all these questions, and to be honest, the future worries me. I wouldn’t care as much if whites lost power, but I would be devastated if white people became forgotten. I want nothing but the best for my family, and I would be very upset if my future white generations will become the center of jokes and crude remarks. No one wants their loved ones to go through pain and hardships.

Although I am worried, I do see the positives in this change. It is showing that the U.S. is becoming more accepting of other races, and are becoming more open to interracial marriages. Not too long ago, interracial marriages were looked down upon heavily, but through the statistics in the article, we can see that we have come a long way since then.

I completely agree with what this girl said about having a period. What is the big deal? All guys know this happens to women every 28 days, yet they cringe at the mere thought of what happens during those days.

I thought it was pretty rude when a large amount of people started leaving the room in the middle of what Sam was saying. Did they leave because they all coincidentally had somewhere to go, or did they leave because they were offended and disgusted by his viewpoint? I have to admit it was a bit awkward, especially because I did not expect that to be said, but that was no reason to leave.

Why can’t girls talk about their period to guys? I hear guys all the time telling gross stories about their bodily functions and passing gas in public, yet a girl can’t even talk about something that is a natural part of life?

I think there are reasons as to why guys don’t want to talk or hear about a woman’s menstrual cycle. The first reason is because since the beginning of time, women have been taught to act like a lady and be proper at all times. I have been told that it makes a girl less attractive if she’s talking about her bodily functions to other people, especially guys. Isn’t it ironic that guys can talk freely about their bodily functions, telling gross stories in detail all the time to people?

Another reason as to why boys don’t want to talk or listen about “bleeding” is because they do not know much about the subject. They have never really been taught about what actually goes on in a woman’s body during this time. I personally know that if I don’t know something well enough, I don’t talk about it with other people. Boys definitely need to be taught in science or some other class about the menstrual cycle. I know for certain that I have been taught several times in science class about the male reproductive system, so why shouldn’t guys learn about the woman’s reproductive system? I think that if they are more educated and in tune with what happens to a girl during that time, they will have more respect towards women and will be more open to discussing the subject.

Women should be able to talk freely and openly about what they are going through during their cycle, because it definitely is not a fun or easy time. Cramps, bloating, and fatigue are just among many other things that a girl experiences during this time, on top of always worrying if she is leaking!

Early in the relationship with my boyfriend, I was supposed to go to a concert with him, and I had the worst cramps imaginable. I ended up telling him that I couldn’t go because I had the stomach virus. I didn’t want to tell him that I was on my period because I would be embarrassed and I was afraid that he would be grossed out. A day later I ended up telling him the truth, because if a guy doesn’t want to be with you because of something that naturally happens each month, then he is not worth any girl’s time.

I think it is really exciting that this woman, Natalie Randolph, has been deemed the head football coach at Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington. It is another step in the right direction to decrease sexism and give a woman a chance to do a man’s job.

It is good to know that it seemed they hired her based on her experience as opposed to her sex. She has a lot of experience with football and a love for the game from playing in college and professionally. I wonder if she beat out male candidates for the position? That would be something great to know.

I have a lot of respect for Natalie. I’m sure throughout her life she has faced a lot of criticism and rude remarks from people for being black and for being a women playing football. She seems like a very strong woman for not letting people bring her down and for always working her hardest, but there was one part of the interview that bothered me. When CNN’s Campbell Brown asked if she thought it was fair that she was treated differently because she is a girl, Natalie responded saying that she thought it was fair. While I understand that it is extremely rare for a woman to be a football coach because it is such a male dominated job, I still do not think it is fair for women to be treated differently. Just because she is a woman does not make her any less qualified than a man to be a football coach.

It is good to know that the football players are treating her with the respect she deserves and are accepting her as the coach.

Natalie seems to be a great fit for the job and she has what it takes to coach a football team. She will have a lot of challenges ahead of her, but by the interview I can tell that she will be able to surpass them with no problem. I guarantee that she can just as hard if not harder than boys on the football team, yet I like that she is humble and carries herself well. Just by looking at the video one would think that she might not have what it takes, but there is no doubt in my mind that she will definitely prove people wrong. I think that she will gain a lot of respect for her hard work and hopefully in time, woman will be hired more as coaches in sports which are mainly dominated by men. She has made a mark in history and opened up the door for several women who aspire to be a coach for a male dominated sport.

I wish Natalie the best of luck and I hope she has a very successful season.

Abercrombie and Fitch has been in trouble many times before involving discrimination and something seriously needs to be done. A couple years ago, Hollister was the only store I would shop at for clothes, and now I can say that I am disgusted that I gave them my business.

Sadly, this blatant form of discrimination by Hollister doesn’t surprise me. Every time I would go into the store to shop, the staff would be very unwelcoming and you could tell that they were judging you. I feel that I continued to shop there anyway because I wanted to be “cool” and fit in.

Abercrombie and Fitch always has come up in my past sociology classes when talking about discrimination. They have gotten in trouble before for having t-shirts blatantly mocking Chinese and Asian culture, and making a girl without an arm only allowed to work in the stock room.

After this most recent account, this company should be punished big time. Obviously they have not learned their lesson from the past times they have gotten in trouble for discrimination.

The thing that surprised me is that corporate fired her. I would think that if anything, it would be the local store manager who would fire her. I don’t understand why corporate fired her, especially when they are well aware of past instances of discrimination. Did they honestly think that this time around it would go unnoticed?

I am really interested to see what Abercrombie’s spokespeople have to say about this, because I really don’t think they have a way around this. What happened to the girl was blatant discrimination. She obeyed the color rule for her headscarf and seemed to be a good worker, yet corporate wanted to get rid of her just because she dressed differently than other people.

Why is Abercrombie so scared to hire people who are “different”? Is it because they think their sales will go down because they aren’t considered to be cool and fit in? It seems that everybody else in the world, especially the younger generations, are becoming more accepting of other races. Why doesn’t Abercrombie realize this? I don’t think hiring minorities or people with disabilities would hinder their sales, I think it would help their sales and reputation rise. I know that after all these discrimination incidents they have lost me as a customer, and I hope other people too are going to take a stand against the company until serious changes are made. They need to let go of their image of only hiring the typical American boy and girl and start having more diversity of workers.

If Abercrombie wants to stay in business, they need to do some serious reevaluating.

I agree with both the boy and girl with their comments on the topic of when do we do or say something: it’s not my place. I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I felt like the student who said it wasn’t his place to stick up for anyone really should have thought about what he said before he said it.

Watching that video in class made me really upset for many reasons. The fact that there is an American woman born and raised in Chicago, but is Muslim and dresses as one, just standing there so helpless in front of the cashier discriminating her is just saddening. I understand it was an experiment, but there is no doubt that this happens every day in the U.S. I cannot believe that 6 people actually agreed with the cashier. How could you mistreat someone so badly when you don’t even know who they are or where they actually come from? Those people should have been ashamed to be called out on live television for being so racist.

The thing that upset me most was the 22 people who did not step in and say anything while this innocent Muslim was being humiliated for no reason. I have always thought that today’s society is becoming less racist and that people are no longer afraid to speak their mind on the matter, but maybe I’m wrong? I know that if I was in such a situation, I would definitely stand up for the Muslim and flip out on the cashier.

As mentioned earlier, I understand the student is entitled to an opinion, but seriously? How is it not your place to say anything? Yeah your parents raised you to be respectful of other people property and whatnot, but how can you let something so wrong just slide away because you aren’t in your place and your comfort zone? How about standing in the Muslim’s shoes and then you’ll really see how it feels to not be in your place. Even if your parents raised you to be a certain way, you do not have to always agree and do as they say. Everyone is capable of forming their own beliefs and opinions and can exercise those beliefs without disrespecting your parents.

So if you were at someone’s party and someone was disrespecting you and your best friend, you wouldn’t defend yourself because it’s not your apartment? I doubt that. If you honestly don’t stand up for yourself or your friend or someone who is being humiliated for no reason, then that just looks extremely pathetic. I honestly don’t understand how someone can be indifferent about the topic of race. It’s such a strong issue, and I feel that people have to be on one side or the other. I believe that to be indifferent about such an issue shows ignorance.

All in all, I strongly believe it is anyone’s place to stand up for anyone, regardless of where you are at. If someone is being discriminated and humiliated for something out of their control, one should definitely step out of their “comfort” zone and stand up for what is right. I am hoping that in the upcoming years the number of people just standing there doing nothing will decrease, and people will start to stand up for what is right.

I agree with both the boy and girl with their comments on the topic of when do we do or say something: it’s not my place. I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I felt like the student who said it wasn’t his place to stick up for anyone really should have thought about what he said before he said it.

Watching that video in class made me really upset for many reasons. The fact that there is an American woman born and raised in Chicago, but is Muslim and dresses as one, just standing there so helpless in front of the cashier discriminating her is just saddening. I understand it was an experiment, but there is no doubt that this happens every day in the U.S. I cannot believe that 6 people actually agreed with the cashier. How could you mistreat someone so badly when you don’t even know who they are or where they actually come from? Those people should have been ashamed to be called out on live television for being so racist.

The thing that upset me most was the 22 people who did not step in and say anything while this innocent Muslim was being humiliated for no reason. I have always thought that today’s society is becoming less racist and that people are no longer afraid to speak their mind on the matter, but maybe I’m wrong? I know that if I was in such a situation, I would definitely stand up for the Muslim and flip out on the cashier.

As mentioned earlier, I understand the student is entitled to an opinion, but seriously? How is it not your place to say anything? Yeah your parents raised you to be respectful of other people property and whatnot, but how can you let something so wrong just slide away because you aren’t in your place and your comfort zone? How about standing in the Muslim’s shoes and then you’ll really see how it feels to not be in your place. Even if your parents raised you to be a certain way, you do not have to always agree and do as they say. Everyone is capable of forming their own beliefs and opinions and can exercise those beliefs without disrespecting your parents.

So if you were at someone’s party and someone was disrespecting you and your best friend, you wouldn’t defend yourself because it’s not your apartment? I doubt that. If you honestly don’t stand up for yourself or your friend or someone who is being humiliated for no reason, then that just looks extremely pathetic. I honestly don’t understand how someone can be indifferent about the topic of race. It’s such a strong issue, and I feel that people have to be on one side or the other. I believe that to be indifferent about such an issue shows ignorance.

All in all, I strongly believe it is anyone’s place to stand up for anyone, regardless of where you are at. If someone is being discriminated and humiliated for something out of their control, one should definitely step out of their “comfort” zone and stand up for what is right. I am hoping that in the upcoming years the number of people just standing there doing nothing will decrease, and people will start to stand up for what is right.

I agree with the girl’s statement about lesbians are more accepted than gay men. It is obvious in today’s culture that lesbians are not as frowned upon as two men being together. There are several reasons as to why I think this is so in today’s society.

I believe one of the main reasons is because people are more used to seeing girls being touchy-feely with each other than guys. Everywhere you look there are girls who are hugging each other, have their arms around each other, holding hands, and so on…and they aren’t even lesbians. I feel that this is the case simply because girls are more comfortable showing affection to their same sex friends than guys are to their same sex friends. We have been used to seeing girls being affectionate with other girls ever since being little kids playing on the playground.

Another reason that lesbians are more accepted than gays is because lesbians are seen in the media all the time. There are several movies out there that have lesbian scenes, yet there are very few movies that I can think of that have any gay scenes. There are also many advertisements on TV and in magazines that show some form of lesbianism to sell their product.

People in society, especially guys, absolutely love to see girl-on-girl action. Because girls are well aware of this, some females will act lesbian even when they are far from actually being one just to get attention from guys at a bar or a party. I cannot even count the number of times I have seen girls making out with each other in front of guys for attention. Seeing girls making out does not even phase me anymore because it is just so common in college. I would probably have to guess that for every girl who makes out with one another at a bar or party, maybe only 20% of them are actually a lesbian couple or are lesbians.

I can honestly say that if I were to see guys making out in public or even holding hands, I would be very surprised. It would definitely draw attention from me because I am not used to seeing guys being affectionate with each other like that at all. I have seen guy friends act like that, but simply to make fun of gay guys.

I feel that guys do not act affectionate with each other the way girls do is because ever since a young age, they have been taught that it is wrong to be touchy-feely with another guy. The idea of it being wrong has stuck with them throughout the years, and they are scared to show any form of affection to another guy in fear of being judged or people getting the wrong idea about them.

Maybe over the years gays can become just as accepted as lesbians. In order for this to happen, men being affectionate with each other needs to be shown more in the media and let it be known that it is ok for guys to show love and appreciation for their male friends.