It is not that I forgot about Haiti but because I have been consumed with so many other obligations I put Haiti on the end of my priority. I say this because when the earthquake happened in Haiti I was very adamant about giving to them but now that has very much dwindled down. After this class I realized that I have been slacking and that because I cannot be there physical in any way I can help I need to continue to do so. I know my friends and I have put this situation on the backburner and this class was an unfortunate but yet much needed reminder.

It is nice to see that the Haitians have found a way to make do with what is available to them. Although their accomplishments may not seem as a great deal, they have achieved a way to gain their basic necessities to stay alive. They have also been able to bring back some type of life back to their community. They are keeping themselves busy and although there is more competition with their small businesses the need for these businesses are very different than before. With so much idle time on their hands they need something to do so that they will not go insane. Also now that there are no schools available for the children the people have to find ways for them to keep them occupied. Keeping the children occupied helps them stay out of trouble; better yet it helps them stray from doing “bad” things. That is why when the one man changed his business to the television shop for the children to be able to pay to watch television was very good. To him it was not just about making money but also helping the young in his country. The tent cities give them some sense of sanity because at one point after the earthquake this was not even plausible. After only two months they have been able to do so much that they do not even realize. By doing this they have helped their spirits and in believing that things will get better. I understand that having beauty shops seems a little extreme at this point but I also understand why they have them. Once again their spirits need to be lifted and if this is a way to help them by simply getting their hair or nails done than by any means they should do it. Its helping them emotionally, at one point they had nothing so since the opportunity has arise than I see no need why they should not take advantage of it.

Although these tent cities do not do very much to help flourish Haiti’s economy, they have helped build faith. As long as the people in Haiti continue to have faith they will be able to build a much better country than previous. With our help monetarily and physically we can increase the timing of making progress in re-developing their country.

I believe that universally all women are the same due to genetics. Every month women experience something that men will never experience. I do not care if a man decided to get a sex change and takes hormones, naturally they would never understand or know the true strength behind every women. Women are blessed with having the opportunity to birth another human being, which is something only a woman can do. For those two reasons alone women are the same no matter what.
However women are physically different and it is dependent upon the woman to find beauty within them. Yes, we can blame the media for our insecurities because what is very much displayed affects our society and culture. As a society we allow the media to tell us what is beautiful and vice versa. The other day I was watching “The Monique Show” and the model, Eva Marsel was on there and she explained that if she was naturally skinny she would not be a model. That modeling is just for those who are naturally born thin and that no one should starve themselves to be a model. She also explained that there are other ways that you can be in fashion industry such as, the designer, set designer, teach people how to walk, and etc. Normally we do not hear these options when we talk about models. She also explained that there is so many things that are not “real” when the model is taking pictures or walking on the runway. That they even put tape around their eyes so that they are raised on a slant. I use this example because there are so many things that we see in the media and associate only one thing for that industry. Or we have no idea that what we see is unreal. Then we expect our bodies to look the same and get frustrated when they do not. But we fail to realize that these people too have been altered and do not appear as themselves. If every woman realized that maybe more would be more comfortable in their own skin because they realize that everyone has imperfections. Then I think then they would define for themselves what they consider their imperfections.
I think that the media plays a huge role in our personal perceptions but I think we have to take responsibility as well. I mean we allow these images to be shown because we take part in such images. So how can we say that the image is wrong when we volunteer our services. I think that in many cases we are being hypocritical. If we stop supporting then we can help change the image that we would like to see that represent all women; we must be conscious that all women are not physically the same but we are genetically.

I disagree that using affirmative action lowers the quality of a particular field based on the people that are employed. I never saw affirmative action as accepting less qualified people rather than qualified people for the job. Affirmative action is geared to allow those who would not normally have the opportunity, due to certain factors, to be accepted in certain aspects rather than be rejected. Those who are accepted into different areas are not to be accepted merely on the undeniable factors that they cannot control but based on their qualifications, prior experience, achievements and etc.

Affirmative Action was developed to help those who were qualified, in particular a minority, into different fields of life that would not be normally granted to them because of a certain uncontrollable factor. Never is it suppose to be used to give less qualified people a chance over those qualified because of their circumstance. I think many people confuse the purpose of affirmative action with nepotism. Unlike affirmative action, nepotism may allow people to receive an opportunity regardless of whether or not they are qualified. With nepotism it is all about who you know regardless if you are qualified. Affirmative action allows a minority (woman, black or person) to be picked over someone who is not considered a minority based on their better qualifications and the fact that they would not normally be picked. So to answer your question, affirmative action helps pick the best qualified and if they happen to be a member of a minority it just means that they were better than competition that might have been part of the majority.

When Sam asked who ever received a job because of nepotism or affirmative action, I never realized that I was part of the nepotism group. Although I was qualified for the job that was not the main reason why I received it; I ken someone of importance and was given the job. I benefited from nepotism in this circumstance but not in every circumstance. There could have been someone better qualified for the job but did not receive it because of who I knew. If this is the case why do we make affirmative action such a big? After thinking about this it saddens me to a point because we were worry so much about affirmative action when we should be concerned with nepotism. At some point of all our lives we will be on the receiving the negative end of nepotism. However I am on the fence with this issue because I’m not sure if nepotism is completely bad because most of us benefit from it in some way. I think the problem may be when we become greedy and never work to get what we want and instead wait for it be given to us.

After watching the video I was trying to figure out if I was more shocked than hurt. To be honest I was not shocked with the experiment past results but more shocked with most recent results. Not only was I disturbingly shocked but I was also hurt. I am an African American female who played with dolls when I was younger. While growing up I never had the choice of picking a white or black doll. My parents only bought me black dolls, the only time I played with a white doll is when it was not mines and my dolls were out of reach. Not too many of my friends or relatives had white dolls and if they did they had maybe one or two. Seeing that children have these feelings today about their skin are disturbing. It was hurtful to see the hidden pain that these children faced.
After seeing this video and listening to one classmates perspective (a dark skin African American female) I realized that I, myself have hidden from these truths to make myself forget that this exists. One of our classmates stated that within our own community (black/African American) we help create this image; believing that light skin is better compared to dark skin. This has been true for hundreds of years and as a community if we want to move past this we have to start with our own behavior. If we (blacks/African Americans) cannot not love and embrace our own multiple shades of skin color than we cannot expect for the world to look at us any different.
As a child I do not remember ever having a problem with my skin complexion. Now that I think about it the reason could be because I am brown skin, so I am “neutral” when it comes to this issue. I am not too light skin—which would define me as “beautiful” or dark skin—which would define me as “ugly.” Since I am brown skin I can meet any end of the spectrum based on others opinions, but to be honest I never really remember being called “ugly” because of my skin. In general brown skin people are often times over looked.
To go beyond skin complexion there is also another aspect that coincides with this issue for females such as hair texture and length. In our community you are most likely considered beautiful if you are light skin with long, straight or curly hair. Someone may be considered “pretty for a dark skin girl” if their hair is long, straight, or curly. If your hair is “kinky” it is considered bad hair and you are not looked at as beautiful unless the hair is relaxed.
This video, lecture, and classmate’s comments were an eye opener for me. I have tried to bury this issue because “black” image has changed since the past. But obviously not much has changed.

This whole issue about “bleeding” is not a big deal to me. However I do understand why it has stirred up so much talk, but I am not sure why we are still talking about it. Our society does not openly discuss a female’s period. Females do not converse about their periods outside of their homes, families, or even with males. So I understand why this caused uproar, especially since Sam (a male professor who females are not comfortable with or know very well) talked about his wife’s period and used the term “bleeding.” We are not used to being this open with close family and friends let alone with a stranger or our professor. Also, I just thought about how the media advertises the toiletries for females on their menstrual cycle. The ads and commercial all show women talking about tampons and pads. We never see men talking about it. Even in the commercials we never see men buying tampons for women because our society only allows for this discussion to be amongst women.
The only thing that was disturbing or “nasty” was when Sam stated that he sometimes wanted to see the blood. Now although my family and I are open I would think something was wrong with them if they wanted to see it. Most people would not want to even picture, especially males, of how it looks.
Although Sam’s comment is unusual and foreign to our society it is human nature. Everyone knows that it happens to females once a month and sometimes cycles may vary if taking a form of birth control. I never realized that many females were uncomfortable talking about having their periods openly or even to males, especially those in college. In my household we are very open about this; I live with two males in the house, father and brother. When I’m on my period they know and not because they notice my mood has changed but because I tell them. My family is open with this even family member’s outside of my immediate family. Maybe this is strange to others but it does not change their view of me when I tell them because they know that during sometime in the month I will get it. So when Sam was talking about it I thought it was weird coming from my professor but I quickly soon I got over it because I never treated it as something was a secret because everyone here knows it happens all year round, every year. So I agree with Sam that this should not be a big deal. If men can talk about any and everything with male or female then this discussion should be okay.

First reaction: Go Girl! I am female who does not care to play football but from time to time I enjoy watching a game. However, my reaction to this historic moment is pleasant and excited for Natalie and football’s future. Natalie’s spirit, excitement, and positive outlook on her new position are wonderful. She is not at all pessimistic which makes this moment very easy for me to accept because she does not place any obstacles in front of her and does not make it a big deal. I agree with her that it should not be that big of a deal because she knows what she is doing. She is experienced, helped coached another team and loves the sport which makes her well qualified for the position.

There are many women who love football and would love to play. I think that she has opened many doors for other women who were once afraid of taking it this far. At one point there was only a time when little girls could only dream of this happening to them. Now that dream can be a reality. Natalie wanted to play football but was told that she could not, but she kept on going till she could. Now she went beyond her dream and will be coaching. Now some may think that football should only be played by men and may be against this because they might feel that their children cannot learn from a female. I disagree because if the females are playing and learning the same fundamentals as the male athletes than they are just as qualified as any other man.

The reporter asked her “If she felt that she had to work harder to prove herself?” Her response was the best answer anyone could give. Natalie said “I work hard anyway and I don’t set out to prove people wrong. I have a lot to prove to myself. I hold very high expectations for myself. So I usually focus on that and then opportunities come.” This is what everyone should do; a motto that everyone should live by and many people would get much further in life. Due to Natalie’s actions an amazing opportunity has come and she has been able to be a part of history.

Natalie has a passion and love for football. Why should she not be able to teach others what she has learned? This is something that she has experience in and if another woman should want to do the same as Natalie I encourage them to do so. If the woman is more qualified than a man then they should be given the opportunity. I am happy that our society is beginning to make some changes with the equal distribution of power. Although this is just a small change it is the beginning for many more to follow.

So, I am not even going to try and convince myself that I do not possess any latent racism. After reading this I just feel that forming this all “white” league is racist. I understand what others are saying as far as fulfilling a niche because for some reason certain groups of people are underrepresented or not at all represented. However, I do not believe that this is truly the reasoning behind starting such a league, especially with the comments made by Moose.

I am not fully aware of the statistics of “white” males in the NBA, but I do know that they still exist. I also know that they are just as good as the “black and brown” players. Moose states that by creating this league it would be mere entertainment for fans. Those fans would enjoy the “fundamental” style and slower pace. That this would put people into the seats of a stadium or basketball game; implying that this is what the NBA is lacking. First, to be quite honest I do not know one basketball player or fan that thinks that the NBA lacks entertainment. People pay their money to see the players become excited, dunk on each other, and complete crazy plays. While aspiring basketball players spend tons of hours practicing and training to be of NBA quality.

Second, I believe the creation of this league is offensive to all NBA players. Moose is also implying that the NBA lacks the fundamentals of basketball. Although I am not that much in tune with basketball’s fundamentals, I agree with others who have said that there are plenty of players who are significantly well in the fundamental aspect of the game. Third, I do not know many people who would rather watch a slow paced basketball game than face paced game with a group of diverse athletes.

My point is just because some “White” athletes do not excel in or are qualified to be NBA players do not mean they exclude others; their could be others who feel the same. If is the case with the NBA then everyone mine as well begin creating leagues for specific races in every sport. For example, baseball is significantly represented by Hispanics/Latino (a); while hockey is significantly represented by whites. So does this mean that we create race oriented leagues to satisfy everyone? If this is the case than our country has not learned anything from the past and is encouraging discrimination. I agree with the NAACP President of the west region, allowing this would be step backwards toward what our country has strived for with equality. We are suppose to be a land of opportunity and creating race oriented leagues will be one slap in the face for those who come to America thinking otherwise.

The complacency in American society is a huge issue in regards to these situations. Due to the idea of being complacent with issues that are not directly of concern with one individual or affects an individual makes complacency okay. I think before we criticize another on not standing up for what they believe in we need to make sure our actions show what we are preaching. This is something we all are guilty of because at some time in our lives we rather not make situations complicated by speaking our minds, so we remain silent. In many instances silence can be detrimental in making a positive and necessary change. However, when more people begin to speak out it does not mean that everyone will have the same beliefs in situations. In some of the blogs people discuss that if we speak out more it will be beneficial. I do not think that everyone realizes that speaking out does not mean we all agree.

The issue in the experiment with store owner and Muslim woman is not about race, but religion. We live in an American Christian society and we expect all those who look differently to abide by these standards. This is an issue for me because I am not a Christian but many would assume so because my appearance is similar to the majority of others in our society. In fact, I am a Muslim and no one would ever know unless I told them or wore my nikab. So in my eyes the idea of speaking up comes second and the first thing we should focus on is not categorizing people on the basis of their appearance. If the woman did not wear a nikab this would have not been an issue; just like it was not an issue for the other woman who was not wearing one. The store owner did not accuse the other woman of being a threat because he assumed that she was not a Muslim. So not only should we speak out, but we should also be conscious of how stereotypical our society is about appearance and bring this awareness to others.

Regardless if there was a Muslim woman or man who was being denied service because of their religion we should make it our business in helping to correct our nation’s inappropriate mentality. Yes, if it was a man people would perceive that he would be able to handle himself in this situation. But I believe that regardless if they are able to stand up for themselves it never hurts to back them. It takes more than one person to create change, there needs to be others who feel the same and are willing to face others who are opposed of the change.

Ok so I think that this is stupid. First, the cost is too expensive for a toy. But hey some people are going to buy it, so for them it’s not. I’m just a struggling college student who won’t be able to afford any kind of toy or non-essential item that costs $7,000 anytime soon. Second, I agree with Sam that this is an issue that involves avoiding intimacy. The purchasing of this doll speaks for itself. People will purchase this doll in my opinion because they fear intimacy or do not know how to be intimate. Therefore, purchasing this doll will suffice for the time being. I do not think that it will help anyone in the long run, especially if they do not plan on being alone forever. The article says that its target audience are “shy, awkward or older men who; have trouble meeting girls." They will never be able to hold a conversation with a female that they like. With this doll these men will never improve on their social skills because they are in living in a fantasy world. This is a world where they can charge, control “her” personalities, and lay up next to a “robot.” Those who purchase this toy are not living reality and all this only exists in their minds. How creepy does that sound? In my opinion, this is crazy and it is really creepy. This toy has no real feelings, emotions, or character. Just because it snores and talks in its sleep, it is not human. When we have to refer to something as “it” then we should really think about if they really embody human characteristics.

Apparently with the high and positive response to this toy there are differences in sexual desires between men and women. However, I think that this toy just enhances the sexual desires for men but eliminates any opportunity for intimacy. At some point in life, when it becomes important to the person they will desire intimacy as well. It’s obvious that this is more than a sex toy.

I think this is just another excuse to run away from problems. If we all had the choice at some point in our lives we would like to program the opposite sex as we seen fit. I can discuss many times when I would just want to reprogram a man so that they would understand and do as I would. But this is not the case, we cannot change people. So this doll only allows, as I stated before, room to live in a fantasy world. This is sad that our society has come to this, but if this is what people like and it makes them happy than who am I to judge. I’m all for happiness so if this for someone, okay.

After reading many responses from others I began to form my opinion to why race is even an issue. Also, why it even matters if “Negro” is on or off the Census. I do understand when people say that race should never be a main concern or even a concern at all. To some extent I agree because the more we try to define race and set stereotypes, boundaries, expectations and etc for races the more problems will occur. However, I do not think that race should completely go away. Someone commented saying that in some aspects using race helps certain groups in striving to better the groups by giving them the help needed. This is true, in my opinion because ultimately dependent upon our race groups are classified better than others based on socio-economic status. Although issues should be looked at as general issues for our nation this has never been a case for our country. As the article states, for centuries we have categorized people based on their race and those who were deemed wealthier always received better treatment than those who were a little or a lot worse off than the wealthy. Therefore, as our nation continues its growth we have become accustomed to keeping these categories, in trying to help those that we have in the past left out because they were not considered wealthy. It is as if we are trying to fix our mistakes and better our country but somehow it’s digging a deeper hole.

Many of the older African-Americans may refer to themselves as a “Negro” but many in today’s society do not. The older and probably the oldest generation refer to themselves as this because this is what they were used to being called and did not take the word as derogatory or offensive. However, in my opinion the word was just used as a “political correctness” term because it sounds better than “Nigger”. During that time many did not think the word was as offensive as the other. I do have a problem with the word being placed on the Census because we have move passed this term in our nation. In my opinion it brings us back down to the civil rights movement. We are past that now we are striving for better. Someone mentioned about the “African American/Black” race calling themselves and each other an offensive word. Well I cannot speak for the entire group, but as an African American female I do not use that word because I find it offensive. Just because you hear one group referring to them as such does not mean that the entire “race” does the same. This goes for any and every race. For the reasons I mentioned above I find it very hard eliminating and or keeping race as a factor because they both bring forth strengths and weaknesses.