I thought the lecture on Native Americans was one of the most insightful presentations of the year. The treatment of these indigenous people is, in my opinion, often overshadowed by prejudice held for blacks and Hispanics in America. Not to belittle the entire equal rights movement, but the treatment of Native Americans is by far a more horrible tragedy in the history of race relations. As a white male, I feel disgusted and guilty for how the original peoples of this land were subsequently forced to live today. Usually when referring to white guilt, it is in reference to how blacks were made second class citizens, but I feel much more guilt for how Native Americans have been treated. With all of that in mind, I still have no idea how we could possibly compensate for oppressing an entire civilization of people. Sam constantly asks the question in class, how long is long enough before you give up on such a grudge? Putting myself in the same position, I honestly do not think I’d ever be able to come up with a time period in which I would be okay with forgiving and forgetting that my land and way of life was stolen from me. I have always been interested and aware of the mistreatment of Native Americans, but every time I see a video or read an article about the subject, that same guilty feeling arises.
I thought the Dave Matthew’s song that Sam played in class was interesting too. With Dave having the image of being drunk frat guy music, I was surprised to see one of his songs with such a deep meaning. I hope that more iconic people will follow suit and bring some attention to an injustice that has been occurring in this country since it became a country dominated by white Europeans. It seems to me that most people have forgotten that Native Americans are still living in desolate poverty, secluded on reservations which were supposed to be compensation for an entire country taken from them. At this point, I don’t know what could possibly be done to make up for what has happened, but something should. While there is a constant effort to combat poverty within our cities, almost no attention is given to the skyrocketing poverty and alcoholism rates on American Indian reservations. While they may be a proud people, I think at the very least we should take initiative to make sure those living on reservations have the same opportunity at a quality life. It is undeniable that the problems with unemployment, poverty and substance abuse are due primarily in part to non-native Americans uprooting them from their lands. At this point though, I feel like attempting to help could end up being insulted and too little much too late.

I was very interested to hear Ernso’s opinion on the media’s use of pictures to portray poverty in Europe. We have all become accustomed to the ads on television that show children and their families living in poverty, and most of us have seen them so many times that they have started to fall on deaf ears. It was nice to hear Ernso say that he is completely opposed to having any pictures at all taken to portray the poverty in Haiti. That being said, I do believe that pictures and video of poor countries do a lot of good to help spread awareness to countries such as the United States that are able to help. Many people claim to be aware to the complete destitute conditions in foreign countries, but in reality cannot begin to sympathize. In a digital age that allows for mass and instant communication, I do like to see stories and pictures ran that help shed light on atrocities in other places. Although they are effective, I obviously see the legitimacy in what Ernso said. There is a very fine line between spreading awareness and exploitation. I have actually always felt the need to specifically not donate to the charities and organizations that run ads on television; the kinds that have a montage of starving kids with sad instrumental music in the background. Call me cold hearted, but something makes me feel that sending a check to a fat white guy on television is not going to help hundreds of Guatemalan children eat like the commercial claims. It is a shame, because organizations like this, in part due to radical journalism, have tarnished the causes of many good organizations.
Specific to Ernso’s cause, I believe that people coming and taking pictures of Haitian people is exploitative and wrong. The ads that use sentiment to try and get American’s to open their wallets is one thing, but for what Haiti is trying to accomplish, it is only harming them. Like Sam had told us time and time again, and what Ernso emphasized in his talk, the people of Haiti are of proud tradition, and would be insulted to be portrayed as looking for a handout. What they need is beyond monetary support. Now this should not discourage anyone from donating money, but it should not build an image of a nation of beggars. If journalists were encouraged to come to Haiti and bring back photos of poverty, it would start an ad campaign that would depict this wonderful country in the wrong light. Ernso has a right to be mad when he sees this happening, just as we would be mad if someone came into our homes, took pictures and video, and portrayed us as a downtrodden people in need of help.

As a white male, I am looking forward to the day where whites are the minority. It will definitely mark a significant change in racial history, and could be the final step in racial equality. To many the thought of whites being a minority may imply that some other racial group is going to rapidly increase in size, but to me this just means that the “mixed” portion of Americans is going to grow to a point that makes other groups irrelevant. It is kind of naïve to think that with so many different cultural groups living harmoniously together, that intermarriage won’t soon become widely accepted and common. I do not think that the day the census is taken and white people are no longer the majority that there will be any kind of celebrations in the streets, because by this point race will hopefully not be an issue like it is today. The sad truth, I believe, is that inter racial families will continue to increase, and people will simply lose interest and passion about their racial identities. Even now, I find that more people would rather identify as Americans than with their ancestral origin. If you think about it, even people from European and Asian countries, along with the rest of the world, can trace their ancestors farther back in time to African locations, but at some point they started identifying themselves as Italian or Hungarian. There will come a point where everyone’s race is so intertwined with the world that they simply will want to identify solely with the United States. I always find it interesting when there is mixed or other options for racial questions in surveys, because more people are probably mixed and do not even know it. I hope that when whites are no longer a majority, that white privilege is erased, and the roadblocks toward equality are torn up. I hope that when the census comes out and surveyors realize that the majority of the population is filling out mixed and other as their racial group, that race will no longer be made an issue in this country. I sincerely hope that this country can someday live up to the “melting pot” image that we have been trying to accomplish. I view that solitary “mixed” race as the equilibrium point that will balance out racial inequalities. In the United States we have the unique experience to let people be exposed to a multitude of cultures. I only hope that the day whites are no longer the majority, and our people of power, CEOs, politicians and celebrities are all of mixed or colored races, that it begins a trend that spreads throughout the world.

Inter-racial relationships have definitely become way more accepted in society, and with the “mixed” category becoming a prominent racial class, it seems as if we are making pretty big strides towards racial equality in relationships. But as much as people claim to not see color when it comes to making friends and dating, the majority of people still make friends and date primarily within their race, and especially within their culture. I ask people all the time if they consider themselves racist, and obviously 100 percent of the answers are absolutely not. So many people claim to not be bounded by race or have latent racist tendencies, but when I ask them if they would date someone outside their race most of the times I get a “probably not.” It makes me wonder where the line gets drawn for what constitutes someone as a racist. Regardless of how many people claim they see no problem with people of two races dating, there is still a shock value that goes along with it, especially between black and white relationships. Just because it is unconventional and was extremely uncommon just a few decades ago, people today are still surprised just to see it. That does not necessarily mean that someone who is surprised by seeing someone of two different races dating is a racist, but people the fact that people still make an issue of it shows there is still racist tendencies within our society. My experience has been that most people will not date outside of their race because their families will disapprove. As people have brought up in class, the older “grandparent” generation seems to get a free pass to be as racist as they want because they are a product of their times. Now you can’t expect to change 60 plus years of beliefs that were reinforced by a racist society, but what you can do is realize the trend of greater racial acceptance. I think that as the mixed segment of our population grows, there will not be as much thought when it comes to dating outside of a race, because the inter mixing will make it irrelevant. However, even though I believe it will become irrelevant, and most people claim to not have a problem with it, problems still exist with inter racial relationships. There are still many people who regard them as weird or even wrong. The problem is that many families still project a belief to their kids that they should date only within their race. While some of them may just be outright racist, many probably just understand there still is not a widespread acceptance, and that there will be problems that accompany being in an inter-racial relationship. Knowing many people whose parents are of two or more races, there is a definite identity crisis that can result. Kids of mixed races often don’t know who to identify with or are even out casted by the groups they belong to. Regardless, I hope that as more people give up racist tendencies, there will be no apprehension for someone to date outside their race.

The diversity at Penn State is exactly what I expected it to be when i applied here. Even though it has all the feel of a school near a big city, the surrounding counties are predominantly white rural towns. I'm sure no one is surprised that the school is mostly white, but I'd hardly say it isn't diverse. I remember freshmen year being impressed with our exchange program and how many international students lived in my building and even on my floor. I guess my impression was a little different than most peoples because most of the guys on my floor, including my RA were international students or students of color. I see events for all the minority interest groups around campus and have liked how much we're exposed to other cultures. I've been to a number of other colleges that are located even closer to big cities and are still not as diverse as Penn State.
Despite the seemingly diverse student body, I still hear so many people say that Penn State is an overwhelmingly white school. The biggest problem I have seen regarding diversity at the school is that each racial group has an unfailing tendency to hang out almost exclusively with people of their own race. For whatever reason , this makes the school seem much less integrated. When I bring this up, I constantly hear people respond with “No way dude one of my good friends is black/Asian/Middle Easter.” In all honesty I usually don’t see people with many close friends of the opposite race beyond one or two acquaintances. That being said, I can’t say I’m not guilty of the same thing. One of my closest friends from high school who also attends Penn State is black, but after our freshmen year the majority of friends we both made were of our own race. I’m not saying anyone at this school is latently racist, but my experience is that people tend to gravitate to or feel more comfortable around people of the same race. Honestly, I think that the school tends to promote this. The number of minority clubs at this school is great, but it seems to promote people of the same backgrounds to cling together. Most people have no idea that these groups are open to people of every race. The diversity here really had no bearing on my decision to come here. I expected it to be predominantly white, but was happy with the presence of other cultures. I felt that the father away I got from the city, the less diverse it would be, which certainly was not a positive. To me the diversity of school was not a top priority, but it’s been nice to see that going to Penn State has let me meet people of a bunch of different backgrounds

Affirmative action appears on the surface to be reverse discriminatory and truth is that it is. Because of this, it comes under a lot of scrutiny, especially from the white community. Being a white male, I understand that Affirmative Action has made me less attractive to schools and employers, but without it I think race relations as a whole would have been worse off. The fact that it exists now means that in the past it was absolutely necessary. While now it appears to discriminate because less qualified applicants could technically oust competitors, what it has accomplished since its outweighed those negatives.
Without Affirmative Action, there could possibly still be a big gap in racial equality. I’m sure every employer would insist that their interview process is completely equal, but the truth is that even now latent racism exists and influences interviewers. If Affirmative Action had never been put into place, I’m sure colored applicants would still be denied based solely on race. Even still, many people complain that this attempt to equalize the racial balance is based on racist practices that are decades old. I hear so many arguments that say that Affirmative Action is no longer needed, and its continued existence is only furthering racism through reverse discrimination. I would have seen some legitimacy in these arguments in the past, but after the facts Sam showed us in class, I was surprised how apparent latent racism still is. While no employer will admit it, or maybe they just don’t realize is, people of color are still denied opportunities based on skin color. Until the numbers show that there’s no disparity in colored applicants in schools and the workplace, Affirmative Action is absolutely necessary. Even as a white male that could possibly be denied a job because of a need for a minority quota, I understand the intentions. This isn’t because of some white guilt I have for my ancestors oppressing people of other races centuries before I was even born, I just think more needs to be done to combat racial inequality. The problem with racial inequality in the modern world is that nobody ever wants to admit he or she is a racist. This may seem like less of a problem to others, but just because everybody says they accept all races, that by no means makes it true. The numbers can’t lie, as Sam as shown us. A disproportionate number of colored people are routinely denied jobs, housing loans, are incarcerated and even are avoided on buses purely based on skin color. The problem with “modern racism” is that it is latent. I’m not saying everyone is secretly racist, but exercises we’ve done in class show that it’s not suppressed deep down, but rather discrimination has become an unconscious thing.

Ignorance is truly bliss. The phrase is as overused as it is true. The less that is made known of the sufferings of others throughout the world, the less responsibility we feel like we need to take. Of course many measures are taken to make sure that the stories of slaves and sweatshop workers stay out of the mainstream media to make sure companies retain positive images, but are we really completely ignorant of the slavery problem that exists in the world today? The video and exercise we did we the slaves on cocoa plantations on the Ivory Coast was a great example of the alleged “ignorance card” we play. I’m sure for many people it was the first time they had heard of that specific sector of slave labor, but can we really say we were completely ignorant of the widespread slavery throughout the world?
It is hard to go an entire day without touching something that was made by someone who is being forced against their will without pay. This is why I was not surprised by the video we watched, because I have seen enough of them to know that a great amount of consumer goods have parts or are wholly constructed by slaves. I can understand the shock that went through the class after watching the Ivory Coast video, but I can’t believe that every single person in that room has not read articles or seen similar videos that expose major companies and their dealings in sweatshop and slave labor. When we claim ignorance for certain issues, we should by all means be mad that this injustice is allowed to happen, but in no way should we be surprised. The ignorance card prompted in the question is a legitimate excuse, for we have no way of knowing what goes on in factories sealed off from the rest of the world. However, it is those that do not alter their lifestyle after knowing what occurs to obtain most household goods. Anyone with access to a computer, television or any media knows that there are things that can be done to make even a slight impact in the fight against slavery. The only problem is that most people, myself included, do little once they become aware. The consumers cannot be all to blame however, because it is not our fault that companies knowingly choose to use slave and sweatshop labor, and that media sources limit the airing of stories that could do much to help the cause. However, using the ignorance card and buying products produced by slaves does not mean you are supporting those who wrongfully use this type of labor, like Sam pointed out in class. It is a shame that the world is structured so that the majority of our products are kept low in cost by slaves, but we can make a conscious effort to try and alleviate the sufferings of these people.

Determinism is most definitely the major role player in how and why people end up at Penn State, or any college for that matter. I understand that Sam insists that we try to see factors from both free will and determinism, but I just think determinism plays more of a role, especially when it comes to high school graduation and college admission. It is no coincidence that low income communities have meager graduation rates while schools located in wealthy suburbs send 99% of their graduates to college. The public school systems set into place in low income areas are limited by their capabilities, and therefore increase a high drop-out rate. Likewise, high income areas have school systems that promote graduation. The law of averages will repeatedly show that a fixed percentage of students will or will not graduate. Obviously there are incredibly motivated and intelligent students that come from poor schools and have great success, and students from rich schools that fail miserably, but over time it becomes apparent that the school you attend has an overwhelming impact on the college you attend, if you attend at all. We always hear the “rags-to-riches” stories of people coming from nothing and making very successful careers for themselves. What is never featured on ABC nightly specials, however, is the rich executive that is making millions because he attended the top schools in the country and was handed down a tycoon built by his parents and grandparents. Is it any surprise that almost all of our previous presidents were white men that came from wealth and attended Ivy League schools? Or that the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies went to a prominent business school, courtesy of their supportive high school system?
That being said, I accredit my being here at Penn State to deterministic factors. Although neither of my parents went to college, they worked incredibly hard and made sacrifices to ensure I received a college education. But I would be foolish to think my parents hard work wasn’t accompanied by deterministic factors of their own. The fact that my family ended up in a predominantly white suburb made going to college a far more realistic goal. Of course I had to work hard in high school to be able to get into Penn State, but what I call hard work is very relative. Someone who had to work multiple jobs in a low funded school district had to work much harder than I did to get to the same place. Sam pointed out that we tend to look at the work it took for us to get things, and not the deterministic factors that made it much easier for us to obtain it. Sure it is possible for anyone to go to college, but some predetermined factors make it incredibly hard for some people to realize that goal. Sure someone living in extreme poverty can do the impossible and attend a great school, but can you really blame the vast majority of them that don’t?

I believe I’m one of the few that has a positive outlook on the future of race relations. I’ve been fortune to have many close friends, not just acquaintances, who have backgrounds and ancestries different than me. Having experienced different cultures and customs has made me realize that race should not be an issue. I do realize that it still continues to be a problem and certainly will be for a while, but I am pretty optimistic that an understanding will eventually be reached. Individuals who work for racial quality are not just people that we study in textbooks, and there is evidence of that everywhere. The work of Dr. King and Malcolm X did not stop with their death, and many people continue to make interracial understanding a priority. These changes may not be in the coming years, decades or even centuries, but I believe eventually our global community will realize exactly what it is, and that ancestral origins are no reason for blatantly misunderstanding an entire culture.
Evidence for the hopeful future of racial equal is embedded all throughout history. Historically, due to the technology of the time, there was virtually no intermixing of different people from different parts of the world. While people at far ends of the planet developed different customs and traditions, they had no idea another civilization existed on the opposite side of the world. This lack of interaction led to many of the innate misunderstandings of cultures everywhere. Understanding begins with interaction. Many people who grow up in predominately white communities rarely have the chance to meet someone of a different faith and race. Because of this, they fall victim to accepting common stereotypes as truth. There has been a great deal of intermixing of cultures in this country in the 20th and 21st centuries, and proportionally, race relations have improved dramatically. I believe that this is due to a combination of intermarriages and 1st and 2nd generation people simply identifying as American rather than with their native countries. Each major migration in American history has been met with resistance and prejudice, but eventually improved greatly. The Asian and Irish immigrations on the west and east coasts respectively were both met with a noticeable amount of prejudice, but now both cultures have assimilated and are viewed as just another component of the American population. I think that with each generation, a new understanding emerges between races. Many claim to have “old school” views, which I think is just an excuse to have obviously racist views. Whether it’s just apathy or an actual understanding and appreciation for different cultures and beliefs, I think future generations will continue to make strides toward overall racial equality.

We classify ourselves in many ways, as stated in the video. Our gender, religious views, and race we identify with all play a part in our classification. We are not necessarily categorized by other people, but we put ourselves into categories historically created by other people. The major factor is no doubt our race. It is the most instantly noticeable and easiest to categorize. Sometimes race even nullifies the other categories, because certain races are linked to particular religions and customs. But often race spans over many different religions, which is why entire countries and continents of people are often lumped into the same category. Even our gender plays a more prominent role than people think. Women of certain cultures have more power and freedom of expression, causing them to be entirely different of women from other places. This difference may cause some women to be proud and want to place emphasis on the fact that they have a high social standing as a woman.

As for myself, my race and religion have been the main way I have classified myself. Even though classifying as white really encompasses everyone that traces their lineage to Europe and Russia, it is how I have always identified myself. I think every person with that background identifies as white because there is a prototypical “white person” image. Even though natives of Ireland, Italy, Germany and other European countries have very distinct differences, it seems that in America the intermarriage and years apart from home countries have made the differences negligible. In this sense, the American “white” person has taken on distinct characteristics enough to make it a separate race. Furthermore, my religious upbringing has also played a part in how I identify myself. Not necessarily my beliefs when it comes to faith, but the religion of my ancestors. The Irish-Catholic image has been a classic category for many Americans. The white Catholic image has been perpetuated because people by nature search out familiar customs and traditions. This is probably the reason the Irish-Italian mix is so common. Catholics of all backgrounds bounded together for worship, and the process was probably easy because religious traditions were the basis for many families’ schedules. Because of this, it is fairly easy to get an idea of my ancestors origin’s simply by identifying as a white Catholic. This ease of identification is the reason why religion and race have been the two main factors of how I identify myself. People are constantly trying to put people in categories, and race and religion are the most evident two. Because of this ease of categorization, I think they are the two that most people also probably use to identify themselves.