I believe that this lecture has given me a new outlook on illegal immigrants and immigration in general. Prior to this class, I saw immigration as a relatively serious problem; however I admit that I mostly viewed the immigration problem in terms of the immigrants coming in from Mexico. I live in a suburb right outside of the city where farming is a big way of life. My town and the surrounding city have had a large influx of immigrant workers from Mexico. The city has had a lot of problems with illegal immigrants getting in car accidents and then fleeing from the scene of the crime because they know that without citizenship papers they will be deported. With my town having problems such as these, I often feel like we need to do something concerning illegal immigrants. Furthermore, it is common to hear people to claim that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from legal citizens. Over the years I have slowly realized that people are incorrect in saying that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from legal citizens. It is obvious that our economy will fail without them; they often do the jobs that no one else wants to do. Furthermore, businesses are able to pay them such minute amounts of money because they are illegal and technically have no rights or say in the matter. People do not realize that even if we deported all of the illegal immigrants who do these types of jobs and then replace them with legal citizens, our economy would take a major financial blow. The businesses would be required to adequately pay the legal citizens thus much of the profit they gained from barely paying the illegal immigrants. Furthermore, many people blame the immigrants for taking the jobs of citizens when they should actually blame the businesses and companies themselves. They are only looking out for themselves when they hire the immigrants; they choose to hire people that they can pay minuscule amounts over people that they would be required by law to pay regular wages. Citizens are wrongly placing the blame on immigrants.

Although I have slowly started changing my views on immigration, I believe that the class on immigration also gave me a new outlook. I think that the class has made me step into the shoes of an immigrant so I understand what they are going through. Yes, they came to this country illegally yet they are some of the hardest working people on the planet. They not only do the jobs that most Americans do not want to do but they have absolutely no rights in the process. They are paid very little amounts of money for extremely laboring work and many of them send it back to their families in Mexico. Furthermore, the class has made me consider Native Americans and their outlook on all of this. We complain that illegal immigrants are “taking over” and we need to get rid of them. However, the Native Americans view us all as immigrants who actually succeeded in taking over.

I was surprised by Tuesday’s lecture regarding Native Americans. You
grow up learning very little about the Native Americans and their
history in the United States. Honestly, the most that I remember about
my Native American education concerns the Trail of Tears and even that
is a little blurry. It is amazing how such a small percentage of the
history books’ content, or at least those used in grade and high
schools, discusses Native Americans and the Unites States’ treatment
of Native Americans. Native Americans occupied this country long
before Europeans took over. I honestly think that the struggle between
the Native Americans and the colonists would have a vastly different
outcome had the Native Americans been given better weapons. The
colonists had more advanced weaponry that allowed them to easily
conquer the Native Americans; if it was not for that, I believe the
Native Americans would have dominated over the colonists.

When you think of genocide, the first thing that comes to my mind is
the Holocaust and the mass killing of the Jewish people by the Nazis.
Until Soc. 119, I did not know that the moving and killing of the
Native Americans, not the Holocaust, was actually the largest genocide
in world history. After hearing that, I then wondered why I did not
learn about this until the last semester of my senior year of college.
Then I realized that the reason is because the United States glosses
over what actually happened. Although they discuss what happened to
Native Americans in the history books, it is only a brief discussion.
Just like Sam said in class, if the government actually recognized the
mass killing of the Native Americans, of the horrible treatment of the
rightful owners of the United States, then the United States would be
viewed as heartless and money eager.

Many would dispute that we can not change what happened to the Native
Americans hundreds of years ago; that it is not our fault because we
were not there and that although it is sad, we can not do anything to
change it. Although I agree that we can not help what happened
hundreds of years ago, we can change how the Native Americans are
being treated today. How can the government completely disregard the
statistics concerning Native Americans? They have the lowest age of
death, the highest unemployment rate, suicide rate, most crime, the
most sexual assault against women. We took their land and gave them
nothing in return. If we would have compensated the Native Americans
like we should have, those statistics would be very different and the
Native Americans would be in a much better place. I am happy that Sam
discussed the Native Americans in class because I was not fully aware
of how badly they were and are treated before that lecture.

When Sam first told us to put ourselves into the shoes of Middle Easterners, I was a bit hesitant. I was not hesitant because I did not want to think like I Middle Easterner, I was hesitant because I feel like these types of exercises do not typically work. It is difficult to put yourself in the shoes of someone else and imagine what they see or understand what they are going through. However, I was pleasantly surprised after the exercise. Sam did a really good job with placing us in the shoes of a Middle Easterner. Not only did he pick appropriate videos but the way he interacted with the students during the exercise helped me really put myself in their shoes. I actually saw the war and the United States through the eyes of a Middle Easterner.

I never used to understand why people in the Middle East hated the United States. It was easy to understand why the Taliban or the terrorists disliked us, but I always wondered why the everyday civilians also felt the same way. In my mind, we were over there trying to help them; we were trying to keep them safe, disband the Taliban, and give them independence. However, after Tuesdays class, I have an entirely different viewpoint. I now not only have a new perspective on the war itself, but I also have a better understanding of the people themselves. Until recently I never realized how big of an impact oil has on the war; I knew that the oil definitely played a part however Tuesday’s class showed me just how important oil is to the war. I also no longer blame Middle Easterners for being angry with the United States. After watching all of those videos and putting myself in the shoes of a Middle Easterner, if I were from the Middle East I would probably hate the United States. The United States would never stand for having another country make war with us in order to take our natural resources, yet that is exactly what we are doing to many of the Middle Eastern countries. As United States’ citizens, we are constantly bombarded with new news concerning the war. Just think about all of the videos you have seen since the war has started that show the war, or show terroristic acts. Then we are shown other videos of how much the military is helping. We are shown these videos so that the American public thinks that we are truly making a difference over there; then we are all stunned when we hear that many Middle Easterners dislike us. I am sure that we are helping in certain ways; however our reasons for being over there and waging war are completely selfish. In the same way that we are bombarded with media, Middle Easterners are also bombarded. If they are constantly shown videos like the ones that we saw on Tuesday, then I do not blame Middle Easterner for disliking the United States.

I do not think I can answer this question with a simple yes or no because I think it would be both. The situation or the circumstance pretty much determines whether or not I feel comfortable. For example, if I am simply walking two people conversing in a different language then I do not feel uncomfortable. If I am sitting next to or close to people who are talking in a different language, then for the most part, I do not think that I would feel uncomfortable. The only reason I would feel uncomfortable is if I felt like they were talking about me. Just as in when people were younger and were self conscious if people were whispering around them, automatically thinking they were gossiping about them; not knowing what people are saying around me would make me curious as to whether or not they were talking about me. However, I doubt I would feel highly uncomfortable in that situation. The only time I would really feel uncomfortable when two people were speaking another language would be if I was involved in the conversation with them and they kept switching back and forth between English and the foreign language that I did not know. This situation would make me uncomfortable for a number of reasons. First, I would again feel self-conscious and wonder why they kept switching to a language that I had no background in. I would also feel uncomfortable because by not knowing what they were saying I would not know how to approach the situation or the conversation. For example, if I go to a convenience store where the clerk and employee were talking a foreign language very loudly, I would not know if the clerk was angry and was therefore speaking loudly or if he was simply being exaggerated and emotional in his dialogue. Furthermore, let’s say I was actually involved in the conversation. If they keep switching to a different language while conversing, then I would not know how to add to the conversation or how to respond to some of their statements. Finally, I would feel uncomfortable because not knowing the other language would make me feel very uneducated and ignorant. Bilingualism is so common in so many other countries. For example, I met a few people from Britain a few years ago. They were not extremely educated (they never attended college) however each of them knew at least 2 or 3 other languages. I am about to get my bachelors degree and am even attending grad school in the fall however I only know English. I am sometimes very self conscious about that, especially when I meet people from other countries. I often wonder why bilingualism is not more prevalent in the United States. It also makes me angry that people are so passionate about English being the only language used in the United States. I agree that sometimes it is difficult to converse when people do not know English, however go to any other country and there is a huge likelihood that people there not only know English but also their native language. Americans are often times ignorant to the fact that he majority of people in other countries know English in addition to their own language, while most Americans only know English.

I am happy that Sam brought up the issue of interracial dating and I was not surprised by the fact that interracial couples/interracial dating is on the uprise. I feel as if younger generations are much more open to dating people of other races. Furthermore, there is already so much racial mixing in the world, it is likely that you are dating someone of a different race whether you are aware of it or not. With that being said, however, I do agree with the blogger that there are some factors that not only affect but determine whether or not someone will date outside of their race. I think the first determining factor is the person’s comfort level with other races. For example, say you are white and grow up in a primarily white community where you rarely interact with other races. The probability of that person dating someone of a different race is very unlikely because they do not have a lot of experience with different races and thus may be uncomfortable with the idea. However, if you were white and grew up in a very racially diverse community and had a very diverse group of friends, you are much more likely to date someone outside of your race because you have a greater comfort level with other races. A second determining factor is the opinion of your family and friends in relation to the interracial relationship. Although some families and friends are very open to interracial relationships that is not always the case. Many people often consider “What will my family and friends think if I date this person?” when it comes to dating someone of a different race. The opinions of others weigh heavily on many people and if that is the case, then those people are more likely to avoid any controversy and stick to dating someone of the same race. Finally, I think another determining factor is simple attraction. Some people are more sexually attracted to certain races; this applies to those who are only attracted to their own race and to those who are attracted to people of different races. For example, my dad is Japanese, yet he has never dated an Asian woman. He is attracted to white women thus his reason for not only dating white women but also marrying a white woman. It is not that he is racist toward his own race or does not respect his own race; it is simply that he is more attracted to white women. With all of that being said, I am sure there are many more factors which affect the chances of someone dating interracially; however I also believe that many of those factors may be diminishing since there is an increase in the number of interracial relationships.

For as long as I remember I have been aware of my white skin; however, not in the same way that many people probably think. Although I am Asian American, I do not look like the stereotypical “Asian.” I am the tall blonde in a sea of short Asian relatives; therefore I have always been quite aware of my white skin. However, at the same time, although I was aware that I looked different from my family, I never realized that the way I looked influenced how the world treats me. I never knew my white skin mattered…Or that was until I took this Sociology 119 class. Now I am quite aware that my white skin gives me certain advantages and privileges over people of different skin colors. With that being said, Sam posed the question of whether or not those with white skin feel guilty about it; do whites have “white guilt” because of certain privileges we are given. After thinking about it for awhile, I honestly believe that my answer is no, I do not feel guilty for having white skin. Although I think it is terrible that people are treated in different ways simply because of their skin color, I do not feel guilty that I have white skin. I did not choose to have white skin; I simply have white skin because of my genes. It is actually quite funny to think about. Since I am half Japanese, you would expect me to look Japanese or have some sort of Japanese traits. In fact, my best friend who is also half Japanese actually appears to be Asian. Japanese features, or Asian features in general, tend to be dominant traits, however I came out blonde and white. My situation makes me realize that we truly have absolutely no control of how we end up looking. Therefore, I do not feel guilty about my white skin. I did not make the decision to become white. In actuality, if I were like most of my family and many Asian-Americans, I would not be white; I would be Asian or “yellow”, as I have heard many Asians called.

As I said before, I did not fully become aware of my white privilege until Soc. 119 and although I do not feel guilty for being white, I must say that I am much more aware of the benefits and privileges I am given because of my skin color. It is sad that something as simple as your skin color can determine how you will succeed in the world. Every time that I hear about inequalities caused by the color of someone’s skin, all I can think about is how every human has 99.9% of the same genome. I often wonder if knowing that percentage would not only change people’s mind about race but also how they treated other races?

I definitely think that the world’s resources are slowly running out and that in just a few decades we may not have enough resources to not only feed but also care for everyone. However, with that being said, I do not think it is realistic to limit the number of children people are allowed to have. I also do not think it is realistic to control when people are allowed to have children in order to conserve resources. In a democratic country, such as the United States, limiting the number of children or controlling the time period in which they are allowed to have children would seriously impinge upon everyone’s personal rights. I do not think that that type of law would ever be passed in the United States, let alone every other country. Instead, I think that the better solution is to start limiting how not only individual people, but also countries, use certain resources. For example, we are obviously running out of many fossil fuels that the majority of populations rely on, such as oil. Rather than continually using oil and tearing apart land to find more oil, I think it would be more efficient and beneficial to start finding alternative energy sources. Obviously, these types of ideas are already in the works; however I do not think that we, especially the United States, are spending as much time as we should finding and actually using alternative sources. I also do not think that the United States’ population is fully aware of how quickly we are using up our resources in addition to how much of a negative affect we have on the environment. Even when people are informed of the negative effect, I think that often times they do not want to believe it thus they disregard it. This can be seen when it comes to the issue of global warming and climate change. Although global warming can be scientifically proven, many people refuse to acknowledge it.
After discussing other aspects of our decreasing resources, let us focus on food and whether or not we have enough to sustain us. As I previously said, with such an increasing population, I doubt that our food supply will last for too long. However, I also believe that many of the more highly developed countries greatly waste thousands of pounds of food. Just imagine going to eat at a restaurant. You are loaded with appetizers, main courses, and dessert. How much of that food do you think is thrown away? Or how much food do you throw away at your own house simply because it goes bad or you do not want to eat it? I think that we could conserve a lot more food and feed a lot more people if developed countries, especially the United States, became more conservative and less squandering.

After seeing the poverty in which Tammy and her family lived, my first thought upon hearing that she had four kids was: “Really? Four? Is that necessary?” Obviously restricting the number of kids someone is allowed to have would be impinging upon their personal rights. However, in situations such as Tammy’s, where you can barely care for yourself, let alone four other people, I think it is very irresponsible to have a so many children. It is common knowledge that kids are quite expensive. From diapers to food, to babysitters to clothes, kids get very pricey; furthermore as children age, they become more expensive. With that being said, I wonder what Tammy, or anyone in her situation, is thinking when they have multiple children that they can obviously not afford.

Thinking about Tammy’s situation actually made me think of the question that Sam keeps bringing up in class, is the situation or the circumstances in which a person is subjected based off of freedom or determinism? Tammy obviously had the power to refrain from sex and to prevent unwanted pregnancies. She could have been more self-aware and conscientious, knowing perfectly well that she would not be able to afford four children. However, when you look at the determinism side, it is difficult to be surprised by Tammy’s situation. By living in an extremely rural area without a mode of transportation, Tammy probably did not have easy access to a health clinic in which she can obtain free contraceptives. Furthermore, she came from a family of similar means; they were poor, living in a poor rural community with a large family of 22 children. By coming from such a large family it is not surprising that Tammy has a large family; what is surprising is the fact that she doesn’t have more children.

The student stated that it seems like those living in poverty tend to have more children than those above the poverty line. It makes you wonder why that is. Is it that they are less careful and are not thinking about the possible outcome of unprotected sex or having children when they cannot afford them? Or is it that they are not given the same opportunities to protect themselves via free contraceptives? I think that both may be possible answers. Furthermore, there are many religions that do not believe in contraceptives and many people do not believe in having an abortion if they do indeed have an unwanted pregnancy. Whatever the case may be, although my opinion may sound very judgemental, I do believe it is irresponsible for those living in poverty to not consider the consequences of having multiple children. It is one thing to have a child or two, yet it is just selfish to bring a multitude of children into a situation in which you know they will have difficulty striving. Furthermore, the determinist point of view would say that by having multiple children while impoverished, you are only supporting the same cycle.

I was surprised by today’s lecture because I honestly didn’t know how prevalent slavery is in today’s world. Of course I have heard of slavery associated with diamond mining, yet I actually thought that it was diminishing if not already extinct. When I got home, I told my roommate about the video we saw and she was also really surprised. She asked if it was a recent video and was shocked that slavery still exists today. I think that very few people in the United States are aware of the extent of slavery that still exists in the world. I believe one reason can be attributed to the fact that although we are taught US and World histories in middle and high school, we are never actually taught about issues that are of relevance today. Although it is necessary to learn about history so that we can learn and grown from it, I think it is important for the youth to be more informed about today’s topics. I believe that a second reason that many people are unaware of present day slavery is the fact that the news and the media do not pay any attention to it. You are more likely to hear about “Brangelina” or Lady Gaga’s most recent fashion no-no than you are to hear about any worldly issues. The American public is more interested in celebrities and celebrity gossip and the media is completely aware of this; it is obvious by what they discuss on television shows and write about in magazines and news articles. I think it is difficult, as a public, to hear about the horrible situations that other people are subjected to especially when you are not sure how you can possibly help.

As mentioned I think that the public is unaware of current issues and problems because of a lack of education in schools in addition to a lack of media coverage. However, I believe that we can raise awareness by changing these two things. Obviously it would be a difficult feat; however it may time to start modernizing history classes. The educational system needs to decide when it is time to start updating books and material; I believe the time is now. Although it has been 4 years since I have been in high school, my history classes only covered up to the World War II. I don’t think that is sufficient. I think it is time to make a change in the middle and high schools. Furthermore, I think the news and media need to make it more of a priority to cover global issues. Although they want to cover whatever sells, I do believe that many people are interested in learning more about significant issues, such as slavery. In addition to greater coverage, I think it would be helpful if the media not only covered the issues but also gave us examples of ways in which we could help. No one wants to hear that someone is suffering but there is nothing you can do to help. I think by offering opportunities to help, more people would be drawn in.

It is funny that this question was posed today because we actually discussed race, whether or not race actually exists, and if so, why does race still exist in my section’s discussion group today. I do not really believe that “race” exists; we are all human beings. In my discussion group, we talked about how if you cut two people of supposedly different races you would not be able to differentiate between the two races by simply looking at the genes; there is no gene for race. I guess I associate “race” more with your ethnicity or heritage. It is the heritage and the culture in which you relate. Most people would relate me to the white race; however I do not necessarily associate with that. Although I am white, I associate more with my Japanese heritage because I know much more about my Japanese heritage and the Japanese culture than I do my Polish or Irish heritage. I think race is a social construct that allows society to put people into different categories. I think that categorizing people is just a part of human nature. It is an innate quality to want to group people in an attempt to figure out the group in which you belong. However, I feel like grouping people ultimately leads to inequality between groups. People want to feel like they are special and unique; they want to feel like they are the best. Therefore I think that many groups criticize the differences in other groups and use those differences to ultimately make their own group feel superior. Sam even mentioned something of this sort in class. He said that, in early US history, whites justified using blacks as slaves because they said that since black people were different from them (i.e. were a different color), they were beneath white people. However that brings me to the point that although people are quick to categorize and judge people, the majority of the time people are incorrectly categorized. For example, most people wouldn’t categorize me as Japanese. Furthermore, I have met a few people that are Hispanic, however at first glance I would have categorized them as black.

I guess that brings me back to the idea that it is a natural tendency for human beings to want to categorize and group other people. One of the girls in my discussion group made a valid point concerning this idea. She asked the question: do you think that hundreds of years ago when there still existed tribes, people categorized other people based on looks in order to figure who was dangerous and who was trustworthy. For example, if people in tribes looked similar then they used looks to differentiate between different tribes thus helping to protect their own tribe. I think she had some truth to this point. I think that many people often categorize themselves into certain groups to make themselves feel more secure and comfortable. Maybe it is a primal instinct to want to be with people are similar to you because then you feel less threatened. Ultimately I think that racism is still a problem in the world today because I think that people constantly categorize other people and grouping other people often leads to inequality among those groups.