This question is not a yes or no question. If we are only looking at the question asked, “When a person hangs out with a group of people who are not of their color/race does that make them a poser?” I would say not necessarily. I am glad someone asked this question because it definitely hits home with me. I moved to the United States when I was 11 and have lived in State College since. I went to middle school and high school here. Now, Penn State University is very diverse but when it comes to State College as a town, there are not very many black people that are from here. Therefore, my high school and middle school were more than 90% white. As I learned the English language, I was also learning the culture. During my years in high school, especially, the black people in my school called me a poser and said I was acting “white”. Why? Their reasons because I acted like I was smarter than them and I would not hang out with them. Does that make sense to anyone? I was poser because I got straight A’s and I chose not to hang out with the black crew that got in trouble all the time… Now, if I was hanging out with only white people, I could maybe try to understand their point of view, but I was with Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and African people because I identified better with them. Yes, most of my friends were white but I also had many other international friends. So I guess, what I am trying to say is, it really depends on what motivates the person to act the way they do. If I had just decided to hang out with white people, and change my hair color blond, used a skin bleachers, and absolutely denied my heritage, then yes, I would see how I could be called a poser. Even though people in our society today stereotype and judge on appearances, does not make it right. It is just like the sayings “do not judge a book by its cover.” If most you are white and grew up in a black community in Philly, and all your friends are black, how in world does that make you a poser? You did not have that many choices friends wise. It is almost impossible to look at someone and say: that girl or that boy only hangs out with people a different skin color or a different race than him or her, therefore that person is a poser. You cannot say that because you just do not know a person’s reason for doing so. I believe it depends on who you identify with and on the circumstances.

I do believe that race plays a big part in who we view to be criminals and this is because of society. Stereotypes were obviously created by us, society and we have spread it between one another. I personally do not know too many stereotypes. In general, I do not believe in stereotypes at all. Just because a certain percentage of a race tends to do something does not mean that the whole participates in that behavior or act. A sort of recent stereotype that I most definitely do not believe in is that Arabs are terrorists and violent. Like in every race, they are extremists. A very small part of the Arab world decided to take part of a very violent act: 9/11. Ever since that event, many people have had the stereotype that individuals from Arab speaking countries are terrorists or/and agreed with the actions of terrorists. Because of that, many Arab people have suffered discriminations and cruel actions from others. I am friends with people from different Arab countries and they have expressed their views on this discrimination and stereotype of their race. People have no idea how many Arabs do not agree with the choices of the terrorists who participated in the 9/11 attack. Another stereotype I do not agree with is that Asian people (mostly Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) go into majors related to Engineering and Science. I have heard people refer to them a lot as nerds who spent most of their times at the library studying. I am not sure why many people, students mostly, think of Asian people in lab coats and doing research in something. This stereotype was proven when we did a clicker question in our sociology 119 class. The question was something like: what do think most Asians tend to major in? And the results from the answers showed that the majority of students in the class believe that Asian people are more likely to major in a science related field. And that belief was wrong. The reality was that Asian people tend to go into business and management related fields. This did not surprise me because I am friends with many international people having been in ESL. Some of those friends include Chinese and Korean people. 7 out of those 11 friends are majoring in business and management related majors. I think people have this stereotype of some Asians because they are seen studying a lot and work hard to have great grades (not that they are the only race to do so). And science related majors and engineering majors require a lot of studying and discipline. This stereotype is hurtful to some Asians because it is a type of pressure put on them. They feel they have to fit that stereotype so some of them end up going into a major they do not want to because of what society feels they should be majoring. It is interesting but mostly sad. So as one can see, stereotypes are not the best thing in world. I am not sure of how they started but I know they will always be there so individuals will learn to live with it.

The videos I have watched today have absolutely blown my mind. It is amazing what these Haitians entrepreneurs are capable of. They are very creative and very determined. Their skills are truly limitless when it comes to creating and producing all these different things. I was particularly impressed by Euclid’s, Yvrose’s, and Clorene’s work. Each and every single one of these three women are taking raw materials and are hand making purses, tee shirts, and/or shoes out of them with a staff of no more than 10 people! Can you imagine? Working with your bare hands that hard and that long to make a living, what does that tell us? These entrepreneurs are hard workers and will take advantage of whatever help they can get to improve their businesses. So it is evident that if provided the needed resources, these Haitians will work their butts off to generate profit and to succeed. If I had to choose one entrepreneur, it would be Yvrose because does both Clorene’s and Euclid’s work combined and then some more. Yvrose not only makes her clothes like shirts and dresses, but she also paints them and makes different designs. I saw kids’ dresses, evening wear, casual wear, and formal wear in the background of the video. The things I believe would sell most here in America are the shoes. Many Americans love the fact that they have something others cannot easily get; that unique factor. The shoes she makes are very stylish and are sandals I could see girls wear here at Penn State during the summer. The color and beautiful and the styles are unique. You would not find anything like it in a common store. The other factor I think will help sell the shoes is the fact that they are handmade. It makes the shoes much more valuable to know that someone took the time out of the day to make those shoes for you to wear. And because they are handmade, you know that they are more durable because of the stitches. The soles are just glued to the rest of the shoe. Every item on the shoe is well connected to the other parts to make a durable shoe. I have noticed that people in America love to brag about an item they have that is handmade because it gives it value. Therefore, Yvrose’s shoes are very marketable because every single part of her shoe is handmade right there in the shop and she uses real leather in the making of the shoes. So finding a way to advertise her shoes here is key to helping Yvrose with her business. And if things go well, it could get to the point where people could send her a certain design they want her to make and certain materials they want her to make it from.
I believe helping Yvrose is possible and easier that it may seem. I cannot wait to get started on this project!! No matter who my group ends up helping, it is going to be amazing helping one the Haitian entrepreneurs’ business off the ground. The people are truly remarkable and an inspiration!

Different characteristics are needed to be good at a certain sport. One thing all great athletes have in common is to be physical fit. Now, that does not mean one has to be muscular with no ounce of fat, it simply means the athletes has to be able to endure whatever sports he/she plays. With that said, the components of an athlete (a good one at least) include being healthy, eating well, exercising, and getting the necessary rest.
It is hard to determine whether or not someone is an athlete judging just from looks. I’ve seen many guys on campus, who wear tanks top, with big biceps and chest muscles. Looking at these guys, one would think that they are pretty athletic and go to the gym a lot. The truth is many of those guys just lift heavy weights and will not be good at many sports because they cannot run for a very long amount of time or they have very little coordination. Or you can see someone who is very short and think he/she is not good at volleyball when that person can jump a lot higher than thought possible. So, my point is that you cannot determine how athletic a person is solely on looks.
An important characteristic to have as an athlete is mental toughness. Competitions do not always go the way expected so one needs to be able to stay focused no matter what the situation during a match. There is always going to be someone better than you at some point or who is going to be as competitive so it is important to have self-control as an athlete. Another important component is teamwork if playing a team sport. For example, if you are one of the best players on a football team, you cannot put yourself above everyone else and constantly hog the ball. The team will not do nearly as well as it can and your teammates will hate you, simply put.
I have one characteristic that gives me a disadvantage as an athlete, I am too competitive. I like to win and have a hard time accepting anything less. Not good. This makes it hard for me to enjoy playing sports unless I am winning. How competitive I am makes me a good athlete but a bad teammate sometimes.
On the other hand, I have many characteristics that make me a good athlete. I am small, strong, and very fast. So when I play sports, people tend to judge me on my size until I completely lay someone out in a tackle or flash by an opponent in a race. When running, I take long strides and run on my toes. I have strong calves, hamstrings, and quads which give me an advantage in track. I have to thank my genes for that.

I’m happy to hear someone ask this question because they are such controversy over it. I’ve been asked this question a lot and have given many people my opinion on it. I think that the difference between African and African American will depend on the individuals asked. So I will give MY opinion.
In theory, we are all African because I think that we all came from African at some point. I believe being African has to do with your origin. If you are born in Africa and your parents are from African; you are African; even if you don’t identify yourself as that. I would not consider you African, if your parents are German and you were born and raised in Africa, I’m sorry but I would not consider you African. An African American, who is born and raised in Africa, is African to me because they have ancestors who are from African.
Now, my definition of African American is someone who is born in American and can trace his/her heritage to African slaves who were brought to America. If your parents were born and/or raised in Africa and you (their child) is born in America and raised here, to me, you are not African American because you heritage is not traceable to African slaves.
Now, black is very broad for me. Both African Americans and Africans are black. But they are more people I consider black. You are black to me if your skin is dark with “black” features (I don’t want to offend anyone but I mean larger nose and the fuller lips), and have some African heritage. For example, there are people from Brazil that are very dark skinned and have ancestors who were African slaves that identify themselves as just Brazilians but they are BLACK Brazilians to me. So the term black is an umbrella term for me. There are different types of black people just like they are different types of white people. There are white Europeans and there are white Africans (mostly from South Africa) just like there are black Europeans. So being black is not a specific thing, it is a variety of people. Just like white is a variety of people.
When people ask me what I am, I always say African and they ask if I have an American citizenship. Even though I do, I still say I am African because of the reasons listed above. I’ve had people argue with me about this to try and convince me that I am African American because of my citizenship but it has never swayed me. I also have African American friends that have been offended where referred to as African or Black. And their logic was that they want to be identified based on their ancestry.
To me the question “what is the difference between black, African American, and African” is like asking “what is the difference between being white, European, and American?” It is hard to define but they is definitely a difference. There ARE similarities, but being black, African, and African American should not be considered the same thing because of people’s preferences.

So my thought of interacial dating is that it won't kill you. If skin color has kept you from dating someone, please put that aside and try something new. And if it doesn't work out, do not stereotype a certain race and gender with the bad experience you had. Everyone is different.
Like I said, you can't help who you fall in love with but you can deprive yourself from love by mates based on skin color.

My boyfriend and I have almost been dating for 3 years now and we have been lucky enough not to experience any racism or prejudice. People actually LOVE us for out different we are and how proud we are that we found each. I do have admit that things were a little awkward the very first night we hung out here at Penn State. It was then night Thon ended, and as we walked hand in hand we had 3 or 4 people loudly and publicly congratulate us on our interacial relationship. This told me two things. One that when looking at us, the first thing that pops into others minds is that we are dating outside our race. Instead of thinking "aww how cute are they?" or " I love her outfit" they think "A black girl dating a white guy.....". It doesn't bother me at all because I don't look at people throught the color of their skiin just as other human beings.

But that didn't hold me back because if you truly like someone, it would be difficult to make this kind of decisiioin solely on the color of his or her skin. I know people who have made decisions to only date within their race and things have not worked out so well for them because they are limiting themselves. It may be difficult to date outside your race but I believe it is something everyone should try. It is a very different experience and ther is a lot to learn from it. One thing people fear from interacial dating is what other people with think. After introducing my boyfriend to my father, he had this long talk with me about what I should expect from the public. He asked if I was sure I wanted to take such risks because we will experience hardship when out in public and that if we had children, they may face hardship as well. It was a difficult thing to hear from a parent but I understood where he was coming from.

I, myself, have not yet dated inside my race because I have not found the things I look for in a man in someone my own race. I am black and I have only dating white guys. People have told me that I am ashamed of my race and that is why I only date white guys, which is completely false. You can't help who you fall in love with, and I fell in love with a white man because of his personality, a personality I haven't found in any black man.
Would dating a black man make my life a little easier? Yes. As much as I hate to admit it, it would. It took me a very long time before I was able to bring him to meet my parents because I knew what my father would think. My dad has never had a good experience with a young white male and I knew that would get in the way.

This question is like asking " how do feel about dating the same race...". There shouldn't be a particular feeling about this subject. Interracial dating should not be as much as a controversy that it is, especially nowdays. Physical appearance may be a characteristic people consider when choosing a mate, but it should be a major one if a person is looking for a meaningful and deep relationship. The color of someone's skin should not decide whether or not you want to date them, this is going to sound cliche, but it is what's inside that truly counts.