I don't know if I'd be able to stay quiet. It is so unfair when people get discriminated upon. I've never seen anything like that before, so I can't really say exactly how I react. But I think I would walk out. I'm Jewish and I've definitely heard people say jokes and derogatory things. If I were ever in a situation where I was being put down and not allowed into a certain store or restaurant, I would be so offended and hurt. I first of all don't even know if I would be able to stick up for myself. It's so hurtful when a person is called out in front of others for race or religion, and it is so hard to stick up for yourself. I know that if I were in the situation of the Muslim lady, I probably would have just walked out. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t stick up for another person. If I think about it, I don’t know what I would do. If I saw someone being racist or not allowing someone into their shop or restaurant because of their race or religion, I would hope that I would stick up for them and walk out. I can’t give my business to someone who is racist or does not respect other human beings for who they are. However, I think the reason that many people do not stick up for others when they see something racist or prejudice going on is because they don’t know how to handle it and want to stay passive. This is what leads to racism in our country—the fact that nobody will speak up and stick up for others, even when they know that what is going on is not right. Everyone in America is so passive—if they see something that they know is wrong, a lot of the times people don’t speak up. I don’t get why but if I saw someone being told that they weren’t allowed, I’m pretty sure I’d say something. However, if I didn’t, I know that it would be because I wouldn’t know what to say. I’m just being honest, even though I would hope that I would say something. Like I said before, people sometimes are just passive because they don’t know what else to do. If everyone could just stick up for others of different races that are discriminated against, our world could become a little bit less racist and a little bit more accepting. It’s amazing to see when people DO stick up for others, because it shows that humanity doesn’t completely suck. In the future, I will make sure to definitely stick up for other races because it is so unfair to see how other people can treat others.

I really like this question. I've always, ALWAYS felt this way. Ever since I was a kid, I had to go to hebrew school and attend services at synagogue with my parents. Every kid that was Jewish and went to my temple at my age had to. I really just did not like going to the long classes and the long services. It wasn't that I didn't like the stories that was learning about or didn't enjoy the songs, I just didn't particularly feel like it was my "thing". As I got older, around the time of my Bat Mitzvah, I did enjoy my religion. I just didn't always understand why I had to feel guilty if I didn't go to weekly services or didn't participate at events at my temple. I still feel uncomfortable in my religion, to be honest. I feel like since I don't go to temple or services, or pray all of the time, I don't technically belong to my religion. But that question sparks my interest. What makes someone "connected" to God? Is it how often they pray in a temple or talk to their pastor, or in my case, Rabbi? I really don't think that's it. Although I don't often pray or speak to God, if I were to, I don't think it would have to be in temple or with my Rabbi. People can pray wherever they want. They should be able to talk to God and be connected to God ALWAYS and whenever and wherever they want. If they want to talk to God before bed every night but don't want to necessarily go speak to a Pastor or Rabbi, they should be able to without feeling "good enough" or "connected enough" with God. I think that people feel better when they are talking to a Pastor or a Rabbi because they are the closest people we have to a God. They have studied the religion and really know the bible and feel close to God. They’re job deals very closely with God and the beliefs that are associated with God. People feel like when they speak with a Pastor or someone connected with a church/temple/etc. that they are closer with God and closer with the beliefs. I know that when I have a great talk with my Rabbi or go to temple I feel closer with the religion. However, in the past few years, I haven’t gone to temple as much and do feel guilty about my lack of presence at temple. Since this question has been presented, I am going to begin praying though and not feeling “guilty” or “not connected” to my religion just because I don’t talk to a Rabbi or go to temple as often as others do.

I think it is also interesting how the white kid got completely called out for thinking the video was funny, while the Asian kid did not get called out at all for laughing at the video. This is a very common concept that I’ve noticed occurs with every race. It’s fine for a black person to call another black person a nigger, and its fine for a Jew to make a Jew joke. However, once a white person called a black person a nigger, it becomes a problem. It turns into a discriminatory comment. It negates the other person, and seems as if the white person is looking down on the black person, even if they are just kidding. The idea of the white person thinking that the video was funny almost seems as if he is making fun of and looking down at Asian people that have accents and can’t completely comprehend certain aspects of American culture and questions. The white boy, as I’m sure with MANY other white people in the class, simply found the video funny because it IS funny. I’ll admit that I laughed and have laughed at before Asian accents. I understand why it may be worse for me to laugh. I don’t have a problem with my American accent obviously, and I live in a land where I am very comfortable. I am sure that foreign Asians do not feel completely comfortable in America. I am also sure that they do not enjoy having their accents made fun of, obviously. However, they can think that a fellow Asian accent is funny. When I as a white person think it is funny, it is mocking them. It’s always really awkward when one race laughs at another race, even if it isn’t in a derogatory way. Unfortunately, that is how our world in America is. The white race always gets shit on because “we think we’re better than everyone else”. We laugh at a race joke, and we’re racist. However, an Asian laughs at an Asian joke, or a Jew to a Jew joke, or a black person to a black person joke, and that’s fine. The boy in class got so called out, but all of the Asians did not. I mean, I understand why this makes sense. It always has made sense to me. I do personally get offended sometimes when people make constant Jew jokes to me, because I feel as if I’m being looked down upon. It does suck that people have to get offended when others crack a joke, but it is how our society is and how our society has come upon.

In the beginning, I said that the granddaughter should not have to give up her seat for a white girl. Just because there was war and terror between the “grandmothers” doesn’t mean the “better” and “more high up” granddaughter should get the seat over the other. The granddaughter is a completely separate person from her grandmother. She could possibly not even be aware of the differences that the two had, the white and the black, or the white and the Native American. She was born many, many years later, and has individual traits. Although the Native Americans and the white people may not have gotten a long years ago, and although the white people thought way more highly of themselves that the Native Americans, that should absolutely not carry over throughout the years. What should happen is that the stereotypes should disintegrate and disappear, and this can only occur when there shouldn’t be expectations. The native American should not have to leave America in order to make the white person happy. Instead of the granddaughter giving up her seat, she should just share. Sharing is what everyone in America and in the world needs to learn. No one race “owns” certain areas of the world. The world belongs to everyone, especially America and the United States. The United States is a melting pot, and everyone of every race should be allowed to live freely in the U.S. without having to move aside for others. Although it does seem as if the white race is superior still, we can move this idea aside if we stop expecting. No white person should expect other races to move aside for them and to give anything up. We should all share the land and share everything that comes with it. Just because of what happened in the past should not mean that the expectations should continue on. The only way that there is ANY chance that we can have a semi-neutral race nation would be to rid of all of the stereotypes of the past, all of the assumptions and situations of the past, and everyone could potentially get along and not have everyone hating and judging one another. No one should give up their chair for anyone. Whoever gets to the chair first can sit in the chair, and if they want to share, then they can. They should share, they should want to share. Because sharing is the basis of a country that gets along. Of course we don’t live in a perfect world but the US would go on a lot better without the many stereotypes that we have and without sharing. No granddaughter should feel pressured to give anything up because of the past.

I have learned in previous classes and just know in general that it is difficult to always believe everything that we learn about from the media. The media masks a lot about what actually goes on abroad and hides the truths of the war. We don’t know half of what is going on, and everything is one sided. In class, it was really eye opening to hear the war veterans discuss everything that they saw. We all hear what we want to hear about our side and believe that our side is the best. We know about our side and what our soldiers are doing. We feel for the soldiers that get injured and die, and we feel for their families. We believe that everything that we are doing is best and feel worse when someone from our side is hurt. But what about the other side? People die and get hurt just as much over there as much as over here. They have families, they have lives. The media covers a lot of that us, and puts most of the focus on everything that we are doing. They focus on the major picture, not the small details. We really will never understand the war at its fullest. Obviously the media can’t make us feel like we are living the war, and we will never know what it is like unless we ourselves go. However, the media definitely hides a lot about the war and the reality of the war. I think in order for us to understand the realities of war, we need to have the media and news show as much as they truly can, and show both sides. It may suck to hear what wrongdoings out side is doing, but it is really important to know every detail of the war and what is going on there. We need to know every aspect in order for us to have the right types of sympathy. I think that hearing from war veterans was really helpful in class because it helped us to realize that we don’t know everything and never will. The news should have segments documenting war veterans and their experiences. Hearing the boy in class speak about his injury and therapy really broadened my knowledge. Obviously war is not pretty, but hearing first hand stories is one of the best ways the media can help to portray the real picture. We need to know everything or else we will never fully grasp what the soldiers go through and what people on the other side go through. I hope the media can find more ways to show us what the war is like because it is incredibly important for the people to understand to the fullest extant of what happens here and there and how brutal it really is.

I heard many great comments about Soc 119 with Sam Richards...my friends stated how much they loved the class and how it is mind-boggling. I've never taken a class that is so interesting and open as Soc 119. Sam does not hold back ANYTHING. Some things I agree with, some I don't, but either way, the class is always interesting. Sam doesn't have a typical boring agenda like most lecture classes. He makes sure that it is interactive and students get involved in the lecture. The recitations also are awesome, because we get to discuss race and ethnicity in such a small group of such different people. There are about 15 people in my class, and everyone is SO different with their backgrounds and beliefs, and I absolutely love listening to everyone's different opinions. I try to listen with an open mind to hear where everyone is coming from, and maybe see why they have the views that they do.
In my lecture class, the most interesting piece of information that stuck out of me was when Sam called up a white, American girl and had her analyze 3 Asian boys. He asked her to point out the most attractive one, and she honestly couldn't say. He then explained that this is normal, and that we find people of our race more attractive because we can pick out their differences more and see more distinct trains. The white girl most likely thought many of the Asian boys looked similar, although an Asian girl would see distinct differences and find each one differently attractive in many ways. This really baffled my mind that our minds work this way. It’s odd that we right away look at people that have similar features and backgrounds as us and find them more attractive because they are what we are accustomed too. I know personally that I most likely would be more attractive to people of my culture, and that the girl in class was not in the wrong in thinking that the Asian boys looked similar. She even admitted that Asian boys do not attract her in the same ways that American boys do. I want to learn more what it would be like if our world evened out. I know that is impossible, but it would be cool to hear and see effects of what the globe would be like if everyone was accepting and not racist. What would make this possible? How can we prevent racism from occurring? There must be some way at childbirth to prevent the unfortunate truth of racism and hate in our society. So far I have found out so much information in the class and interesting facts that I know I would never have been able to learn anywhere else.

I honestly have no idea what I believe. That may sound ignorant and uneducated, but it is hard for me to really pinpoint my beliefs. I am Jewish, and grew up going to Hebrew School, temple, services, and practicing the religion in a conservative way. My parents raised me as this religion, but never pushed my beliefs: they let me interpret the religion on my own. I believe that we evolved as humans throughout time. My thoughts on God or a higher power gets hazy. I do think that there IS a higher power, but don't really know the extent of the stories I believe. I don't know if I believe in Adam or Eve, but I do believe that God or a higher power put people on earth and created what earth is.
Either way, I do think that people who are Atheist should at least read the bible before they decide what they believe. Even if they don't read the WHOLE bible, they should at least have some understanding on what the bible states and what they believe that God does. It is ignorant to just be anti of a certain religion or belief without knowing the basics. However, I have always been on to understand that people believe what they believe. If someone came up to me and told me they didn't believe in Creationism, I would not question it and ask them why. If someone came up to me and told me they were Atheist, I, again would not question it.
The whole concept is one that I choose not to think about and choose not to focus on. That may seem ignorant and naive, I just honestly don't know what I believe. I see both sides. I understand why Atheists believe that everything happened through evolution and naturally with no God, but I also, leaning closer to the Creationist side, believe that there IS another force that helped to create humans and that has an underlying force in our everyday lives. Both viewpoints make sense, and it really frustrates me when arguments over beliefs take place. I understand that there are a lot of people who take religion and where we all come from a lot more serious than me, but having arguments and fights over which one actually occurred would not solve anything. It also bothers me because there is no hard proof that either one, evolution or creationism, occurred. We have bible passages proving creationism, and we have physical proof that evolution occurred. So can’t we all just accept that it was a little bit of both, and stop questioning everybody’s’ beliefs? Of course we can’t. There is no answer when the end of the Creationism vs. Evolution arguments will subside, because we may never know the right answer.

I think that white people, not ALL white people, but as a whole, do avoid the topic of race. Many white people do not feel comfortable discussing race because many do think that white people believe they are better than every other race. I know I personally do not believe that the white race is better than every other race, but I do think that other races think that. I have been in situations where I have felt hated solely because of my skin color. The discussion of race is very controversial and arguable. It takes a white person with a lot of confidence to stand up and get in a discussion with someone from another race about race and the issues that come with skin color and national background. Black people tend to get more feisty when the discussion of race comes into play. They have had extremely rough times in history--slavery, segregation, etc. They still talk about the race issue in America a lot and how unfair it is. It is simple as to why white people do not discuss race as often and don't feel the need to get into intense discussions about race. White people have had it easy throughout history, and in the present have it easy as well. Many white people feel no need to start trouble or start an argument when they know their place in society. As terrible as it sounds, white people are content in their own skin, and don't feel a need to get into intense discussions about what their skin color means in society and if it is fair or not. They accept their place in society, which unfortunately is still considered higher to many people than other skin colors. I know if I were to get into a race conversation with a black person, I wouldn't know what to say. This could be because I grew up in a prominently white town, but I'd feel uncomfortable discussing race. I feel as if black people still place blame on white's, and I know it is not MY fault the way that history planned out. Still, I don't know exactly what I would say. I think that this goes hand in hand with whether we believe that only white people can be racist. This is ABSOLUTELY untrue. Black people, Latin people, Asian people, etc. can all be racist towards each other and to whites. Sometimes I even feel like certain black people are more racist. They take out their hatred towards every white person, when it is clear that not every white person is racist. Of course, there are still many racist people in America and around the world. I know that my grandma is definitely a little bit racist. However, times ARE changing, and it does not help to have so much hatred in the world. Race is a very touchy subject. Sam says certain things about race that I would NEVER think of saying in front of so many people of such diverse backgrounds, but I think it is really good that he addresses so many issues and is willing to discuss and argue. He clearly is not afraid of speaking about race. I think that, like I said before, a reason that white people do not discuss race is because there really is no need to get in arguments and discussions about it--or at least they feel that way. I am not saying that is a good thing, because by discussing race could truly make the world an open place. If more white and black people could get into discussions about race, whether what they say is bad or good, it would open more doors and make people as a whole feel more comfortable in society

America is an extremely diverse place. It is the land where everyone from many different countries came to, escaping war and issues in their countries that they needed to get away from. People from from different places in Europe, Asia, Africa, etc, and they all have completely different backgrounds and languages. What makes us "Americans" think it is ok to expect all of these people to blend in equally with us and speak the same language as us? So many Americans are ignorant and believe that everyone in America should speak English. I am not saying that I am not one of these people, because I myself do get annoyed sometimes when I am walking on the sidewalk and hear people speaking a language I don't understand. It is not that I dislike the language, I just wish there was one common way for people to communicate. I do think it would be awesome if everyone could speak the same language, not necessarily English, but come on, that would have to be in a perfect world. That is near impossible. It's important for people to learn different languages--Spanish-speaking people should learn English, and vice-versa. There is no way that this country would turn into a Spanish-speaking country primarily, but if it did, I don't think that would be so bad. Whatever the majority language turns out to be in the long run, as long as many people can speak the same thing, then that is awesome.
I do not think that America focuses too much on having people learn Spanish. I know for me, Spanish was not offered until 4th grade, and it was only a club. In 5th grade, I started taking classes, but in my opinion, people should start learning a lot earlier in order for the language to actually stick. If America wanted everyone to learn Spanish, they would start teaching Spanish at a very young age, making everyone have it as their second language. The amount of importance of the Spanish language that America DOES put is good, because it is important for people to be diverse and able to communicate with more than just their native language and native people. There is no way that Americans focus “too much” on diversifying people. I think that although there will always be white supremacy, or so it seems, but we should try to diversity America as much as we can. Diversity is necessary in society, and people should learn to adjust to that idea and though as well as try to learn more about other cultures and languages.

I think the American Dream is something that many people, especially people that don't live in America, believe exists in this country. I think of the American dream as having a successful job that I would enjoy, being happily married with kids, living in a nice house--not too big or small, but comfortable, and not being uncomfortable economically in any way. Also, the American Dream is being happy in general. However, the American Dream is almost unattainable. Many successful people in America end up stealing money to get up higher and then become bankrupt, ruining their lives economically and with their families as well. Also, money does not provide happiness. Many aspects of the American Dream are really untrue, because it is so difficult for someone to be happy and successful with everything all at once. Many poor people and people in other countries especially look at America as being a place filled with opportunity, and they long to live in America so that they can obtain the American dream. The ugly truth is that working up to the top is so difficult, and so many people in America live in poverty. America as a whole does NOT fit the type of the American dream. So many areas in America do not have lives that match even close to the dream. Of course, there are many families that are happy and comfortable, and this does not just exist in America. People in other countries can be successful and comfortable. For example, I did a home stay for a couple of days in high school in Germany. The family I stayed with was so nice and loving, and they lived in a beautiful house in a nice town. In my mind, they fit "The American Dream," and we were not in America. The father had a successful job in which he was able to work for enough money to support his wife and three children, and live in a unique and pretty house in a safe area. Any family in any country can obtain their idea of the American dream, it does not just fit with families in America. People view America as being a haven if they are poor and impoverished in another country, but the truth is that America as a whole is not a haven. Aspects of America are longed for, which is very understandable. America as a whole has so much poverty and heartbreaks, almost more heartbreaks than people that fit the dream. If a person can work and be successful, live happily and comfortably, then that is probably the closest lifestyle to the American Dream. Many families face difficulties even if they are happy and comfortable, but that comes with being a human being.