I took a class about environmental tourism and global citizenship. I feel this issue has a lot to do with being a global citizen. I think many people have the opinion that when tragedy strikes another country, it is their problem and not ours. But we have to realize we are all connected. We are all humans. And yes we have our country, and yes we can take pride in our country and our people, but we a cannot forget and turn our heads to others who need help (especially when we are in the position/have the ability to help). A lot of people in this world don’t see it that way, and it is unfortunate.

I completely agree with your comment. The perspective brought up in class is a good one and I understand what is trying to be put out there. However, it isn’t the same situation. It is a different day and age, things like that can’t happen anymore. I am not an expert on that era, but in that point in history people were slaughtered for land all the time. Conquering new lands that way was normal. I do not in any way agree with what happened when the pilgrims came to America. I don’t think it was fair and I don’t think it should ever happen again. I understand the parallel, but I don’t think it’s the same situation.

First, I want to know if you meant illegal immigrants or immigrants. Since my opinion is different concerning this matter on the two. For true immigrants, those who leave their country to permanently reside in another, they are following the rules, settling down, and abiding by the laws of that country (like paying taxes). Just because a person has immigrated does not mean they shouldn’t receive the same rights as those who have been in that country for years. Immigrants are citizens, too. At one point all of our family members were immigrants, and we need to remember that.
Illegal immigrants on the other hand, are not citizens. If you’re asking if illegal immigrants should receive the same rights as citizens concerning health care then no they should not. They do not pay taxes. They may follow most of the laws but are breaking a very important one. I have always been against illegal immigration. I can understand and sympathize with these people. And Sam brought up a great point in class yesterday about business and the free market. Yes they could be providing a great service and boosting our economy, but most of what they’re making is going to their family in a different country. I understand that illegal immigrants for the most part are cheap labor, and are the sole reason to having low prices on fruits, vegetables, and most textiles, but I do not think they should receive health care benefits since they are not citizens.
If illegal immigrants were provided with free health care, do you have any idea what would happen to our borders? They would be swamped as soon as the news hit the television or internet. Our issues with illegal immigration would grow exponentially. As much as I wish we could provide the world with health care, we can’t. And it’s probably true that the people in our country in need of health care are better off than most in other parts of the world. But we can’t do it. Our country is having enough of a problem trying to provide health care to its citizens; we don’t need to add on illegal immigrants.
This has got me thinking about why other countries don’t have the opportunities we do. What makes America so different? If anything, I think our country has little opportunities for immigrants. Sure they may get a job but unfortunately it is not likely that they will move up (as in be promoted to a higher level job) any time soon. I guess in a way I’m trying to understand why other countries can’t make opportunities themselves like the pioneers did for themselves. This country wasn’t always what it is today.

I hate to say this, but it is pretty ignorant how lacking we are in knowledge of other languages. It is like we don’t need to know any others, because the one we speak is what everyone else should. I think languages should be taught to children as soon as they learn to talk. That’s when it’s easiest and most fun. I don’t know anyone who took a language in high school and managed to speak it fluently. Offering Chinese is also a great step. I hope kids take advantage of this because it truly is a one way ticket to a full-time job.

Maybe I am naïve or in my own world, but I do not look at other women and think to myself “god I wish I looked like her,” or “why can’t I be skinnier.” It’s stupid to look at people on the covers of magazines and wish you looked like them (because for the most part, they didn’t look like that originally). It’s sad that people need “perfect” bodies to feel good about themselves. Girls. Realize your potential. Be happy and proud of who you are. Your body is only a part of who you are and yes it’s important. But it’s such a waste of time to dwell on such little things.

I think men and women are beautiful. I think plants and animals are beautiful. Buildings and mountains are beautiful. This computer I’m typing on is beautiful. I think beauty can be found in anything. Maybe you aren’t beautiful in the sense that society says, but you may be beautiful to someone. You will always be beautiful to your parents. And you should always be beautiful to yourself. I completely agree with the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It is an opinion, to be beautiful. There is no one type of person or thing that is beautiful. For example, I find the ocean beautiful while others might find it to be nothing special, people love sunflowers and I think they’re hideous, etc.
I thought when I graduated high school girls would stop comparing themselves to people in magazines and become comfortable in their own skin. I could have never been more wrong. How can you be twenty years old and not love who you are? Your body is a part of who you are, no matter how much people tell you it isn’t. I am athletic, muscular, and broad-shouldered. I used to wish I had curves, was more petite, more girly in general. But that ended in middle school when I figured out that people aren’t going to love me for my body. They’re going to love me for who I am inside. And that my body is only a fraction of everything I am. And the fact that I love my body and am completely comfortable with it even when compared to cover girls on Cosmopolitan magazine, makes my personality that much better. We are all human; we were all created without any say of what we look like or who we came from. We should be proud of our bodies and happy that we are healthy, living, and able to be here at all. Not everyone is so fortunate.
At first in class I was wondering what body image had to do with race relations. I just figured it out after I wrote that paragraph. We have no say in how we are made, whether that’s being athletic, muscular, and broad-shouldered, tall, skinny, fat, short, light-skinned, dark-skinned, etc. We are born the way we are. And we grow and develop inside as well as out. Being comfortable with who you are is imperative to your well-being. And part of being comfortable with who you are is being comfortable with your body. Loving your body. Appreciating your body. It is your body, and it always will be. It is beautiful . Don’t want to change it for anything. It is a part of you, and nothing can replace that.

In reality, there is no step two. I have come to this conclusion, as difficult as it was. I have accepted that even though I drink from a reusable water bottle, buy organic/fair trade coffee, and make an effort to buy American made clothes, I will always obtain a product that was made by a slave. And if you want to feel better about yourself and your effect on the world, then you can go out of your way to buy organic/fair trade things. I am not being a cynic and saying there is anything at all wrong with that. I feel better about buying organic/fait trade products. But the fact is that in most things there are fractions of slave labor and people who aren’t getting fair wages or working in awful conditions. Practically every technological product on the market is made in countries like India or China. The things we “need” as Americans are no doubt going to be touched by a slave before they reach our doorstep.
No matter what there are going to be people buying things as cheap as they can because they have to save as much money as possible. Even though our poorest population in America is better off than two-thirds of the world, we still feel the need to save money where we can. And that includes a dollar or two on a pound of coffee and even 25 cents on a bar of chocolate. Imagine the video of the Ohio woman who worked at Burger King being asked to buy more expensive products based on their origin. She would not be able to afford it, even though to many the difference seems miniscule and almost insane that you wouldn’t after watching the video about the boys in the Ivory Coast.
There is no doubt that Americans, including myself, reap the benefits of others misfortunes and hard work. I love chocolate. I love almonds. I drink coffee and I eat shrimp. I truly wish there was a way to turn it around but don’t think that buying fair trade products is enough. People are always going to want to make the largest profit. Some people are always going to consider themselves higher than others. People are always going to prefer imported coffee beans, wines, cocoa, etc, over United States grown products. As much as we all wish there was a way to make a difference, there isn’t.
It’s interesting too that if we tried to steer away from many of these products cultivated and/or produced by slaves, we would doing the environment a huge favor, as well. Think about the amount of energy that would be saved when distribution got cut. And then furthermore the amount of money companies would save on distribution costs. Those savings alone could go straight to the workers in the fields and create a decent living for them. I think the only way for this type of slavery to end is if we all became content with the goods and services near us. And we all know that will never happen.

Does this mean that when whites are the minority they can be proud to be white without being considered a white supremacist? And colored people will be considered supremacists if they continue to be proud of their skin color? I think a lot more white people are concerned with this than will say. I think the guilt that is left inside is causing a fear that white ancestors’ actions will be paid for when the power of being white no more. I don’t think anyone knows what’s coming and people naturally want to know what to expect and in this case they may be unnerved for quite a while.

I totally agree with you in that I don’t believe the structure of the country will change. It’s unfortunate but I think the image of white beauty is engraved in our minds and social norms. I think since whites have most money and power they will remain there, as well. Also, it bothers me that it may embolden some colored people because yes you can be proud of your heritage and your culture but if you do not want to be discriminated against for your skin color then you shouldn’t make it an aspect that makes you better than anyone else.

I am not an expert on welfare, but for some reason it has always been a topic of interest when brought up. I understand what it is in place to do. But I really feel, and I know I’m not alone, that it is extremely overused (especially by people who don’t necessarily need it). It’s a hard discussion because we can’t seem to find the person of blame; since it’s true that being born into welfare probably isn’t going to give you much of a chance for getting out of it. Where do we cut the line? Could we get rid of it completely? I’m trying to think of all the things that could happen if welfare didn’t exist anymore. Would people just do what they had to to make it? Would they die? Would others be willing to help? I also feel like our country has so many problems it’s trying to fix that are more important than funding welfare. Maybe welfare processes should be made stricter. How hard it is to receive welfare, I’m not sure. But from the number of people who receive it/how much it’s costing our taxpayers, maybe we should make it more difficult.
Then I thought about other countries. What do people in other countries who are poor do? Do they have welfare? India is the first country that came to mind. No. They do not have welfare. They have people living in tents doing whatever they can to make a living. And a lot of them die and unfortunately a lot of them become slaves. This is not what anyone in America wants to happen to its poor but can we really keep handing people food stamps and checks monthly when they aren’t giving anything back?
This also makes me think about who the real people suffering in most welfare situations are. And that is the children. Most of the blame can be placed on parents. You always hear stories about families on welfare, 6 kids, living in a small shack of a house, having nothing to eat, but their Mom drives an Escalade and has designer clothes or uses the money strictly for drugs. Maybe we can do more by figuring out on a more personal level what is going on in these homes that need all of this help and REALLY help them. Hell, some of the people in this system who are really trying to make it, maybe this could be a job for them! And even better, by making it more personal the kids would have a better chance of getting out of it when they see the rest of the world. Hopefully after this we’d be able to remove welfare or at least minimize it.