This is a good question, however I don’t think I have the answer. As a Chinese student, my uncle’s families were immigrated here 20 years ago. They want me also stay here, more correctly immigrate here and become a green card holder. For me, this is an option, but for many other poor peoples, this is the only option and they need to do it illegally.
I think hard work is important to anyone, not only the immigrants also other people already live here. It’s true that illegal immigrants become kind of “free labors” here, they are cheap, they only want small amount of money to survive. For American, this is a Great deal, but for me, it’s not. We cannot give staff that we don’t want to do to others people do not have a choice and accept to do it. It’s unfair. I think business people need at least give them basic salary, instead of take all the advantages from those poor people.
People need work hard; especially people are in a good situation. Really lazy people are not those really poor peoples, because they have to fight for life. If they don’t work hard, they have no food! This is something people cannot live without it. For those, average people, they want to have better life, but they don’t have the ability to gain a nice job and they also refuse to do “low level” jobs. They are real lazy person! They need to work hard, not poor immigrants. I hope everyone could respect himself or herself and also others. Show the responsibility!
For those people have money, please treat other people normally, at least. We do not have the choice to decide which family to born, so it ends up some people are rich just because they are lucky, they parents have lots of money. They can spend tones of money whatever and whenever they want. Also, they can kind control others’ lives. Just like business control the population of immigrants, of there is a big demand in market. They will support immigration, no mater it is legal or not. What they really care is profits. I am not anti-rich. However, I do believe if people want to keep their wealth, the first thing is being better educated and respect others. Otherwise, money will go away quickly, because they don’t treasure what they have.
I think both money and hard working are key factors to become successful, however hard working and good attitude is more important. Money is only money; if one-day economics goes wrong, money don’t have that value, 1000 dollar only worth 1 dollar. At that point, good ability and attitude can save one’s life, but money cannot. So, work hard everyone, be responsible and respect.

As a Chinese, I am really happy. Many people in American interested learning my language. This is amazing. I strongly support everyone to learn a second language, if they have the opportunity and there are good teachers to help them learn. To tell the truth, it is not easy to learn another language. From my own experience, it is not fun to learn and try to be professional in English. The reason is it’s so different and difficult. The grammar, the pronunciation, the words, not only you need to memorize them, but also you have to use them as a way to communicate with others. I start to learn English in my primary school, began with letters A, B, C… It’s the same writing as in Pinyin, but the pronunciations are totally different. I kept learning English, until I finally could study abroad--- go to study in America. However, I realized a crucial fact when I first step into this new country. I felt I was not English at all!! No real English, I cannot listen, speak, cannot communicate, because people around me were speaking so fact. I cannot catch up their words, and felt extremely scared and lonely. I think only people who traveled to another country which native people speak a different kind of language can understand what I am talking about. Language is not like a science subject, if you understand you get it and everybody in the same field understand what are you “talking about”. For example, Americans can read math book in Chinese, not because they understand the language, but because they know the equations, figures and logic. This is not the case in language, I felt I am so foolish because I cannot understand others even simple things.
The key to learn another language is the environment, I learned almost all my English here—U.S. The reason is everybody around me speak English, so the whole environment force me to speak, to practice. After sometime, I found my English improved a lot. So, if government or education department want to supply courses about learning a foreign language, the important thing is to set up an environment, such as no English, only Chinese. Not teach Chinese as a subject, but as a communication tool, we need to practice speaking, listening, reading and writing, not only in the exam, instead it should be apply to daily life, if students really want to good at the second language.
I was a Chinese teacher in a club called CSL, which stands for Chinese as a second language. I taught Americans Chinese there, it was a great experience, and some of my students could speak Chinese very well, and I was so amazed by that, because I know how hard is to learn another language.

I think I do change my mind, but not that much. Sam is a “strange” professor I have ever meet, and he talks about something other professors will never say. For example, like the bleeding thing he talked about shocks lots of students. I think that is an issue, as a girl, I face lots of pressure males cannot understand, because it’s no way for them to experience that. I do believe women don’t need feel shame about speaking out their period. However, Sam goes extreme, I think it’s abnormal to shout about I am in my period to other people. That is crazy! Women need feel confident to say it, but not release their pressure or emotions toward others.
Also, he talks some interesting or alarming facts in today’s world I didn’t know before, such as slavery. I didn’t know it still exist, and I cannot imagine huge amount of people live under that horrible condition, and I actually buy lots of stuff come from works of slavery. In the past, I know there are lots of poor people but not like slavers, they are treated as human being. However, slavers they are treated as subject, no human right, and owners could do what ever they want to slavers, even kill them. I just cannot believe this is the real case, but I do know government always hide something toward their people. This world never looks like pure and transparent, there always some stuff you cannot see and cannot understand.
I appreciated Sam’s lecture, let me think about lot of other things not directly related to my daily life, however his words never change my faith. He was making fun of Jesus and God a lot, I am not offended. There is no scientific evidence could prove God is exist, however it is more difficult to prove God is not exist. Truth will never change, we have the right to choose one side to believe, but we don’t have the ability to change the truth- He exists. The reason he keep on denying the truth is that not follow human’s logic. If God’s mind and behavior follow my logic, I will become the one create God, not backward. In addition, how could a child only know how to count number to solve college calculus? I admit my weakness, and admit God is my savior, then He show me the Truth I cannot understand before, know lots of things are “make sense”, because I am His child and He opens my eyes.
There are miracles exist, many people healed by God, some of them have cancer and other incurable diseases. The biggest miracle He gives us is people could still have faith in Him and become Christian

From my point of view, affirmative reaction not equal to hire somebody who are not qualified, the fact is choose people who are minority, such as people of color and women. This is not necessary “lower” the quality of applicants, because people have to meet certain kind of condition or standard in order for those people to become applicants of medical school. They need have potential and actual strength to be selected, even in the affirmative action. As Sam talked in the lecture, affirmative reaction have some kind of control, compare to nepotism. As we all know that medical schools are extremely difficult to get into. As an international student who is interested in becoming an eye doctor, I can strongly feel the unfairness among medical area. Many medical schools don’t accept international students, just because we don’t have green card and our nationality. I was so sad about that, because I know there are lots of international students who are talented and hard-working, much better that most of Americans. However, we don’t even have a chance. I think affirmative reaction should be focus helping minority, especially international students. I know there is no perfect fairness, but at least admission and government could do something to improve current situation. I think if they allow us to have a try, the overall quality of medical service will increase in the future. I am glad that some optometry schools do accept international students, so I can still study into this area. I can understand American want to protect American, but this not means close their eyes and random select some white people. Skin color means what? Better than dark color? I am a Chinese, my skin is really white, even whiter than some Americans, and so many people tell me really like my skin. The whole world is dominated by some kind of rules, white skin, blue eyes, blond hair… Are they really beautiful? We are just confined to think that way, our opinions limited by people around us. I support affirmative reactions in the medical area, as long as people choose people only based on their academic achievement and capability rather than races and nationality. Also, another interesting fact is people really care about English education; I mean study English and could use it properly. However, the fact is we can never change somebody’s native language. If I was not born in the U.S., how could I speak English like Americans? It’s no way, no matter how hard I try; I just cannot change my race. I can change my nationality, but I can never become an American, because my appearance cannot really change. So, I decide to love myself, my race and my nation.

As a female, I fully understand the feeling of Sam’s wife. We are suffering, we are denying. What a pity! This is the world, male dominant world, nobody can deny. Since the summer after my graduated from primary school, my life changed into this “blooding” stage. Probably because I am still young or there is something wrong with my body, I didn’t have an accurate period. It is not a funny thing at all, sometimes put me in a really awkward situation. You cannot imagine what an unexpected experience I had and will experience again and again. I remembered once, I went out for shopping; it should be a happy thing to do. However, when I went to the restroom and found I was bleeding, and my underwear, my pants are reddened and I did not have sanitary towel with me. You cannot imagine my feeling, I want to die! It’s whole shit! I have to go out and find a store to buy sanitary towel and use my handbag to cover the part of my pant which is dyed by my blood. After all that, run back to restroom. However I don’t have the pant to change and I am not convenient to buy another one, because I afraid others saw my pants. I really what to cry and I called my mom to pick me up and bring the clean pants and underwear. It’s so sad, she is the only one I can talk about and fully understand what I am going through. I wonder why I am that afraid, am I do something wrong?! NOTHING!! It’s just a natural cycle of my body. Why have I to feel ashamed about that? Sam says the truth and others attack him by words. This is our world, so called peace world!! It is nothing wrong to call it blooding, I am blooding so many years, month by month, suffering the pain and try my best to hide it. I strongly agree with Sam, women can say it out just as my hair is growing longer. All males who are feel sick about this period should get the punishment, if they also blooding, they will definitely shout their mouth and show respect to all women. If we are no longer blooding, this world will be destroyed, because there will be no new babies born in this world. Also, I want to speak all other girls and women, this is not a mistake or fault of your life, stop hiding, stop feeling ashamed!! Start stand out and tell others, especially men to show their respect. I am appreciated to be a female, although I experience a lot of unfairness, I do experience lots of amazing stuff guys can never experience! Women start love yourselves and all part of your life are beloved, including blooding every month!

Last week, Sam tried something new in our class. In the beginning, I think this will be the same as the clicker questions used in other class. However, the facts are shocked. Proper because there is no credit for the answering the question and no one will know which people response it, then there were lots of answer unrelated to the question at all, even many dirty words show up on the screen. As a Chinese student, I cannot understand all of the responses. Actually, I am glad I didn’t have the ability to read some of them. Otherwise, I may easily get offense. In fact, I am a little bit angry of those immature behaviors. We are college students, who are receiving high level education. How could somebody like us speak or write that rude? There is no respect at all, especially toward Sam. What a pity! Where are those people’s educations? I can’t see anything good from their responses. I am so sad about that, because I came to U.S. for a better education and meeting more people with good personality and education. I just think about a traditional Chinese idiom, which is “a beast in human clothing”. People are unlike people, rather like animals. Say whatever they want to say and feel that is funny, not cares other’s feeling at all.
Also, people in color response more that kind of sentence than white student. I think most of them are black. As I learned from my culture, brown people barely say these kinds of words publically. We have really long history and our mind as well as behaviors restricted by our tradition and background a lot. We are not allowed to speak dirty words out, especially those who are received higher education. From my point of view, it is so vulgar to say dirty words. These kinds of words destroy my reputation and personality, and leave a negative figure on people around me. I think smart people should not do this kind of stupid thing, because no one benefit. In addition, people may get hurt because of them. I just wish students in our SOC 119 class could realize and be aware of this problem, and show responsibility to themselves and people around them. If a person cannot learn how to respect others, no one will respect him or her. The reason is relationship are at least two people’s business, need both of them participate. If you throw out something really negative, how could someone else treat you nicely?
In addition, I encourage Sam to do something if same kind of situation will happen in the future lectures. Just let them stop and educate them!! They really need to be better educated about their rudeness.

I think this is a very interesting topic, and it’s a good way to show the progress we have already made of slavery issues in the past. Putting something about black people’s achievement on MTV will helps lots of people understand how the world changed from generation to generation. Racism is quite different in today’s society. Many races and cultures mixed and overlapped, and people tend to accept multi-culture and like cooperating on the national level. As an international student, I am glad U.S. opens doors for us to come in and study here. Most of the people are kind, and I did not feel a strong sense of discrimination. I can tell, many people put efforts on reduce racism and discrimination. Even more, some Americans feel offended when someone else not trait people in other colors equally. I am so moved by these people.
However, slavery is another different area. They are not on the same level. Before attend this SOC 119 class, I think slaves are not exist in this world. I do know some people are really poor and struggle in getting food and even survive. Compare slaves, they are much more lucky. At least they have basic human’s right, and they are not belonging to another person. If poor people work hard, they can get some money back. Unlike slaves, they are disposable, slaveholders trait them as domestic animals. Slaves are tools to make huge profits. Slaveholders not care about them at all, just want to use them. I don’t think they will change their mind after watching MTV, because they are so greedy and cannot stop earning money. At the same time, some people are pleasure to torture others. They vented their anger and disappointment toward slaves. It may be the way to let them feel better, feel power and control.
I agree to use TV as a medium to spread out the existence and horrible situation of slavery. Make them public and not hide in the smoke screen. We need to face the problem instead of escape. We can say millions of times that slaves are not exist, however it will never change the truth. Human are weak, especially in front of huge profits. However, I believe there are always people who are righteous and willing to help slaves to regain their human rights. We are all the same, all human beings; all gave birth by our mother. I wish slaveholders could realize and think about it. Hopefully, there is some compassions left in their heart and let slaves free or at least treat them as human beings. Government need to do something to stop slavery, laws against slavery have to establish now, right now. And force slaveholders to set them free and other organization could give them medication and help them come back to normal person’s life. I know it’s not easy, however at least we need have this passion and hope.

I am a Chinese, one of the so called brown people. I think I could talk about this issue, because I am not white. From my point of view, if I am an employer, what I want are people who are hard-working, with good personality and can contribute to teamwork. A company is a big network; every employee is one part of it. Teamwork is really important, because a boss wish all their staff could put company’s profit at the first position. Most of the white people are easy going, and they are respective and easier to work with others. As an employer, I also want people who are obedient and easy to manage. It is the truth that Asian people are really hard-working. However, we are lack enthusiasm to work with others, we tend to be independent and dislike others to point out our mistakes so that we can be corrected. We really cares our face or reputation, don’t want others put us down. So, we are afraid to making mistakes and feel embarrassed. Meanwhile, I am a little bit afraid of black people, especially black male. I don’t mean they are not good person; however it is difficult for me to close to them. I just feel they are less obedient and can’t control. As a result, white people are good choices. However it depends, not every white person is qualified. Some of them are lazy and grumpy.
I think balance is really important, and I will choose some white people, some black people and some brown people. Some people think I will choose more Chinese over American, but this is not true at all. Come from the same country, not means we have a strong relationship. I am Chinese, so I know them well, including advantages and disadvantages. I will less easily hire someone who is known me well in the past, because they may feel I am their friend instead of their boss. They may expect I give them some kind of privilege. That is not a good thing, because fairness is one of the most important characteristic an employer should have. This makes actually difficult for me select an Asian compare a white people.
Another reason is that I don’t want others say I am favor Asian people, or more specifically the Chinese. The reputation of my company is really important, because I want future development and hire more and more peoples in the future. If white people think I am discriminate in some way, and they will refuse to apply to my company. That will become a negative effect and no one will like that situation.
In the end, I want talk something form my experience. Most of white people are willing to help, not because they want to seek benefits from me. However, most of Asians are so astute; they barely want to do something for others without benefit.

I just feel struggle with LGBT issues and stand on a strange position when I face this topic. I am Christian, who is having strong faith in God. Same sex family for my faith is sin; this is the thing God won’t allow any His children to do. I am an obedient child, so for me, this is truth. I just cannot give up my faith because of anything, this is so important for me. I got lots of hurt and rejection in the past, however God healed all my hurt and give a new life to me, and I cannot live without Him. So, I choose to trust LGBT is wrong. You know, sometimes, the question only has two choices, I have to choose one. I am not meaning that the other answer is wrong, but what I choose is make for sense for me, and only for me.
I cannot say gay people are by genetic reason or by their choices, because I am a straight, I have no idea what is going on in their mind or life. This video makes me sad; I think is so mean to catch the mother and force her to deport. Only based on this situation, I support her to gain her right. She could stay in the United State and live with their “family”. However, I cannot accept their definition of family. From my point of view, couples have to be one male and one female. I just can’t accept same sex marriage or family. However, I understand their need and wants. I understand her feeling about her family, I willing to help her to be with their family based on my emotion. I have a soft heart, and want other people have a happy life. However, this is wrong in my logic. I have nothing to say, because this put me into a strange position. I am not that kind ruthless person, but I have to insist on my faith in God.
This winter break, I went to another state for a Christian conference. I heard a really strong testimony form a gay boy. He is about my age, and was a gay in his past 18 years. However, he got healed by God. Now, he is a straight and like girls. I cannot say that gay people are mentally ill; however there is something wrong inside their soul and body. God has the power to help and heal them. Tell us LGBT is sin is not because God is merciless. He knows all these people’s pain and struggle, why not let God to help. If you really put your faith in Him, he can do everything you think is impossible. I want to tell all the gay people, His love is the only solution. Please give Him a chance to love you and heal you.

I really enjoy this week’s class, and I completely agree with Sam’s idea. We need look things in a balanced position, not go to extremes. We have freedom as well as some other external forces influence our thinking and behaviors. In the past, I always think this world is totally unfair. People come from different areas and with different background, how could some organization or someone judge us based on same kind of exams or evaluations. For example, how could I compete with some people raised in a well educated family and environment? They went to best schools since they were in kindergarten. If they are worse in study than I did, this makes no sense. So, I told my parents do not expect me to become a scientist or go to Harvard University, because I am not that kind of kids. I am just a normal person, how could I become that successful. I admit that I was really negatively thinking at that point. However, this shows some part of the truth. If we want to make some achievement, the most convenient way is let others help us, especially some powerful person. To tell the truth, my parents help me a lot to study aboard. They are comparatively rich, and they afford for my spending in U.S. So I don’t need to find a part-time job or always worried about how much money I spent. I am lucky, I can’t deny. However, lots people are luckier than me. So, I really like the word “deserve”, some people complain they deserve better life. How could they say this? What is their baseline to say this? It’s interesting. I can’t say if I deserve my lifestyle or not. However, I am thankful. Thanks for God, I could study aboard and have such lovely parents. I am cherish what I already have, rather than complain something I don’t have. I am hard working, because I have this rare opportunity. I know there’re thousands of students in China are smarter than me, they can’t study aboard and get better education just because their family are not rich enough to support them. Life is realistic; I can say nothing about this. I hope they could have this opportunity, but I don’t want to lose mine. It’s a contradiction. I think lots of people have this kind of feelings. So, stand in the middle. I am smart and hard working, also my family supports me. So I can study here and have a better life or I should say a better start point. My suggestion is that learn how to enjoy your life and feel satisfy with it. Otherwise, you will never feel real happy. The reason is you will spend rest of your life on complaining. And you will realize this will only make your life even worse.