Being a student in Soc119 this semester has helped me to be more accepting and understanding of people of other races and ethnicities. It has been a positive experience to listen to other people’s views and analyze some of my own beliefs when responding to Blogs. The class has enabled me to examine my beliefs and stereotypes that I was sure I didn’t have before participating in class. As I stated in previous blogs, I was raised in a small rural area that did not have many people of other races, ethnic backgrounds, or religious beliefs. My experiences at Penn State have helped me broaden my horizons socially but it was an adjustment to become part of a society where there is such a diverse population. This class made me ask myself questions about my own belief systems and while I considered myself open minded there were many times that I realized I was naïve and sheltered. While I examined my feelings and thoughts, I realized that I had been more accepting of other races than ethnicities. Perhaps this is because race differences are so easily seen. I became aware that people of other ethnicities have some different ways of looking at things than I do. I enjoyed being able to put myself in other people’s places and it helped me understand that I still had a lot of growing and changing to do. This class made me evaluate my acceptance of people different than myself, it made me more comfortable to be around these people. Before this class, I was self conscious of being around people of other races because I was afraid that I might say something that would insult or offend someone. Now I am more comfortable and don’t find myself weighing my words and second guessing myself that I may have said something inappropriate. I tended to say that I was open minded, non racist, and well rounded, and I think I mostly am. But while I accepted others, deep down I thought my beliefs and ways were right. This class made me realize that many times there is no right or wrong, just different. It helped me not only accept but enjoy the diversity of my college family. The large and small group discussions that we had in class were ironic because while they sometimes focused on the differences of people, they usually ended up showing how alike we all are. When put in certain situations, this class made me realize that I have the same insecurities about my ethnic background, race, and religious beliefs as others. Soc119 made me not only aware of how people of other races and ethnicities feel, but how I feel about my race and ethnicity.

There are several lessons to be learned from the devastating scandal occurring at Penn State. One of the biggest injustices for me, being a communications major, is that when you watch the media throughout all of this, they are only highlighting the negative things going on at PSU and not any of the positives. It seems that there was more time spent reporting the news on the riots than on the candle vigil at Paternoville and Old Main even though an estimated ten thousand people attended the event. I also learned that an outsider has a different perspective than those closer to the situation. As a member of the Penn State community, I hear more information, quicker and usually more accurately. It is important to wait to hear all the facts before jumping to conclusions. I have learned that while the media is correct in their reporting, it doesn’t always stay neutral. I thought many of the news stories aired on the major networks such as CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, and ESPN, were biased. I would hope that I will be as unbiased as possible when reporting the news. I do understand why the university officials are under investigation and that it is all about the victims, but question when these officials will get to explain themselves. I want to be patient and receive all the facts and allow all information to be checked thoroughly before I report on it. These are some things that may change how I act in my professional life.
The scandal will also alter how I conduct my personal life. While I have never had to deal with anything of such magnitude as the Penn State scandal, I do need to go back to a core lesson taught to me by my parents. Be honest and do what is right. I hope if there is any good to come out of this, which is difficult for me to comprehend at this point, it will be that I live my life in an honorable way. I don’t ever want to be in the situation of looking over my back to see if I am going to get caught doing anything wrong. I will not allow myself to compromise my beliefs and integrity in order to protect anyone. An important lesson that I have learned is that there is no amount of passage of time that will not catch up with a person. While this scandal took years to break, that fact just made it all the more intolerable to people. I shared the same frustration, anger and sense of injustice as other students, but I learned that one cannot act on emotion. That emotion led to riots and more bad publicity for the University. I will think my actions through in order not to make a bad situation even worse. Hopefully, some little good can come out this and I will grow and become a better person. That's the Penn State way!

I think the riots that occurred Wednesday night would have taken place whether there were social networks such as Facebook or Twitter or not. The anger, frustration, and lack of understanding concerning the arrest of former defensive coach, Jerry Sandusky and the University’s involvement had been building during the week. The lack of communication and what many thought the unfair treatment of Coach Paterno led to Wednesday’s unrest. Emotions were running high and I think the firing of Paterno was the proverbial last straw. To add fuel to the fire, many students were angered that the Board of Trustees did not even afford Coach Paterno the courtesy of a face to face firing but cowardly made a phone call instead. This was after a career of sixty one years at the University. I also believe that social media such as Facebook and Twitter, definitely had a lot to do with the escalation of the riots that occurred Wednesday night. I saw several Facebook groups put together in a matter of minutes immediately following the firing of Joe Paterno. Even if people didn’t click on “attending,” they still knew it was happening and just went downtown to join the crowds. Twitter doesn’t have the creating events or groups, so you may think that it’s harder for Twitter to get the word out but it’s actually the contrary. From the moment the press conference started, everyone started tweeting about the possibility of Joe Paterno not coaching again and from those tweets led to more and more and that ultimately led people starting to tweet about rioting in downtown. As the night went on, I saw so many pictures and videos on Facebook and Twitter. People were tweeting where the riots were and where they were heading. People’s status’s were describing the riots and posting pictures so you could see what it looked like. It really was amazing how fast the news traveled within minutes. These networks allow people to detail someone’s every move and that in turn allowed people to move with the crowd as the riots moved from their starting place of Old Main to other parts of campus. The argument could also be made that the local and national media was partially responsible for the escalation of Wednesday night’s riots. They were reporting live on the news conference and the movements of the students. People watching the news were aware of where the large gatherings of students were and where they were headed. All forms of media and the incredible speed at which it is delivered can be part of the reasons for the sad riots on campus Wednesday night. Ironically, the same medias may be used to hold those responsible by officials viewing these videos and pictures to identify the perpetrators.

When people are speaking a different language than I speak, it can make me feel very uncomfortable at times while at other times it does not bother me. It really depends on the circumstances and surroundings. I have had experiences where I am in a small area and people are speaking a foreign language and are speaking loudly. This can make me very uncomfortable because it brings out the paranoid side in me and I worry that they are talking about me. This is especially true if they are talking and laughing as if they are coconspirators. I suppose that it is the inability on my part to understand that makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think that anyone likes the feeling of being the odd one out and if there is a large group of people conversing and I don’t understand, then that makes me feel that I am excluded. I need to be aware that the reverse of this is true also and that people who not speak English may also feel uncomfortable and excluded. Then there are times where people are speaking a different language and it does not faze me at all. When they are carrying a quiet conversation and is seems to be focused on something other than myself, I don’t feel uncomfortable. I do come from an area where there is a large population of Spanish speaking citizens. I have friends that speak little or broken English but are trying to learn the language. I am also aware that English is a difficult language to learn but appreciate their effort in trying to do so. There is so much more to communication than just language and I try to pick up body language and facial expressions to help me understand. I suppose that it is the inability on my part to understand that makes me uncomfortable.
While I do feel that people need to learn a country’s primary language, ours being English, I do understand that it takes time. There are times when I don’t feel uncomfortable, just a little frustrated and honestly a little angry. Communication is such an important function of any relationship. When I cannot communicate with someone due a language barrier, I get frustrated. I am uncomfortable when I need to ask someone to speak slower or clearer so that I can possibly understand what they are trying to say. I am uncomfortable when I respond to a person who is speaking another language for fear that I may say something that they do not understand or inadvertently be rude and misunderstood. When I hear people speaking another language, I sometimes leave the area rather than try to understand what they are saying. I know that this may sound unkind, but I don’t want to embarrass them or myself by saying something inappropriate.
Whether or not I feel uncomfortable being around people speaking another language depends on many factors.

Immigration is a volatile topic no matter which side of the argument you are in agreement with. To me, the question of legal immigrants is really not a question at all. The United States was built with people who had immigrated here for various reasons. These people came freely and built homes, became employed, and made lives for themselves and their families here. When quotas on immigrants were initiated, people waited months or years to be able to immigrate to the United States. Legal immigrants waited their turn to have the right and the privilege to become citizens. These people have followed the rules and deserve the same rights as people who were born on American soil.
I do have an issue with illegal immigrants. These people who cross our borders without following the proper procedure are exactly what their name suggests. They are illegal. While most of them want to make a better life for themselves and their families, there are others who cross the border to do evil to our country. I believe that those who enter our country illegally need to be deported. This may sound harsh to those who have made their lives and created families here, but what about the people who are waiting to enter our country legally. These people are trying to make better lives also, and some are not just fleeing poverty but literally for their lives.
I admit that my view of the question may be a little tainted. I live near the city of Hazleton, PA. Hazleton has gained national attention by the city council passing a law which punishes anyone who employs or provides housing to illegal immigrants. I cannot quite grasp why so many people oppose this concept. The city’s crime rate has increased dramatically over the past decade and many of these crimes have been committed by illegal immigrants. Some of the crimes have been violent with drugs and murder involved. I am by no means saying that all illegal immigrants are criminals but I am saying that they are all here illegally. Another argument often made in favor of illegal immigrants is that the jobs they are taking are ones that citizens do not want. I believe this to be a general statement and wonder how much truth there is to it with the current state of our economy.
Another concern with illegal immigrants is that there are illegals entering the country with the intent of carrying out terroristic attacks. Many of those involved with the attack on 9-11 were in the United States illegally. Terrorists are crossing the borders of states such as Washington, infiltrating our towns and cities as normal citizens, and then planning attacks on American soil. The borders need to be secured to protect our citizens.
Immigration – no problem. Just do it the right way and follow the rules and laws.

I would classify myself as in Stage Two of the racial identity process. I am aware of people of other races and am conscience of what I say to others. I believe that most of my friends from my home town, and my family are in or near the same stage as me. I believe that this is true because I share the same background as them. I was raised in a small rural community that did not have a lot of racial or ethnic diversity. My friends share many of the same experiences with me. We attended the same schools, belonged to the same organizations, participated on the same sport teams, and therefore shared in an odd way, the same lack of contact with people of different races. My parents grew up within about a half an hour from where they settled to raise my sister and me. They did not have any experiences with people of other races either. That is currently changing because my family lives in an area where the population is changing rapidly. The Hispanic population is growing, and while I realize that is not a race, it does allow to people to start to evaluate where they are in the identification of the racial process. My sister is probably in a higher stage because she had lived Philadelphia for several years, and recently moved to Indianapolis, where she is exposed to more racial diversity. She is much more relaxed and less self conscience around all types of people, including people of various races.

While my friends from home are probably in a stage similar to myself, my college friends are in different stages than I am. They are from different backgrounds and have different experiences growing up than I did. I think that I know people at PSU who are in various stages and probably people from all six stages. It’s interesting to observe and listen to other students and even professors interact with each other. For the most part, people at PSU seem to be so accepting of others. I believe that is because there is so much diversity on campus, not only race, but culture, ethnic, and many other things. Being that classes are made up of people of different social classes, different backgrounds, and different beliefs, every day the college community promotes growth and change. When walking on campus, you see people of all races interacting and seemingly not noticing their racial differences. I have grown since being a student at PSU, but still have a long way to go. I hope that I advance through the stages and reach Stage 6 before I leave PSU. If that happens to be the case, I guess I grew faster than most people in our country.

At Stage 2 and hopefully becoming a Stage 6
I had to do a lot of self analysis to determine which stage I was at concerning race. Until recently I would have probably had to admit that I didn’t think about race very often. I came from a small rural community that had very little ethnicity and racial diversity. Becoming a member of the PSU community has allowed me to explore my values and examine my beliefs. My classes are obviously made up of people of all races. Due to my small town upbringing I am at times self conscious about what I say and how I act. I find that I am careful with my words for fear of inadvertently insulting someone. I am glad to say that I am already finding a comfort zone with these classmates and feel much more relaxed speaking with them. I also think that I am more self conscious than some of my classmates just because it is a new situation for me. I have learned to relax and be myself and what I say and do will come more naturally. Although I grew up in a small town, I was raised to respect people. I was taught to speak politely and always be aware of other people’s feelings. My parents taught me that the world did not revolve around me and I needed to always think of others. That helps with how I deal with people in general but also people of different races. I just need to be careful that I do not stereotype but also that I do not overcompensate. Sometimes I think I, and society, try so hard to say and do the “right thing” that we don’t act naturally. I want to get to the point that I don’t notice the race of people at all. I do find that this is the case with the friends that I have made that are a different race than mine. I don’t need to think before I speak with them and hope that I can have that carry over to conversations with people of different races that I do not know well. I do need to say that I feel I am primarily still in Stage 2 concerning race, I also consider myself in part of Stage 6. I do not generally worry about other’s opinions. I meet people, make my own judgments, and live my life accordingly. I respect that everyone is entitled to an opinion but would never allow them to sway me and especially if they based their opinions are a person’s race. I hope that I will grow and change and eventually consider myself in Stage 6 concerning race.

I honestly don’t think I’d have a problem with me knowing my roommate was gay. Being that I don’t have any close friends that are gay, I do think that I would need time to adjust. I may be a little conscious of things that I would say and do as to not offend him in any way. That could also be true if I found out that my roommate had different religious beliefs, was politically different from myself, or anything else that is significantly different between us and was a large part of who we are. I would try and be as kind and respective of him as possible. I would definitely put it out there and let it be known that I was straight so we would get that out of the way and then I would expect the same respect from him as well. I don’t know if we would hang out a lot together or not. Being gay would be part of who he is but not all he is, or should be defined by. Hanging out together would depend on if we had anything in common. For example if he enjoyed sports and playing video games, we would have these things in common. Being gay is a different life style than my own but doesn’t have to be a big deal. Society, and I think college campuses, are much more accepting of the gay community now than it was years ago.
I do think I would be angry if my roommate did not share with me that he was gay early on in the semester. I understand that it may not be part of his introduction, example: Hi, my name is Jim and I’m gay, but he should certainly tell me early on. It is a large part of who he is. Any friendship is based on trust and honesty. If my roommate did not trust me enough to share this important piece of information about who he was, I would think our friendship was not of importance to him. I might also question that if he did not share that he was gay with me, what else was he hiding and why? It would be difficult for me to understand and accept if other people were aware of him being gay and yet he kept it a secret from me. I think I may be offended that he did not think I was mature and understanding enough to handle this piece of information. At the end of the day, I would be as mature as possible about the situation because regardless of his choice and when he decided to tell me, I would still be his friend and hopefully take it in stride.

My thoughts to the public’s reaction to the bike thieves were that although it was sad to watch, I was not overly surprised. I was ready for the way the people reacted to the white man stealing the bike. I think the people who responded to him stealing the bike was not only because of his race but because of the way he looked. I believe the response to a white man who is well dressed opposed to one who is scruffy may change the public’s reaction. The public’s almost automatic response to the black man stealing the bike did not surprise me either. Although society has become more accepting of race and culture differences, there is still a lot of stereotyping occurring, especially when there is crime involved. I was a little surprised at the short period of time that passed before the black man was approached about what he was doing. Only about ten seconds went by before he was caught. I thought that was a quick reaction time by the public. When the pretty woman was attempting to steal the bike, the public reacted the way I thought they might with the exception that she was even offered help to steal the bike. While that was humorous, it was also a surprise. Stereotyping still exists concerning gender as well as race. I think that much of the general public still thinks of crime as being committed more by men than women. The men and women reacted to this woman totally differently which was what I would have suspected. The women’s response seemed to have more to do with how the men responded to the woman and not how they responded to her.
I hope I would have reacted a little differently than way the public did with all three thieves. I am fairly sure that I would respond to the white and black man as they were equals in the crime. I don’t think my response to the black man would have been any different or quicker than my response to the white man. I do admit that their appearance may make my reaction a little different. I am not proud of it but how they were groomed may change my reaction to them. With the woman stealing the bike, I probably would have reacted the same except at the beginning I wouldn’t have asked to help her. Eventually I would have turned her in. At the end of the day I think our society needs to step back a little and not judge people so stereotypically. As the old saying goes, talk is cheap. But when a situation actually occurs, people’s true feelings are evident and not always something our society can be proud of. Change is slow.

I watched the Clorene clothing video and I was amazed and fascinated at the same time. I was amazed at her ability to make something, a very good something, out of just the plainest article of clothing. The hand bag I thought was great because it was very simple with the added star on the one side. I think Sam was right in saying, “I’m not sure if people are really into this design and of course we need to find that out.” I think if it goes into the right business market and people see it, they will like it because of its simplicity and originality with the added touch of the star. It is also practical because there are pockets for women which they can put all their accessories in. When I heard that the bag was worth $25 U.S. I was pretty shocked. I was expecting more and that’s another reason I think it will do well. The video showed about 4 people working on her material and even though that may not seem like a lot, I think it is because of the location they are in and the supplies they have. It was obvious that they didn’t have many materials or a decent facility to work in. I think it’s pretty amazing in the quality of her clothing and bags that Clorene is making when she doesn’t have the resources that huge companies have and yet she has acquired a work force to produce her product. Sometimes you hear about people working in factories far away and not making any money, but to actually see that in the video was eye opening. People working to trying to not support but actually jut feed their families in horrendous condition. I felt that I was watching something from a long time ago, not anything current. I think when people watch this, she will inspire them and say she’s not working with much and making quality stuff and hopefully that will get people to aid this devastated country.

I also watched the video of Anaes, sister of Clorene, and she too makes bags. The bags that I saw looked really unique with different designs on each bag. Sam is definitely right on the different textures of the bags and how they’re not that sturdy but that’s also good because she can improve the quality. I noticed that the prices seem reasonable. I think an average price was about $30 which I think is a bargain. Some of the bags use more materials and therefore need to sell for more in order to see a profit. These were priced at $67, which is still marketable. Ultimately I think it can be profitable because the bags are appealing, quality, and affordable. Again, it’s pretty amazing the clothing and bags that Anaes and Clorene are making with such limited resources. I think if and when they market them, under the right circumstances they will be successful.