I was completely taken aback by the letter from the inmate. It is almost eerie to see a convicted murderer show such compassion. When people think of inmates or better yet murderers they usually think of out of control men who some times are even called monsters. However, after reading this letter it is clear that not all inmates are like this. I never took the time to think about whether a prisoner can change and what they do with themselves while they are in prison. After reading this letter I see that some of these criminals can be remorseful and even though they committed a terrible crime they have paid the price and are deeply sorry for the pain and suffering they caused. I understand that not all prisoners think like this and not all of them are sorry and remorseful for what they did. I was also very surprised how he talked about two men consoling each other even though they hate each other. It is crazy how two people who despise each other can come together at such hard times and console each other. It shows that even though these prisoners are locked up for the rest of their lives they are there for each other and not attacking each other all the time. Another interesting topic that this leads into is the death penalty. I believe that the death penalty is wrong and we should not have the power to take away someone’s life and this just proves it. Instead of giving this man the death penalty we allow him to live and let him think about the horrible decision he made and give him the chance to realize his mistake and work at solving his problems. I understand that this man is a criminal and he is behind bars for a reason, but if he truly is sorry and is trying to make amends for the mistake he made then I can show compassion for him. Since I will probably never get the chance to actually go to a prison or actually get to meet an inmate I felt like this is the closest thing to me actually interacting with a criminal and I feel like this letter greatly changed my opinion. Before I thought that all criminals were horrible people and where never able to change the way they acted but now I see that this is not always the case. I know that not all criminals will go through such a devastating change but I feel like many do and many outsiders do not realize that these criminals are not terrible people and are very similar to you and me. I hope that this letter has as big an impact on others as it did for me.

Coming in to Thursday lecture Sam hyped it up as usual and I thought there was no way it could live up to his hype, boy was I wrong. Thursday’s lecture was probably one of my favorite lectures of the year and in my opinion the most eye opening lecture. I am obviously aware of the war that has been going on in Iraq and is still going on but to see it from the opposite side is crazy. I never took a step back and actually wondered what was going on from an Iraq’s family’s perspective. Before this class I just assumed that our actions in Iraq were justified and we had should be in Iraq and there should be no questions asked. However, when I saw that video of the American soldiers shooting an Iraq’s truck and then driving over it with a tank I was blown away. I never imagined things like that were going on I could not believe it. I understand that there are definitely a lot of valid reasons why we are currently in Iraq but it is clear that oil is the main and that is just wrong. I also never thought about the Muslim Arabs view point of America. I would have a negative outlook on America if the only people I saw or came in contact with were the extremists. Us Americans know that these extremists are not the whole view point of our country but when this is the only exposure these native come in contact with they think that all American act like this and this is not the case. My favorite part of class had to be when Sam compared the images of the city during wartime and not wartime. Most Americans have only seen the pictures of torn down buildings or hunger stricken families, these pictures are clearly eye sores. However, many Americans have never seen the beautiful buildings or malls in downtown Afghanistan or Iraq. Many Americans fail to realize that there are many middle class families who are just trying to live an honest life and have to deal with the bombings and war on a daily basis. Imagine if in America citizens were scared to take the train or bus because of the fear of getting bombed by a terrorist, I cannot even imagine that feeling. I still can’t get over the fact that this so called crusade is pretty much over oil, which just seems ridiculous to me. It is crazy how just because we want oil innocent bystanders are getting killed. When Sam said that to kill every so called bad guy we have to kill 29 innocent bystanders I was in awe. This class really opened my eyes and I hope more classes in the future are as eye opening as this one.

I feel like this is a great question to ask and is really important. First off I give the student in the post a lot of credit for admitting that even though many of the things Sam teaches in class can alter ones opinion it has not changed his. It is not easy to admit that he hasn’t learned anything that has made him change his mind. However, with that being said I do not know if Sam has changed my opinion on anything but he has defiantly gave me a new way to look at things and definitely come into situations with an open mind. Sam mentioned in the beginning of class was he didn’t care what our opinion was on a topic necessarily, he just wanted to make sure we had an opinion and spoke what we were feeling. I also agree at times I feel like I am lost and almost zoned out in some of the recent classes. However, the first half of the year defiantly made me change the way I look at many things and just made me take a step back before I encounter certain situations. However, I can see how some people might not come away with the same experience that I have because Sam approaches many situations in bizarre and crazy ways. For example, when Sam gave the lecture on bleeding I clearly understood that he was trying to get to the point that women are at a clear disadvantage because of their menstrual situation and they have no control over it and still have to deal with it daily. I thought this was a very effective way of making people take a step back and actually think about the clear disadvantage that women face on a daily basis and cannot do anything about it. However, I know that “bleeding” is a very touchy subject and you could tell when Sam started talking about it many people were outraged and some even left the room. It is at points like these were I feel like people aren’t focused on what Sam is actually trying to get across and do not come away with the full effect. I hope that in the future students can put Sam’s bizarre and eccentric teaching methods to the side and actually listen to the points he is trying to get across and maybe he might change your opinion or make you think out of the box. Even though some classes are not as interesting as others I feel like every class you can take something different from. I feel like I have matured light years since I enrolled in this class and it has shown me things that I could have never imagined.

These last couples of classes have been very interesting and I was very interested with the boy’s topic about being multicultural and not knowing how to feel about the topic. I am not multicultural so even though I cannot relate to how multicultural people might feel I still want to know what they are going through, and how they deal with these problems they face daily. Balancing one culture is already tough I do not even want to imagine having to juggle two different cultures and be a part of two different cultures. I completely understand how the student is unsure about which group to categorize him in but as many other students replied I feel he should identify himself with the category he truly feels most comfortable with. I also agree that this student should not have to categorize himself into either a white or Spanish group instead he is an individual. He is an individual who has throughout his life has developed his own ideals and beliefs from his own actions. These actions have formed him into the individual he is today and he should not have to be categorized into any racial term. I also agree that when people start to forget that they are individuals they actually lose apart of themselves. Instead of always following the common stereo types they should think for themselves and act as individuals. I also do not think it is fair for someone who is biracial or bicultural to have to pick one race or culture. If an individual was immersed to two races or cultures his whole life why should he have to choose one or the other? Instead of approaching the situation as a problem or a dilemma I would look at it as if it was a gift. Not too many individuals are biracial or bicultural and you should show a great deal of pride for your various races and cultures. Another note that I never really thought about until Sam brought it up in class was his use of the brown/black team vs the white team. I understand that society usually categorizes the two groups as colored people and white people but it is much more complicated than that. I know that if I was Hispanic or Indian and I was continually called brown or colored I would start to get frustrated. I understand they might not mean to be racist or belittle ones nationality but it is pretty much categorizing many different nationalities as one, when that is clearly not the case. I know Sam says he just does it as a figure of speech and to save time but that type of stereotyping can make individuals question what their race or nationality actually is. In the end race is a complex issue that takes many years to fully understand.

I found these last two classes to be the most interesting classes of the year so far. When Sam just went on a tangent and began to talk about his wife’s bleeding and how it was an art I thought it was hilarious. I understand that menstruation is a touchy subject for women and most men don’t want to talk about it either but I think it is a subject that needs to be talked about. First of all the reason why I think men do not like to talk about menstruation or a girl’s period is because they are not knowledgeable about the topic at all. Growing up with two sisters and my mother I was obviously exposed to this and had a pretty good idea of what was going on and at times how difficult it could be. I feel that it women opened up more to guys and talked about it and what they are feeling and what they are going through bleeding would not be as looked down upon. I was also amazed at how many people said that they were offended by the word bleeding. The word is not discriminating against anyone its just stating what actually is going on. It is not sugar coating anything it is telling it how it is. I understand how some people might think the word is disgusting but it should not offend them in my opinion. I also agree with Sam’s statement about how if he was on a period he would let the whole world now it and make sure that men know exactly what I am going through and how some days I can not even get out of bed but I have to cause I have an important test or job interview. I would love to see women and guys switch bodies for just one week. I know this will never happen but I could only imagine the men trying to deal with cramps, vomiting, and bleeding and I would love to see women deal with the mood swings that the guys would be having and the sudden outbursts that would occur. All in all I think it would be a funny thing to watch. Another remark that I would like to touch on is how I do not understand how since girls can not control bleeding and it is an almost daily thing why it is not compared to getting hungry to going to the bathroom like Sam noted. Clearly, if women cant really control there is no excuse why it is so frowned upon. If this is the case then when someone is hungry they usually are a little agitated and can go through mood swings maybe this should be frowned upon. In the end I feel that if men were more knowledgeable about a women’s body and the problems she faces daily bleeding would not be such a touchy topic and would be much more widely accepted. I hope more of the future classes are as interesting as these last couple were.

I definitely believe that rudeness goes both ways. I understand when those questions are posted we all hope that everyone will act mature and take it serious but there will always be those individuals who take it as a joke and post immature stuff. Obviously, when a racist comment directed at the black people in the class they are going to get pretty upset and offended. They have every right to but by retaliating with racist comments about white people it is only causing more tension and taking away from the whole point of these open ended questions. I do agree that when both groups put up racist comments it defiantly seemed that the white’s comments were more offensive and definitely very upsetting. As I stated before I definitely do believe that rudeness goes each group responds to both ways but it very differently. I also agree with the point that when white people make a negative or racist comment about colored people it is socially fine for the colored group to get outraged and furious. However, when a colored group makes a racist comment towards white it is usually just laughed off and not made a big deal or anything. I do understand why this is the case, like the gentleman said in the video we are all hum beings and no matter our race skin color or background we all have feelings. If we are going to try to face racism head on we have to stop with all these immature antics during class and focus on the real question being asked. I was really surprised to see when everyone acted mature and actually tried to answer the question the responses were quite interesting. So as a whole class we should all not say anything unless it pertains to the question or if you know it will have a negative effect on someone. Another point that Sam talked about during class that I found real interesting was sometimes when white people talk about race topics they are often misunderstood and then seen as a racist. The story of when Sam and his wife were at the race relation’s discussion is a perfect example. Sam was clearly misunderstood and then from there on out was seen as a racist when if the other participants had just gotten to know him they would see that was not the case.

I completely agree with the young man in the video. I do not understand why I should take blame for or admit wrongdoing when I have not done anything wrong. I understand that the land that we are currently living on now belonged to the Native Americans and we forced them off this land. However, these actions reflect the white race during that specific time period, not me as an individual. I am completely aware that these actions occurred in the past and are still occurring in today’s society. Just because my so called white ancestor’s forced the Native Americans off their land does not mean I share in the same beliefs as them. Why does the color of our skin define our beliefs? Just because they have the same skin color as me should not infer that we have the same ideals. If my ancestors did partake in these horrible actions why should I be blamed? I am my own individual and different from them in many ways. With that being said, this blame is a full circle and will continue in the future. The blame will eventually be move from our ancestor onto my generation. I understand that the blame is always going to be put on someone; I just feel it’s unwarranted and not fair. I do feel for the Native American’s and African American’s who have been discriminated against for their whole life and have faced many disadvantages throughout their whole life. However, I still feel it is unfair to blame me for their hardships and discrimination. I understand that they did not choose to be African American or Native American and they should not be persecuted cause of their skin, but I as well did not choose to be white and I couldn’t control the actions of my white ancestors. With that being said, I understand how we could be to blame of these actions that are still taking place in today’s society. Even if I don’t actually discriminate I should still stand up for discrimination and try to eliminate it throughout the world. I believe that in order to completely relieve our race of this blame we need to educate individuals all over the world. Many people have no idea that these racist acts are still continuing in today’s society. It is the duty of those educated to educate the uneducated, if we do this it will soon relieve us of this unwarranted blame.

I feel like there is a fine line between actually being in love and wanting to have sexual relations with a person of the same gender. I know that I have many friends of which I am very close with and consider almost family but the concept of having sexual relations with them has never came across my mind and will never come across my mind. Just because I do not have a sexual attraction to my close friends does not mean that I do not love them and wouldn’t do anything for them because that is not the case. I completely agree with this posters statement in regards to sexual attraction does and should include love while love doesn’t not necessarily have to include sexual attraction. I feel that this statement is worded perfectly and shows how even though you love someone you can still not be sexually attracted to them. A prime example of this could be your coach or teacher who has helped you throughout your life overcome your struggles. You might have a great affection and love for him because of the time he took out of his day to help you. However, just because you love him does not infer that you are sexually attracted to him in any way. Also many people take part in the action of sex and are not truly in love with their partner. They might not be in love but could be sexually aroused and looking to pleasure themselves. For instance, if you were sentenced to jail for life and you knew that you would never be able to have sex with anyone outside of the prison you might have sex with the inmates just to relieve your sexual frustrations. It is clear that you are not in love with this person or sexually attracted to them but you still had sex with them. I also agree with what Sam touched upon in class, if coming out and being bisexual or gay was more socially acceptable I feel that more people would do it. In today’s society coming out and admitting that you are openly gay is one of the hardest things for an individual to do. Also guys hooking up or kissing their best friends is completely different than girls hooking up with their best friend. If you go to a party there is a good chance that you could see two girl’s hookup and everyone will cheer, however, if two guys hooked up everyone would wonder what the hell they are doing. In the end I feel that there is a fine line between love and sexual attraction.

Surprisingly I found this article very interesting. When I first started to read the article I had no idea that Negro was even an available option to fill in for your race on the census. I was more shocked than angered to see this term on the census; I would have never expected such a controversial term to be used on such an important and widespread document. The term does not negatively affect me personally but I can definitely see it being offensive to other people. I do not understand what the committee was thinking when they put this on the Census, it obviously was not just one person it had to be a group and I cannot fathom what was going on in their minds. Just because almost sixty thousand individuals filled in this bubble for their race does not give them the right to use the term Negro. I understand completely that there goal is trying to get the most accurate number of individuals in the United States, so where does race come into play? If the only goal of a census is to find the accurate number of individuals living in a certain country why involve race at all. I feel that by adding these different racial groups for the survey takers to fill out they have a hidden agenda. If they want to know the racial or background information for these individuals they should let this be known and not try to hide it. Also using derogatory words such as Negro is not going to help. Another point that I came across while reading this article is I feel that more of the younger generation of African Americans would have a problem with this term than the older generations. I cannot speak for any African Americans but I know for a fact that the African Americans who I am friends with would never consider their race to be called Negro and never call themselves a Negro. In today’s society Negro is not a well accepted term and is almost looked down upon. I feel that there are many more pertinent steps that could have been taken to advance the census then adding a special category for Negro. I am not really bashing the Census Agency because from the tone of the article it seems that they are trying to do the right thing and are trying to be politically correct, I hope this is truly the case.

After viewing that clip from sports center I am absolutely speechless. I am definitely aware that racism is still very relevant around the world but i never knew it was this ridiculous. I do not understand how these fans can show such a hatred for these athletes because of their skin color. These individuals did not choose their skin color, why should they be ridiculed and segregated for it. Growing up in America everyone learned about the civil rights movement and the many steps we have taken as a country to remove segregation and racism, and now to see this form of racism on such a high level is mind boggling and almost makes me think that all the steps we took in the last fifty years were useless. i was appalled at the fact that not only are these ignorant fans torturing their opponents but they are also belittling their own team, I just don't understand it. With soccer fans taking so much pride in their team and country i cant understand why the hell they would do something like this. Whenever i attend a sporting event i would never think of downing the other team, rather i just support and root for my own team and hope for the best, if we win great if not you still have to respect your opponents for the effort they put forth on the field. i was shocked to know that even the best players in the world like Eto and Henry have to deal with this bullshit everyday. How are you supposed to give your all and perform your best when your own fans are calling you monkeys or throwing bananas at you? I give these players an enormous amount of credit because they know what is going to happen to them when they step out onto that field and still every day they put their pride on the line and perform for their club and team. What is even sadder than these acts of racism is that the FIFA committee has done nothing and just stood by and let this happen. I understand that any regulations or penalties will not directly solve this problem of racism but it is a start. The root of racism starts with the countries and how they have done nothing to penalize racism. These fans act like what they do is acceptable and it is clearly not. Something needs to be done soon and it needs to be put into action immediately. These acts of racism are destroying the beautiful game of soccer and soon enough no people of color are going to want to deal with these distractions are going to stop playing soccer in Europe as a whole. In the end I hope people in Europe get their act together and realize these horrible actions they are committing and begin to treat everyone as equals and with respect.