This is a very difficult question to ask because honestly the amount that I took out of the class is just something that I cannot keep track of. This was an absolutely amazing class. The way it is structured is unreal. The technology use is crazy and really made it possible for me not to feel like a number in a classroom of 700 people. I actually felt like I had a voice. Sam is a brilliant teacher and I give him so much credit for all that he does and studies. It takes a lot of guts to do so.
Coming into this class I will be honest, I don’t think I was racist, but I did find myself getting angry at other races when certain things bothered me. And it seemed that the white race was the one that I least got upset with. I applied many stereotypes to races and that is what fed my judgment against other races. However this class has opened my eyes to beyond what I had ever imagined. Within the first few weeks of classes I found myself looking at people from other races as if there was nothing different between me or them. As if we had the same color skin. I learned a lot that you should not judge someone by their skin or how they act because there is a lot more going on in their lives and that we are all the exact same…only difference is we have different values and beliefs.
One thing that got me the most was the empathy lecture about the Middle East and how we treat them over there and why we are really there. I never knew that that is how we treat people over there (e.g. destroying cars, taking over territories, etc.). We look at Muslims and people over there as if they hate us and want to kill us. But really if you think about it, if another more powerful country came here, invaded us, took our oil, and treated us like we treat the Middle East, we would want to kill them, terrorize them, and would want them to leave our country too. So can we really blame them?
We are all the same in one way or another and just have different beliefs and different backgrounds. Another big thing that honestly changed the way I look at people from now on is that we ALL originated from Africa. Technically we’re all African. So if we were all “once black”, for lack of a better way to say it, there is no sense in being racist. Our bodies just adapted to the different environments of the world. We may act different but we’re the same.
This class and Sam especially, changed the way I view people now. Changed the way I view life, values, and other races. I can honestly say I am more of an equal thinker now when it comes to racial differences. I would recommend this class to everyone in the University. It should be a mandatory class. Challenging. But fun.

Those guys should do all of the videos haha but anyways, personally I think it is a lot easier, at least from my point of view, for black guys to date white girls and extremely difficult for white guys to date black girls. This is a very difficult topic to talk about because I believe there are many different things that come into play when discussing interracial relationships.
With the culture we live in, I know for my experiences with my friends and all it seems almost as if it is frowned upon by society if a white guy is with a black girl. While there are some relationships that have a white male and black female you don’t see many of them. Most of the guys that are with black girls could often be attributed to “white trash” or something of the such. Also many white males may argue that black girls just are not nearly as pretty as white girls which is another reason why it may be so hard for white guys to be with black girls.
Now on the other hand when dealing with black guys and white girls, I feel like a lot of it has to do with fear. I believe personally that white girls are often just afraid of black guys…why? Because black guys are just darker and for some reason I feel like that instills some fear in white girls. This fear also could be attributed to sex too because they might think that black guys could hurt them.
I think with the culture we live in now that the white girl black guy scenario is not nearly as rare because many people now are beginning to ignore the skin color when it comes to love. Just because the guy is black does not mean he is scary, he could be a very nice guy and not be scary at all. I think people need to start seeing that in everyone and not, not like someone just because of their skin color or appearance. The classic saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” plays a huge role in this whole relationship talk.
I am on the fence with this question because this assumption that all white girls are afraid of black guys is not true. There are plenty of white girls dating black guys so that question should not even exist anymore. Now on the other end of the conversation I do in fact believe that the only reason there aren’t many white guys with black girls is because they do not want to be judged or simply just do not find black girls to be that attractive. I am in no way saying that black girls are not attractive but from my experience with friends and discussing topics related to this question I have come to learn that many white guys do not find too many black girls pretty or sexy.

When Sam began to discuss immigration in class it was like a bomb of confusion went off in my head. It is a very touchy subject that many people in the United States feel very strongly about when it comes to voicing their opinions. The video we watched with the guy freaking out about immigration made me feel both sympathetic but also made me feel very enraged.
This is our country and we should not have illegal convicts being able to come over here and even try to get citizenship. Our country only has so much space. There is in fact a thing called over population, which is possible. There are so many problems that could be caused if we keep letting illegal immigrants come over especially one of the biggest problems, stealing peoples jobs. Now regardless the immigrants are more than likely not going to get high paying jobs and will get shit work but other than the shit work they are still taking other people’s jobs because the immigrants will work for lower wages.
Here is where it gets confusing, we all don’t want immigrants coming over and want to shut the door because we are here and don’t want anyone to ruin it, however on the other hand if you think about it, we are all immigrants. We all came from somewhere. This country was build on immigration. The only people that truly have the right to our land are the Native American Indians. And we pretty much destroyed them. Killed them. Took their land. And that is extremely fucked up to say the least.
So if we are all immigrants who is to say we can stop other immigrants from coming over and joining “the land of the free”.
With this topic in mind, one thing I will not understand is if Mexicans hear or see how bad their lives cold possibly be, especially being illegal, why do they even bother coming over. Yeah some of them, maybe most of them will succeed and be able to start a new life somehow, but there is still a majority of people who do not end up making a good life for themselves and could potentially be even more miserable here then in Mexico. Just stay there instead of torturing yourselves. I don’t get it.
This is a very confusing topic which I am honestly not even sure with which wing to stand on. Do I stand on the side that says to stop immigration? If so where are my rights to say that. Or do I stand on the side that allows them all to come in here? Overpopulation and competition in the market of business is real. It is very confusing because if you take into consideration all of the factors such as, the Native Americans being here first, and this being THEIR land…us coming over IMMIGRATING to the United states and making it our land…and us either letting or not letting more immigrants come over. This whole topic just causes a lot of stress in my mind because I don’t know if there will ever be a morally correct answer. Who knows? I feel like this issue will never be solved.

Contact with other groups is very important when it comes to understanding a group better. If you have no contact with a certain group you begin to think or talk about them and only know about them from the outside of the group looking in, whereas if you experience groups and learn to understand them from the inside your view on that particular group could change dramatically.
One example I can use is back when I was in elementary school. My school was a very white dominated catholic school and it was not diverse at all. I think the one colored person we had in the school was a brother and sister with an Indian background however they grew up in our town therefore they had white catholic customs so they lived and worshipped and acted just like us white Catholics. Being in such a white dominated area I was never really exposed to any other races. So when it came time for high school I was exposed to a whole new world pretty much.
When came time for high school within the first few weeks I had very harsh confused and very ignorant judgments going through my head as I was attending my new high school which was right in the middle of the borough of Norristown, Pennsylvania. I made false judgments, and almost felt uncomfortable because I was not used to seeing so many people of other races other than white.
Little did I know this exposure to new races in high school was the best thing that has happened to me.
When Sam stated in class that contact with other groups of people is important I could not agree more. Being in contact with my black classmates opened my eyes to a perspective of life that I had never seen before. As the weeks continued and I began to make friends with the black classmates I went to school with everyday I was finally seeing the group from the inside. My judgments disappeared and it was like they were not even different from me.
The rest of my high school career I was opened up to students of other races and respected them. A lot of which became my friends. I am very happy this happened to me so early in life because I was able to come into college, which is pretty diverse here at Penn State, and not make the judgments I used to make. I see everyone as equal here and in addition to my changed instinct, taking this class has opened my eyes and exposed me to things I never even thought was possible. My past stereotypes, which I used to use on a daily basis faded because Sam was right, the more contact you have with a group you are unfamiliar with at first, the less judgmental you are of them. Because you learn to see that all people are the same in one way or another. And you should never judge a book by its cover. Exposure and experience is good and it can lessen the act of stereotyping people greatly.

I would actually find him very approachable. Just because he is black or has long hair does not mean I would be “afraid” of him like I believe many people would. For some reason people may find black people to be scary mainly because they are attributed to crime majority of the time on the news rather than white people. And I guess this is the reason people do think of black people being scary.
I on the other hand grew up in a diverse town so I have been used to seeing black people all day every day of my life. Just because they have darker collared skin does not mean they should be scarier than white people. And it most certainly does not mean they want to cause harm or are dangerous. That is an extremely racial thing to think or say. For the people that think that they should seriously sit down and think about it because black people are just like white people they just have different colored skin.
Back onto the topic of how approachable he is after Sam’s lecture, I think he is very approachable because, call me weird, but I find black guys with long braided hair to be cool as shit. I wish I could have hair like that. Majority of guys with long braided hair like that are cool as shit, normally chill and funny. Then again I am very friendly to mostly everyone so it could just be me. But yeah, I would find him just as approachable if not more approachable than anyone else.
I do not think people should judge someone and accuse them of being “unapproachable” because of the way they look because people could have a very nice personality and could be a very kind hearted person. However, if someone had a cold personality, was rude, and just all around not a nice person I would find reason for that person to be unapproachable.
After being in this class for several weeks now it has opened my eyes and mind to the world of different races around me. I am no longer as judgmental as I may have been before because thinking and knowing that we all came from the exact same place and just had migration change human features, makes me less judgmental. I have begun to see and notice even more than everyone thinks the same about their own race and other races (technically). We are all the same even as different as we may look. Some races act different than others because of the different cultures we were all raised in but regardless our different cultures, if you really look at it in depth we are all the same, therefore no one should judge someone just because of the way they look and consider them unapproachable.

In regards to affirmative action I personally think that it is bullshit. I mean yeah I can agree with some parts of it but I do not agree completely with it. Why? Because I believe that anybody can get to the top. And it is not all about certain “criteria” (for lack of a better word) that make everything seem “level”. I believe that anyone can make it they just have to work hard enough whether they are put next to someone from a different race.
I am a white male and in some cases I do believe that being white has a huge advantage in some cases but in another sense I don’t think it has an advantage at all. One student made a comment in class that said that the reason people get upset still is because there are still generations around that existed when prejudices were huge in our society. There is less racism in younger generations simply because they grew up with colored people by their sides throughout their lives. I think that once these older generations of people who are prejudice and racist die off there will be a more accepting world of different races because lets face it…. younger kids today do not exactly make racial comments anymore because they are blended in with different races as they are growing up.
Getting back to the point I think affirmative action is necessary but there is a big side of me that thinks otherwise. I grew up in a wealthy family and so I guess I never really thought about it till this class. But something about it that does bother me is, here I am working my ass off trying to make it in the world along with parents who have very well paying jobs however they work their asses off all day every day of every week and therefore we have worked to be where we are. We have money now and I do not at all like how my tax money (my family being taxed more because we make more money) is being sent to people who do not work as hard. And here is the thing, people will say they are working hard but they can only get so far. I do not believe that for the majority of poor people. I think that everyone has an equal shot at becoming wealthy you just cant be lazy. Which a majority of poor people are. They just give up. I don’t want to pay for people who are just giving up. They don’t deserve my money that I have worked so hard for.
In that video for example the mom even said she has given up. She says there’s not much hope. There’s never no hope. If you really wanted to work out of poverty you would and find a way to make a good amount of money to survive. She wasn’t trying. She was too lazy and her kids were too. I don’t want my money going towards someone like that. I work hard enough to have a good living. If you are lazy and not willing to work for a good life, you should not deserve a good life. However if you are poor but willing to work for a wealthy lifestyle than that is okay in my book.
It is complicated talking about this because I have many mixed feelings. But affirmative action in this sense grabbed my attention a great deal the other day.

In class Sam basically described the existence of the social stratification that exists in the world, specifically within the United States. The fact that social stratification exists explains the reason of how different races tend to have different incomes. One huge argument that was brought about was: Are most rich people in the world are rich because they work hard or because they have certain connections. I think that through my own personal experience and being born into a wealthy family where if I really wanted to, I could have my parents pay for everything and not have to worry about financial costs. However I was not raised to have my parents give me everything. Yes my family and I have money however my parents have always told me that they wouldn’t help me with certain things when it comes to paying for me. Therefore I was raised to know that if I want something and if I want to be successful I have to work hard at it and succeed and that it is not just going to be handed to me. It can very well be handed to me, but I was taught to work for what I wanted. I have had a job since I was twelve years old (working with my grandfather) every summer and still to this day do so. I also have had many other jobs, so that I am not just working with my grandfather. I have always had money and have been told if I want something I have to pay for it.
With all of that being said I do somewhat agree with the fact that many people get rich off of the connections they have, however there is a good amount of people in the world working very hard and earning their wealth and becoming rich. I was taught to work hard so my argument rests with the fact that most people can get rich by working hard. Some people may just need to work harder than others.
In saying that some people have to work harder than others this is where the social stratification comes in. Unfortunately some people aren’t born into the stratification that they wish they were in. Therefore if you are born into a family at the bottom you need to most likely work harder than the people in a higher strata.
Sam stated that people at the bottom have to work harder and may not always make it to the top but the advice I can give from my own knowledge and experience is do everything you can to work to the top. Yeah it may seem impossible because there are people at the top trying to keep everyone else down at the bottom. But I truly think that if you want to be at the top that bad you can work your ass off and get there. If you don’t get all the way to the top, you can at least fight your way towards the top and be better off then you were when you started. It is possible. You just need to have the drive for it. That is what I got from Sam’s lectures in the past week.

“What are we as men communicating to females when we say they are not allowed to grow their natural body hair?” I think that the culture we live in today in majority of the world, not just the United States, the “hairless” girl is what is portrayed as beautiful. This started a long long time ago, I’m not exactly sure when but I know that not just now but back in the day magazines portrayed a “beautiful” woman as someone with smooth legs and no hair on their faces.
The media of today plays an enormous role in how we view the “beautiful” woman. Women are not supposed to have facial hair because “that is a manly thing to do”. And I believe that with the culture we live in today, the manly thing to do is strictly for the men and women should act and look like women. Men are supposed to be the hairy ones atleast that’s what we are told. And the fact that being hairless has gained this beauty in our culture in such an early age, people may say it doesn’t matter if women have hair or not, but we have been trained to subconsciously think that women shouldn’t have hair.
I know that if I saw a girl with a beard or a moustache i would probably get scheved out. Not that I disrespect them for that or anything, but the fact that growing up you learn what a woman “is supposed to look like” and what a man is “supposed to look like” and if you go through life with this standard image and suddenly you see something that goes against that standard image you immediately think it is wrong and probably even get grossed out. As much as people may say they accept them and respect them for it, you cannot deny that in the back of your head youre thinking to yourself “something is not right here”. But that is just how we have been trained throughout the past generations.
Now aside from the thoughts going off in the back of your head, the same things can be attributed to this situation just as you can when concerning race and handicapped people. You see it, adapt to it, ignore it. People may want to get a better understanding of it which I believe is the right thing to do because it may be their belief and way of life. But that doesn’t change the person who they are. They are still people and have a loving heart like anyone else. Just because they are different does not mean they should be treated like aliens (for lack of a better word).
Women are told they are supposed to be beautiful and that is just how culture has told women to be. And not just women, but men have become accustomed to it as well. I personally think women are more beautiful with shaved legs and hairless bodies not just because I grew up with that image of women in my mind, but because I am a man and I have hairy legs, facial hair, and body hair. I personally don’t want the girl that I am talking to or with to have hair because I have enough of it. I would just prefer hairlessness because its something different than the everyday hair that a guy has to deal with.

Hip Hop and music in general can bridge the gap between the East and the West because it speaks to people on levels the regular dialogue can't exactly do. Music is a common language between everyone in the world. Not only is it a common language but it also teaches people of culture and sometimes even teaches people the language of another culture as well. Music is something that everyone can relate to and enjoy no matter who you are. What would the world be without music?
Everyone everywhere listens to music. On a college campus like Penn State, just walking to class, pretty much everyone you encounter on the walk to class has a pair of headphones in listening to music.
Music has the power to express emotions in a way that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to listen. Personally, I think if someone sang something to be rather than just speak it regularly to me I would be much more interested in what the person is saying through song.
And in Omar’s case he was relaying a message that was very important to him and was very important to his people. People could enjoy his flow and beats, and that is how it starts. If someone is interested and enjoys his beats and flow, then they next thing they will listen to closely is his lyrics. Once they begin to listen to his message and what his specific song is about and the ideas behind his music, that could help them gain a different perspective on the whole background of Omar and what he is singing about.
I have a friend named Malik who does the exact same thing and he is Muslim. He raps about his culture all of the time and people learn about his culture and learn to respect people of Muslim background because they like his flow and enjoy his instrumentals and music. Malik actually spent a lot of time the other day with Omar before and after class discussing their hopes of hip hop and doing what they do. It was inspiring to watch because they both have the same idea and rap about similar things and I must say, just listening to Malik spit and sing songs it has opened my eyes to a lot of what he and his culture find important in the world. And I guess because it is in music form, I have gained a respect for it because it is a common interest we have. From that I have learned to respect hip-hop artists with the same mindset as Malik and Omar.
Music however is not the only form of art that bridges the gaps between cultures. Any form of art does such. Basically art is what makes cultures or can help cultures better understand each other and gain perspectives on issues from that culture. If music wasn’t around, there would be much more turmoil I believe.
Art exposes the cultures of different countries and people and is probably the most productive way of doing do while also teaching listeners and viewers of that specific culture. Without music the world would literally be a completely different place. Open your ears and eyes to art and I guarantee you will be more accepting of “outside” cultures than ever before.

I believe that a lot of what Sam says in class is true and that he really is doing a great job of bringing these views of other people’s races down to earth onto a level of which we can understand and begin to get a better view on. I can already tell this class is beginning to have enough power to change the way people look at each other and each other’s races.
One thing I want to touch on about class other day was Sam’s point where he said that we need to; "Bring it into our universe, and then let it go from our universe." The greatest example of this is the handicapped person in a wheelchair. Why is it that people look towards handicapped people or people with disabilities and tend to “forget” or “block out” the fact that they are handicapped. They do this so that they can train themselves to look at handicapped people like normal people and never feel any kind of “discrimination” towards them. If people can do this, I believe Sam is right when it comes to doing this with races. If we bring the fact that people are all the same (as in a all bleed, all love, all have the same emotions) then we wouldn’t have these terrible racial stereotypes and racial phobias. People need to better understand life I think.
However its not just handicapped people that we do this sort of thing with. We do the same with gays. If we have a friend who is gay, then it opens our eyes to see that they are just the same as straight people, they just have a different life style when it comes to loving or liking someone.
It is possible to bring these issues and views into our own universe and let them go from our universe, meaning if we can do this with handicapped people and gays and work enough mentally to tell ourselves they are normal people just as much as everyone else, then why shouldn’t we be able to do that with races. Yes, ill agree that everyone looks different and the world that we live in has come up with some pretty harsh stereotypes and in turn has possibly made people more racist towards one another.
I just do not understand this. I know for a fact if I can do this with handicapped and gay people I can most definitely do it with races. Now I don’t look at myself as being racist at all, however like all other beings I tend to apply certain stereotypes to races. I am also very understanding of peoples backgrounds and how to respect them. There are a lot about people that many people don’t know about (pretty much everyone has their own story) but I feel like if people just learn how to somehow do the SAME thing they do with handicapped people and gays then we would be able to live in a world, or community (Penn State) where no one thinks badly or differently about any one of another race. See that they are different, recognize that, learn and tell yourself they are the same as you just with a different background and different physical characteristics, then let it go and use what you know to go out and accept the fact that everyone in the world is infact the same and not as different as people may think.