Sam brought up an interesting point, and it is very upsetting that our society has become so closed minded and will not voluntarily go out and try new things. I think the main factor for Americans to not be so open minded is our lack of education. We do not know enough about other cultures to be so willing to step out of our own and try new things. For example, we think we know about Chinese food, but in reality what we eat is Americanized and does not really resemble the actual culture food that they eat in China. In my opinion this problem is getting worse with each generation because of ignorance and not wanting to learn about how other people learn. We become so comfortable with our own lives that we do not want to take the time and effort to learn about someone else’s life style. It becomes so easy to just continue to eating the same foods because that is what we get used to and unless we go out with the mind set to try something new then we are not going to do it.

Another aspect that prevents Americans, and other cultures as well, from stepping out of our boxes is the way that we were raised. If we grew up in a house that did not support or attempt to try new foods, then when a person grows up then they are not going to want to try new things. On the other hand, if a household is willing to try new foods then somebody who lived in that house is going to want to grow up and try new things when they are presented. We generally continue to live the same lifestyle that we lived in when we were growing up, and so this may be the most influential part as to what keeps us in our own box, as Sam says.

I know that I am somebody that likes to stay in my own box when it comes to food. I am always very hesitant to expand my palate because I am afraid of trying new foods. I am not ashamed to say that I am comfortable with the foods that I eat on a regular basis and so I do not go out of my way to try new foods. This is something that my family makes fun of me for, because I always get the same thing when I go out to eat at restaurants. Some people might call this being picky, but it can also be seen as ignorance. I try not to be ignorant to other people’s cultures, but if I am not comfortable with something then I am not going to force myself to try it.

Our inability to step out of our own boxes does not only apply to food either. It can also be applicable towards the type of people we talk to and also the type of clothing that we wear. It is unfortunate that we become so comfortable with our lives that we do not like to change it, because there are so many options out there that we can learn about and maybe be surprised that we enjoy.

I do not agree the two students who raised this question of why it is difficult for white girls to approach black guys, and vice versa. I do not find it hard for people of different races to talk to each other and pursue a relationship with one another. However, I can see people that believe this is the case because of the way that they were raised and their predetermined decisions on interracial relationships. If somebody grew up in a house that did not support the socializing with a person of another race then that person is going to be afraid to approach somebody of a different race. I think how you were raised is the biggest factor that goes into somebody’s ability and willingness to talk to a black/white person if they are of the opposite race. I also believe that your parents’ views on this type of relationship also play a big part of feeling comfortable around other races. If your parents do no support interracial relationships than the son/daughter is not going to out and seek a boyfriend/girlfriend of another race; unless they are rebel and want to purposefully go against their parents’ wishes. Though we cannot help who we fall in love with, in the back of everybody’s mind is that they want their family to approve of their spouse.

Another big aspect that may cause people to be afraid to approach a person of another race is their surroundings and where they were raised. If a white girl grew up in a predominately white area than she will most likely hesitate to go up and talk with a black guy. On the other hand though, if she grew up around both races than she will feel more comfortable to freely approach a black guy. In my opinion the only two situations where a girl/guy would be afraid to approach a girl/guy of another race, is when a white girl would approach a black guy, and when a white boy wants to approach a black girl. I do not think that black girls and guys have trouble talking to white people, and I do not want to sound stereotypical. Also, in a study that I recently learned about, there was an interesting fact that stated that most interracial relationships have a black guy dating a white girl. I can attest to this because two of my best friends that are dating follow this statistic, where the guy is black and she is white. I do find it very rare when I see a black girl dating a white boy. But I do not think this has anything to do with them being afraid to approach one another.

However, like I said before, I do not agree with the two students who raised this question because I think there are more and more interracial relationships forming every day. In my opinion, these types have been more acceptable as of late, and I think the media has influenced this upturn. For example, I think television shows are portraying interracial relationships than before. In this day and age we should be able to approach whomever we want to pursue a relationship with because race should no longer be an issue in our society.

Despite the fact that Sam was not present again during lecture I think that the video we watched in class on Thursday was another powerful message from him. As a Catholic it was definitely interesting to learn about Christianity and the things that I did not necessarily know about before. It was also fascinating to learn about Sam’s opinion on the whole matter. That being said, it was definitely extremely challenging to put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim. I think the most difficult thing in my opinion was just the ability to block out all the biased towards America I had, considering I have grown up in the American culture my entire life. To forget about the American culture enough to see the Muslim culture was hard because I do not know enough about the Muslim culture to even know where to begin to visualize what it would be like. I am surprised that I found it so challenging to put myself into the shoes of somebody else, because I feel like the whole point of this class is to learn about the challenges of others and understanding them enough to know what it would be like if it were you.
With that though, I feel like that added to the difficulty of putting myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim because Sam has been teaching us the ways of the less fortunate and of the minorities. Since we have so much information about them and how they are neglected, it almost makes me fear of thinking as a Muslim because I do not want to imagine the life that I would live. As Americans we take for granted the fact that we live a free life and have the ability to do whatever we want, to an extent of course. But as Muslims their lifestyle makes it so hard to live an enjoyable life, a life that is so much different from the way we live.
Perhaps the scariest thing that I can think of when I put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim though, is the idea that I would see just how badly Americans can treat them. I know that the American news does not always tell us exactly how the American soldiers treat the Arab Muslims, so it was extremely hard to watch the one video where they ran over the car with a tank. It was even more difficult to swallow because that car was the only source of income for the owner because he was a taxi driver. I think it would be hard to see how I was treated by American soldiers if I was an Arab Muslim because in America we are taught and almost expected to love the soldiers that risk their lives each and every day to provide us a free lifestyle. As Americans we hope that our soldiers are treating innocent bystanders fairly and nicely, but now we know that that is not always true. With all this, it was extremely hard to face the reality when I put myself in the shoes of an Arab Muslim.

Despite the fact that Sam was not present again during lecture I think that the video we watched in class on Thursday was another powerful message from him. As a Catholic it was definitely interesting to learn about Christianity and the things that I did not necessarily know about before. It was also fascinating to learn about Sam’s opinion on the whole matter. That being said, it was definitely extremely challenging to put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim. I think the most difficult thing in my opinion was just the ability to block out all the biased towards America I had, considering I have grown up in the American culture my entire life. To forget about the American culture enough to see the Muslim culture was hard because I do not know enough about the Muslim culture to even know where to begin to visualize what it would be like. I am surprised that I found it so challenging to put myself into the shoes of somebody else, because I feel like the whole point of this class is to learn about the challenges of others and understanding them enough to know what it would be like if it were you.

With that though, I feel like that added to the difficulty of putting myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim because Sam has been teaching us the ways of the less fortunate and of the minorities. Since we have so much information about them and how they are neglected, it almost makes me fear of thinking as a Muslim because I do not want to imagine the life that I would live. As Americans we take for granted the fact that we live a free life and have the ability to do whatever we want, to an extent of course. But as Muslims their lifestyle makes it so hard to live an enjoyable life, a life that is so much different from the way we live.

Perhaps the scariest thing that I can think of when I put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim though, is the idea that I would see just how badly Americans can treat them. I know that the American news does not always tell us exactly how the American soldiers treat the Arab Muslims, so it was extremely hard to watch the one video where they ran over the car with a tank. It was even more difficult to swallow because that car was the only source of income for the owner because he was a taxi driver. I think it would be hard to see how I was treated by American soldiers if I was an Arab Muslim because in America we are taught and almost expected to love the soldiers that risk their lives each and every day to provide us a free lifestyle. As Americans we hope that our soldiers are treating innocent bystanders fairly and nicely, but now we know that that is not always true. With all this, it was extremely hard to face the reality when I put myself in the shoes of an Arab Muslim.

Despite the fact that Sam was not present again during lecture I think that the video we watched in class on Thursday was another powerful message from him. As a Catholic it was definitely interesting to learn about Christianity and the things that I did not necessarily know about before. It was also fascinating to learn about Sam’s opinion on the whole matter. That being said, it was definitely extremely challenging to put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim. I think the most difficult thing in my opinion was just the ability to block out all the biased towards America I had, considering I have grown up in the American culture my entire life. To forget about the American culture enough to see the Muslim culture was hard because I do not know enough about the Muslim culture to even know where to begin to visualize what it would be like. I am surprised that I found it so challenging to put myself into the shoes of somebody else, because I feel like the whole point of this class is to learn about the challenges of others and understanding them enough to know what it would be like if it were you.

With that though, I feel like that added to the difficulty of putting myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim because Sam has been teaching us the ways of the less fortunate and of the minorities. Since we have so much information about them and how they are neglected, it almost makes me fear of thinking as a Muslim because I do not want to imagine the life that I would live. As Americans we take for granted the fact that we live a free life and have the ability to do whatever we want, to an extent of course. But as Muslims their lifestyle makes it so hard to live an enjoyable life, a life that is so much different from the way we live.

Perhaps the scariest thing that I can think of when I put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim though, is the idea that I would see just how badly Americans can treat them. I know that the American news does not always tell us exactly how the American soldiers treat the Arab Muslims, so it was extremely hard to watch the one video where they ran over the car with a tank. It was even more difficult to swallow because that car was the only source of income for the owner because he was a taxi driver. I think it would be hard to see how I was treated by American soldiers if I was an Arab Muslim because in America we are taught and almost expected to love the soldiers that risk their lives each and every day to provide us a free lifestyle. As Americans we hope that our soldiers are treating innocent bystanders fairly and nicely, but now we know that that is not always true. With all this, it was extremely hard to face the reality when I put myself in the shoes of an Arab Muslim.

Despite the fact that Sam was not present again during lecture I think that the video we watched in class on Thursday was another powerful message from him. As a Catholic it was definitely interesting to learn about Christianity and the things that I did not necessarily know about before. It was also fascinating to learn about Sam’s opinion on the whole matter. That being said, it was definitely extremely challenging to put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim. I think the most difficult thing in my opinion was just the ability to block out all the biased towards America I had, considering I have grown up in the American culture my entire life. To forget about the American culture enough to see the Muslim culture was hard because I do not know enough about the Muslim culture to even know where to begin to visualize what it would be like. I am surprised that I found it so challenging to put myself into the shoes of somebody else, because I feel like the whole point of this class is to learn about the challenges of others and understanding them enough to know what it would be like if it were you.

With that though, I feel like that added to the difficulty of putting myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim because Sam has been teaching us the ways of the less fortunate and of the minorities. Since we have so much information about them and how they are neglected, it almost makes me fear of thinking as a Muslim because I do not want to imagine the life that I would live. As Americans we take for granted the fact that we live a free life and have the ability to do whatever we want, to an extent of course. But as Muslims their lifestyle makes it so hard to live an enjoyable life, a life that is so much different from the way we live.

Perhaps the scariest thing that I can think of when I put myself into the shoes of an Arab Muslim though, is the idea that I would see just how badly Americans can treat them. I know that the American news does not always tell us exactly how the American soldiers treat the Arab Muslims, so it was extremely hard to watch the one video where they ran over the car with a tank. It was even more difficult to swallow because that car was the only source of income for the owner because he was a taxi driver. I think it would be hard to see how I was treated by American soldiers if I was an Arab Muslim because in America we are taught and almost expected to love the soldiers that risk their lives each and every day to provide us a free lifestyle. As Americans we hope that our soldiers are treating innocent bystanders fairly and nicely, but now we know that that is not always true. With all this, it was extremely hard to face the reality when I put myself in the shoes of an Arab Muslim.

I am a Christian, but I do not consider myself a very religious person, but I do understand the general concept that Sam was talking about; how we are supposed to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. I try to help people whenever I get the opportunity, and yet I feel like I still do not do enough. Before I watched the video that we watched in class I did not really think it was possible for somebody to follow the exact the path as Jesus, just because in order to do so they would have to be extremely selfless. I always admire the people who take time away from their time to do the little things that benefit others, because in reality any little act of kindness goes along way. However, after watching the video clip about Jorge I realize that there are those types of person in the world, where they are so selfless that it does not matter what type of pain they may go through, as long as they have helped others they are happy.

I appreciate and admire Jorge because of what he does every day. I think it is very hard for somebody to just commit themselves to that type of project, and how he has yet to miss a day in about three years. The other amazing aspect of the whole situation is that he is doing all of these actions to help the illegal immigrants who are struggling to survive in this country. To me this makes his acts of kindness even more incredible because there are so many people in the United States who would openly try to prevent him from doing this. Illegal immigrants are such a sensitive topic in the United States because there are a lot of people who do not support them being here, and then the other half who understands that they do the jobs that many Americans would not do otherwise. I believe that Jorge’s passion to help others is probably influenced from his past history, and I think that that is the best base to help others. I also think it is amazing that he is doing such a selfless act without caring much about his finances, especially since he has such a low income job, which is also part of a union so it may not always be reliable.

However, as much as he helps others, I think that he should take some time for himself because for what he does he deserves time for himself. Also I think that if he spread the word of what he is doing that he would also be following in the steps of Jesus, just because he would be involving more people and opening the eyes of others to the illegal immigrants’ lifestyle. I want Jorge to continue this selfless act and I truly believe that he is probably one of the most selfless people I have seen and that he is following in the steps of Jesus.

I respect you for not feeling the pressure to curve and purchase any of the phones that everybody else is buying, because in the society that we live in today and how everything is connected it can be hard to not have the IPhone. Most people and companies assume that everybody has an IPhone and as a result they are only marketing their products to be in conjunction with the IPhone. I know from personal experience that it was hard to communicate with my friends when I did not have the IPhone, as I just purchased it less than a year ago, but already I have seen the benefits of having the same phone as everybody else. I also think it is amazing that the big reason you are not purchasing a new phone is because you do not want to support the illegal actions that go on behind the scenes to make the phone. I think it is a shame that this type of behavior it still prevalent in our society, because with all the advancements in other aspects it is unfortunate that we have yet had the ability to move past the slave issue. I think it is still an issue because not enough people are aware that it is still occurring, and as a result we are still purchasing products produced by slaves. Also I do not think there is not a strong enough organization to stand up to companies that use slaves, and sweatshops to force them to stop. There have been companies that have been called out for using slaves and sweatshop, such as Nike, but still there has not been enough action to actually stop them from doing it.

With regards to your question about your personal impact on the situation, unfortunately you alone are not going to change the opinions of thousands of others, but rather it is how you go about it that will make the difference. I think for you to really make a difference, you have to spread the word on the type illegal behavior goes on to make the phones that would prevent them from buying the phone. If you truly believe and stand behind your decision not buy a new phone then you have to make that verbal and prevalent to others. It is hard for people to get behind ones actions if they do not understand the reasoning as to why you are doing something. That being said, I think it would be hard to get people to stop buying the IPhones, or any other phones for that matter, because to people today it is very important to have the best possible product on the shelves. It is also important to show others that they have the money to buy nice products, and so they are willing to dish out large amounts of money to purchase the newest phones. I wish I was as strong-willed as you to not purchase a new IPhone, and I respect you so much for sticking behind what you truly believe; and now it is up to you to make sure others know why you are not going to buy a new phone. Also I hope you do not fold under all the pressure because your tiny act could make a huge difference in this world.

As cliché and overused as it is, I was always taught to not judge a book by its cover, and that to fully be able to have an opinion on somebody who should know their entire backstory. I was a little hesitant to consider answering this question because I do not know their backstory and so I would be going against what I was taught if I were to comment on this question. Also I was a afraid of how people might perceive me if they read my comment and they do not agree with me, but because they do not know me they do not know how I came to formulate my answer. That being said here is how I perceived the individuals based upon their appearances:

The first two individuals are African Americans who possess the quote-on-quote stereotypes. They both have dreadlocks and headphones around their necks. This observation that they are wearing headphones might indicate that they are into music, and that their music of choice is perhaps rap music. They are also both wearing graphic t-shirts, which are usually worn by young adults to express their interests and amusements. Also neither of them are smiling, which might mean that they want to look tough and imposing to passer-byers. With the stereotypes that circle around people often associate African Americans look tougher than they really are.

The third person is a white girl who dresses really preppy. From her wardrobe we can assume that her family has money and that she has the ability to shop at department stores and other high-end companies. Also her hair and make-up are well done and that might mean that she was taught the value of the importance of first impressions. When all these pieces are put together it makes it very easy to assume that she grew up in a predominately white area. Also the way she has her arms crossed and her facial expression makes it seem that she is believes she is better than others.

The fourth individual is a white boy who carries the stereotypes of a small town boy whose family has money. His hair is at the typical length for boys which means that he keeps up with his hygiene. He also is not smiling which might be perceived that he is trying to look tougher than he actually is and that he might be intimidated to be in the group of individuals that he is in. He also gives the illusion that he grew up in a predominately white neighborhood as well.

The fifth and sixth individuals are African Americans that also might share the same stereotypes as the first two people. However, they may seem more approachable because they do not have dreads, however they too are not smiling either. They come across as quieter because they are not wearing headphones, and so they might possibly like to talk as they walk to class instead of listening to music.

The last individual is an older female who seems nice and approachable. Her smile appears to make her seem outgoing and willing to talk to you, which will make people want to go up and talk to her. Her outfit and hairstyle are very stereotypical of older women and with this comes the assumption that she has the experience and wisdom to help the younger generations.

All this being said I think all these individuals possess the dedication and commitment that every Penn State student and faculty member needs, and that they all want to achieve success in the future. I think this was definitely the hardest blog to comment on because our society is so sensitive that my answers may be taken in the wrong context.

This exercise really put into perspective just what went on regarding our land, and who actually owns what. My reaction to the original question was that of course the first owner should have the right to the land because they were the ones who bought it and inhabited it first. I was actually quite surprised that the class did not answer the question unanimously with the belief that the original owner is the one who owns it and deserves to get it back. It was not until after Sam question with another situation, such as a car being stolen, that the entire class began to see eye-to-eye. When a piece of property is taken from somebody it is their right to get it back, let alone the morally right thing to give it back to them if you are the person that took the property. However, as the simulation continued I began to understand the importance of this activity because it really opened my eyes on how we came to own the land that we live on today. At the beginning I favored the fact that the children and grandchildren also deserved to have the land back because that is the land that their ancestors lived on, and as a result they too deserve to grow up there. However, as I thought about it those grandchildren would then be taking away the land that the new people have made their home, and then they too would feel the same way; it would be a never ending vicious cycle. Now I feel like the grandchildren do not deserve to get the land back because they were not there when the initial take-over took place and as a result they do not know the history about the exact reasoning why the land was taken from them in the first place; and they might not have the right motive to seek out the group that stole the land. It is unfortunate that this happens because it is not fair at all; everybody has the right to the property that they own. What made the activity even more jaw-dropping was when the guest speaker spoke about driving into Penn State and still feeling hatred because a Native American group once controlled this property, but now there is not a single blood relative that lives on this land. I never really thought about that the land we walk on was once taken away from its original owners, and so I never really felt bad for walking on the land that I call home. But now that I know the circumstances of how we obtained our land, I am more aware of the negatives of walking upon it, but still I do not feel terrible because, as a grandchild myself, I had nothing to do with the land being taken away. I think this is the mentality of how we live, once so many generations pass down property it is that much harder to give the piece back to its original owner. So while I believe the immediate owner deserves to get back their property, I am not so strongly for their grandchildren getting it back because then they would be taking it away from the new people. That being said it is very unfortunate that this is how we obtained our “free” land and that some are still feeling the negative effects of our actions.