This class has hands down been the most interesting, eye-opening and unique class I have ever taken. Through this semester I have noticed my mind set changing and I think I’ve become a better, more understanding and more well-rounded person because of this class. When I came to Penn State, I knew I would learn a lot. My mistake was that I assumed I would learn in purely an academic way. Soc 119 has taught me about life and how to understand other people’s experiences. It has taught me to think before you say the word “retarded” or “gay.” It has taught me that stereotypes are not a joke and can be very offensive to others. Each person has their own story and experience and we have to try to understand these experiences instead of making rash generalizations.
To pinpoint one specific lesson I’ve taken away from this class is very challenging. I think the best part of the class was when we broke into our smaller groups once a week for recitation. My group was very comfortable with each other and we had a lot of people with different and interesting perspectives. The people in my group taught me a lot and I loved hearing their opinions every week. I was exposed to a lot of really great people and I learned a lot from meeting each of them.
From Sam’s lectures I have learned to think. At age 19, it’s weird to write that sentence. I notice myself questioning things more and trying to understand people. I don’t just sit back and make a generalization, but rather think about how I don’t know everything and it’s not fair to assume things about people. I’m much happier with the person I am after taking this class and I would highly suggest it to other Penn State students.
I’ve gotten an immense amount of knowledge out of this class that I think will be very beneficial in the future. I’ve never had a class that I look forward to going to so much or a class that I thought would be so useful. I have a much better outlook about many aspects of life now and I really appreciate all the work that goes in to make this class possible. Being a soc 119 student has been a great experience and I was able to learn a lot of important things this semester.

Sam’s question really stirs up a lot of thought. In class when we had the clicker question about whether or not we could or would be able to kill someone, I answered no. But then Sam went on to discuss how it is very easy to get a person to kill another human being. I remember discussing countries that put guns in children’s hands at ages as young as ten. I think culture has a lot to do with your personal beliefs and maybe if I grew up in one of those countries killing another person wouldn’t make me think twice.
When I first heard this question my first thought was that I couldn’t kill someone. Then I thought that I probably could easily kill if my well-being was at stake or if someone was harming my family. Taking my family or my livelihood out of the equation, I think it would be very difficult to get me to kill a human. There are many factors that affect this scenario. If I grew up in a culture in which killing was seen as acceptable or necessary, I could definitely see myself being able to. However, if I took myself now, growing up where I did and with the values that were taught to me, it would be much more difficult. I think that the government with enough propaganda can get it’s people to be willing to kill. Also, if my family and the people around me were supportive of killing others or found it necessary to be in war, I think it would be easier to come to terms with killing another human.
I think culture can have a huge effect on people’s values. I can sit here and say I would never kill someone, but realistically if I lived in another culture with different circumstances, my life and values would be completely different. It would definitely take a lot to take another person’s life. I can’t imagine being put in that situation or how much it would take for me to do such a thing. However,
I think that there are circumstances that would make this possible and I can’t say that I would never be able to kill someone because I think that’s unrealistic. There would definitely have to be extreme circumstances but at the end of the day I think if my country, family and friends were in support of a necessary war and killing I would be able to support it as well.

The lecture we had this week was very interesting. I had never noticed myself or anyone else go through different stages of their racial identity. I now see that with age and different life experiences, people’s outlook can change in regard to their own race. The five stages are definitely prevalent and noticeable and I think some stages are better than others. I don’t think people have control over what stage they are in. I believe the stages come from your experiences and how you want to present your outlook to the rest of the world.
The first stage seems to be one of the stages that seem worse to me than some of the others. Usually this is in an early stage of a person’s life and it seems like the ignorance of not knowing what race is, leaves the person almost clueless. The video we watched in class of the black children often choosing the white doll and identifying themselves as white was very sad to me. I couldn’t believe that at such a young age the kids had an association of “good” and “bad” with race. I felt bad that they did not identify themselves correctly or know that just because a person is black doesn’t mean they are bad.
The other stage that seemed worse to me than some of the others was the stage in which a person dressed themselves and acted in a way that helped identify them closer to being white. This stood out to me because it seems like this is the point where a person is least like themselves. It’s always sad when people change how they really are because they think it will help them fit it. I think this stage is worse than the others because it’s the farthest away the person is from truly being themselves and accepting themselves.
I thought this lecture was interesting because you can go back and forth between the stages at any point in your life. Everyone’s experience is different and stages can last for any given amount of time. The stages all have their pros and cons but I think the two stages I described are the worst two stages for a person to be in. I think it’s important for a person to be aware of what makes them different but also to accept and embrace these differences. In those two stages I see a lack in that and I think they are both negative points in a person’s life.

I have never understood or agreed with the statement people make when they say being gay is a “choice.” I think people who are gay and identify themselves as gay are given a hard time by many people. People in their own families, their friends and strangers can make them feel ashamed even if they do not intend to. Although I don’t agree with it, there is often a negative association with being gay. This is why I don’t understand why people would “choose” to be gay. I do not think people would want to associate themselves with being something if it could cause them to be looked down upon.

I think being gay is a feeling that people cannot force upon themselves or force themselves away from. I think coming out of the closet is potentially the biggest choice a gay person would have to make. This process must take a lot of time and courage. I can imagine it would be very stressful and something you wouldn’t want to go through unless you were very sure about yourself and what makes you happy. This just stresses the point further on how I don’t think it’s realistic for someone to choose to be gay. It doesn’t make sense for someone to want to put themselves through this experience unless they really couldn’t help their feelings.

I have seen first-hand a member of my family avoid coming out for years. Although younger generations are more accepting, I think it is difficult to break news like that to your grandparents and older relatives. Even though they know, I’m still not sure if they were ever officially told. I don’t see the shame in it but it seems to exist and I don’t think people would choose a lifestyle that would be unaccepted by their family. No one wants to disappoint their family and you wouldn’t simply choose to go against their religious beliefs. I completely think being gay has to do with people’s feelings and is not a choice.

I think the thought that gay people choose to be gay is arrogant. Like Sam said, he asked anyone who thought people chose to be gay if they had ever spoken to a gay person about it. The answer was always no. This just shows that generalizations are being made about gay people. I strongly believe gay people do not wake up one day and make this choice to be gay. I think it has to do with a lot of feelings that cannot be avoided.

The issue of rape and people’s opinions on the subject matter can be unsettling to hear. Since this year is an election year I feel like the topic has been tossed around a lot by many politicians. Some of them have come off as very ignorant because of their responses. As a female, it personally scares me to hear our country’s leaders take a traumatizing event for a woman such as rape, and speak about it in a very hands off manner.
I think it’s very important for people to think about their moms, sisters, wives, girlfriends and friends before they decide what their opinion on rape is. I don’t think people realize how common rape is or how many people they know who have dealt with sexual assault. The point made in class was very interesting and I think it hit home to a lot of people. After hearing politicians speak about rape, it always bothers me because I had always put it into my perspective. If I get raped and become pregnant, what would I do? What would my options be? However, I don’t know how common this thought process is. I hope the brief discussion in class helped open people’s minds if they did not already have this mindset.
I had especially found this interesting because a few months ago I was flipping through a magazine and found an article about politicians and their opinions on rape which led to them getting in a bit of trouble. In August of 2012, Todd Akin said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Way back in 1990, Clayton Williams spoke about rape saying, “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” I found these two quotations particularly alarming and very ignorant. Being a young female, I found myself very uncomfortable after reading this article. These men were clearly not thinking about their wives or daughters when they thought of potential rape victims. I think a lot of people think rape and sexual assault only happens in high crime areas and not in suburban places. These misconceptions have to be brought to their attention because rape can happen anywhere or anytime to anyone.
I think talking about this in class, even though it was only for a short amount of time, opened a lot of people’s eyes. I think people’s thoughts towards the issue had to be opened up more. We are always told to put things into perspective but it’s not easy to do that all the time. I think this class was very eye-opening for many people.

The statistics we saw in class were really surprising to me. I couldn’t believe the numbers on incarceration for different races. The percentages for blacks were significantly higher than those for whites. The statistics were also much higher for Asians and Hispanics than they were for whites. I really never considered this as being an issue before the information was presented to me. I assumed that once someone was charged with a crime they would be treated equally regardless of their race.
What I found most shocking was the kid in class who told his own story with the law system. He is a white male and attends school in the Washington DC area. He went on to tell us that he brought a knife to school one day and got caught. The school actually helped him get it expunged from his record and he eventually went on to study here at Penn State. He admitted that if he was black, the school would not have helped him throughout this process and probably would have made sure he suffered consequences.
I couldn’t believe how unfair that situation was. Yes, I think it is great that he went on to better himself in college but who is to say a black student wouldn’t also be capable of that. It also makes me wonder why a bigger deal wasn’t made from this situation. If I was a black student that had similar circumstances and got in trouble for having a knife at school, I would be very skeptical of why I wasn’t helped in the same way. I may not know all the details, but I think the administration sends a really poor message to it’s students in this case.
Incarceration is a life-altering event in a person’s life. It doesn’t seem fair how one’s race is such a huge influence over the decision. I’m a white female and would probably be benefited by these circumstances however, I would rather it be fairer. I believe a person should deal with the consequences of their actions regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they come from etc. This lecture really brought this issue into the light and makes me angry at the way the law system works. People aren’t perfect but you cant make exceptions for certain types of people and not the others. Everyone has to be responsible for their own actions and learn from their mistakes.

I found the video in class to be very eye-opening. When a white kid was stealing the bike, not one person tried to stop him or question him. When a similarly dressed black kid was doing the same thing, the majority of people walking past stopped him. This shows how strong stereotypes are and how much they sway our mindsets. People were claiming they would have done the right thing no matter what the skin color of the thief was, however the video proves what true human nature would do.
All the people who stopped the black kid from stealing the bike insisted that skin color had nothing to do with it. They said no matter who was stealing the bike, they would have called the police. It’s very apparent, however, that people are displaying discrimination without even realizing it. I think this goes back to what Sam was saying about how people like to believe that they are good. People think that they are not racist and do not discriminate but this experiment shows what the case truly is. This stereotype is so deeply imbedded in our minds that we don’t even realize it’s there. These people in the experiment were not being blatantly racist, but it was clear that they did see skin color and it did play a role in their actions.
As a white female, it makes me wonder if I’ve ever done anything similar to this; If I’ve been more skeptical of someone because they weren’t white, or less skeptical because someone is white. I consider myself accepting of all people but then again so did the people in this video. It also makes me question if I’ve ever gotten away with things because I’m a white female. In the video, when the white female was stealing the bike, a man not only ignored that she was stealing but actually helped her commit the crime. It was very eye-opening and has made me want to become more aware of these situations.
When people say racism is still alive, I think of the extreme cases like the KKK. This video has made me realize that it is indeed still alive, and taking forms in so many ways. People do not even realize they are discriminating and I can only imagine how common this takes place. I enjoyed this topic and I think it will help everyone in the class become more aware of what is actually going on around them.

The United States seems to pride itself on patriotism and independence. We talk about how important it is to honor the troops and how we would not be able to continue our lifestyle without them fighting for our protection. However alarming rates of suicide remain amongst veterans and current military members. We shy away from these statistics and focus more on their positive accomplishments rather than trying to help fix this problem.
From learning American history, most people know that the Vietnam war caused a lot of post-traumatic stress disorder for people in the military. It is emphasized to us how the war caused so much harm to the people who fought in it and what the military went through in the war’s aftermath. However, we aren’t taught that a similar issue still exists today. We are never told what individual soldiers go through, how they are treated or the trauma they experience. Instead we only know about their victories and their honorable moments. Yes, it can be beneficial to focus on the positive aspects, however this does not mean these issues can be ignored completely. Soldiers need to be taken care of psychologically while they’re serving the country and afterwards as well.
I also believe these matters are very sensitive. Some of the experiences these soldiers have and some of the missions they are sent on are not allowed to be talked about to us. If they are allowed to talk about their time in the military, I’m sure many of them don’t want to relive their experiences. This deepens the issue and continues to lead to suicide among veterans. There has to be more precaution and sensitivity to these issues and as citizens of the United States, we need to show our troops more support.
What these soldiers do is honorable and courageous. They leave their homes and families and often country to be uprooted and start over. Their lives are put on the line every single day in order to protect people who are strangers to them. Their nobility is unquestionable and it is time we do something to protect their well-being. It’s not right that these soldiers are expected to defend us, yet we do nothing to prevent and help maintain their psychological well-being. They put their lives on the line for us each day of their service, and it is time that we do something to help keep them from depression and more importantly suicide.

I think a very interesting point was made in class about the wealthy. People in our country strive to be “rich”. It’s why we go to college, it’s why we try to get good grades and make connections to get good jobs. “Money makes the world go ‘round” is a common phrase that a lot of people seem to find truth in however when people have money, why do they try to make it seem like they don’t have it? It really is an interesting point that I’ve seen many times. People always want as much money as they can make, yet they want to assure you that they do not have it.
I grew up in central New Jersey in a pretty well-off town. There were plenty of kids who I considered rich yet there were also families who struggled. I remember going to some of my friends’ houses and thinking about how much money they had based off of how nice their homes were, how luxurious their cars were and etc. However, everyone was always reassured by these families that they were not rich. It never made sense to me. If you look at your house, and you look at someone else’s house you can clearly see a difference. People refer to themselves as “comfortable” but they will always shy away from the word “rich” or “wealthy”.
My theory behind this is that maybe people don’t usually feel rich. In their world they still have to have a budget even though they have the budget for more expensive and luxurious things. Yet even this doesn’t explain it fully because if you can afford to have expensive things in your budget, you must realize you have wealth. Another point though, is that often the word “rich” is linked together with the adjective “snobby” or “rude.” Even if people know they have money, I don’t think they want to be known as arrogant, so they assure everyone that they aren’t rich so they don’t come off as thinking they’re better than everyone else.
It’s really interesting that in our society people will more willingly identify with being poor than being rich. However when we get jobs and have families the last thing we want is to be poor. I don’t think being wealthy is shameful as long as you still keep your values and treat others the same way. I don’t think rich people should be embarrassed of their success but I do understand why they wouldn’t want to be linked with being stuck up. It’s an interesting sociological topic that I think only a truly wealthy person would be able to explain.

Last week during lecture, we witnessed a very interesting exercise during Dr. Jones’s lecture. Each time a story is told from person to person, the plot can change so much that the final concept is completely different than the original story. The main issue with this is that we don’t take this idea into consideration and therefore believe what we hear without questioning it. What added an even more extreme factor was having people of different races repeating the story. Dr. Jones also pointed out the power that we give words and how we shouldn’t allow that to happen. If we don’t give words power, we don’t give them the ability to hurt people.
When I was younger I remember playing a game called telephone. Our class would sit around in a circle and repeat a sentence and by the time we went around the whole circle, the sentence did not remotely sound like it did in the beginning. As kids, we found humor and entertainment in this game. The exercise we did in lecture last week had the exact same concept but was instead used to teach a lesson. What surprised me was how until now no one had ever taken the childhood game that so many of us played and related it in this way before. Word of mouth causes great misconception and this has led me to think about all the stories I’ve heard from people and how much truth is behind them. Most people don’t have the intention of lying to you but we all perceive stories differently which eventually affects how we retell them.
This theory causes a huge domino effect. Everyone wants to hear people’s opinions and stories however we’re unaware that the source is a person’s sister’s-friend’s-uncle’s-daughter. In a larger perspective, this theory can affect how other countries view us, how we perceive what’s going on in politics or how we view people of other ethnic backgrounds. Say you know someone whose sister went abroad and had a bad experience. Your friend tells you about her sister’s trip and because it’s not from the first hand source, there are probably untrue or exaggerated statements made. You now walk away with a twisted impression of that country. This may seem small, but say the story is passed through even more people before you hear it and now your misconception is even larger and more misguided.
It’s unrealistic to go through life and question every story you hear. However, thinking about this concept is uneasy. How much of our knowledge has actually been jaded by this concept? How different would my opinions be if I always was hearing stories from a primary source? His lecture has left me to think about things before I believe them and not to be so naive.