I would like to say that this class was very fun and exciting. I always went to this class and listened. Not taking notes allowed me to concentrate much better. I would like to thank Sam for bringing new ideas up and for opening our minds up to different topics. Although much of this stuff was taught in crim 101, here it was taught much better. The TA’s did a good job at making sure everyone had a microphone when they needed to speak. That isn’t an easy job in a classroom of 750; there are a lot of stairs. This was my favorite class because Professor Sam did a good job at making myself feel like he was talking directly to me. My favorite class was the class where professor Sam actually was not there, but it was a recording of a previous class. If I had to pick one thing that I got out of this class was that you should not degrade someone, whether it is how they look or what their beliefs are, until you fully understand the possible reasons for which it may have occurred. This is important for me because sometimes I would make a joke about things like alien abduction, or other topics that we thoroughly discussed in class, but now that I have a better understanding of these different issues I will not be so quick to judge. Another thing that I took out of this class was that many people are oblivious, maybe they are just sheltered, but it was amazing to hear some peoples answers. I took many things out of this class and I would like to say thank you to Sam for helping not only myself, but the entire class, gain a better understanding of the world around us. I would have one suggestion, that would be to scale back the amount of words required in a blog, this would lead to a more intellectual blog as opposed to just throwing a whole bunch of words together and just saying that your done because it reached 450. With that being said, I do not have any more complaints, because this was a very strategically and well taught class. Keep doing the good work, and keep the discussion gropus because these helped us all as not only students but with being public speakers as well. All in all I thought that this class was very helpful to my education. After taking many criminology and sociology classes I have become familiar with the numerous topics discusses in each, but they are becoming overused. This class brought new ideas and subjects to light, which makes it so interesting, and for that I thank you

Although many people stat that they could, under no circumstance, kill another individual, I believe that within us all we are able to. With that being said, I would like to acknowledge that I could kill another human being under the correct circumstances. When trying to properly decipher the correct condition in which I would be able to make the decision that would most certainly result in taking of another’s life a few instances come to mind. First and foremost would be if I were in the military, an actual possibility for me. Whether receiving fire, or if it was a part of the mission I would follow through if lethal action were necessary.

Another situation in which I would kill a human would be in self-defense, for not only myself but also if I had to aid another individual, especially a family member. Under this condition I would have to know that it was essential to kill, as opposed to contain. Although that would have to be a split second decision I believe that my instincts would be able to properly determine which route I should take.

Killing a person is not easy when it would be face to face, unless you’re a certain kind of person. If you are that “kind of person” does not mean that you are a monster at all. With that being said I do not know if I would be able to kill someone face to face, say with a knife or something. Although I do not know the answer to that question, I do believe that I could push a button that would kill for the greater good. Most people I would argue would be able to make this same decision, but I do not want to speak for the whole population. My basis for staying this stems from the reactions of people after are faced with an extreme situation, 9/11 for instance.

Even though I only listed two situations where I knowingly would take another’s life I’m sure there are more but I am not aware of them. After establishing your grounds for which you could kill, you also will be able to find the line where you would willingly sacrifice your own life for another, or maybe instead for a cause. Previously I stated the idea of being in the military, this applies to sacrificing as well. Also I noted family being very important to my decisions, sacrificing for a family member in my eyes would be highly honorable. Many people watch movies, which have people sacrificing their lives for the greater good, say they would do the same. I doubt this would be an easy decision when you become personally faced with it, therefore we must be thankful for our true heroes.

I thought Sam’s lecture was important for many people today, including myself. As a person who is currently contemplating joining the United States Marine Corps I paid extra attention to the videos of our soldiers behavior. The question for this blog asks me what are the difficulties in putting myself in the shoes of an Arab Muslim. This question in my eyes is the same as asking me what is it like to be an African American living in the Bronx; the quick and simple answer is I have no idea. The difference is that these Arab nations are almost used to hearing about acts of violence on their home front, which is beyond my comprehension. Being in an environment of which you must be on an almost constant alert, but cant be too much so that it affects your daily life to the extent that it cripples you, is something that I am unable to fathom. Being from the United States this is not something that us as citizens are used to; yes we have had attacks from terrorists, but not in the numbers that the Arab people are seeing. For this reason I am unable to out myself in their shoes. Another reason for this distance in a relationship are the cultural barriers. Being from the United States, and from a suburban town, it is uncommon to see people who are Muslims regularly. With that being said, and acknowledge it is automatic that I am not as accustomed to the Arab Muslims. Although that it true, it doesn’t necessarily mean that an individual cannot put themselves in their shoes. Another crucial reason for this gap is our media. This slanted media only cares about making money, which is totally understandable, but nonetheless very biased because of it. They are not going to show certain videos, like the ones we saw in class, but that is with good reason. I myself was aware of things like this happening and to my peers that were not, that is their own fault. Maybe they simply don’t watch the news or what ever their reason is they must break out of their shell and look around. Those soldiers who did those things should be reprimanded for their actions, period. With that being said I also want to say that Sam’s question of if would join the Taliban was the most idiotic question I have ever heard and everyone that raised their hand is a dumbass. Why, I’ll tell you why. Because by raising your hand you would be saying that you would be a dumb unintelligent person who only follows lunatics, who base their claims on a small number of issues. Because of this question alone I lost faith in the soc 119 class as a whole.

I thought Sam’s lecture was important for many people today, including myself. As a person who is currently contemplating joining the United States Marine Corps I paid extra attention to the videos of our soldiers behavior. The question for this blog asks me what are the difficulties in putting myself in the shoes of an Arab Muslim. This question in my eyes is the same as asking me what is it like to be an African American living in the Bronx; the quick and simple answer is I have no idea. The difference is that these Arab nations are almost used to hearing about acts of violence on their home front, which is beyond my comprehension. Being in an environment of which you must be on an almost constant alert, but cant be too much so that it affects your daily life to the extent that it cripples you, is something that I am unable to fathom. Being from the United States this is not something that us as citizens are used to; yes we have had attacks from terrorists, but not in the numbers that the Arab people are seeing. For this reason I am unable to out myself in their shoes. Another reason for this distance in a relationship are the cultural barriers. Being from the United States, and from a suburban town, it is uncommon to see people who are Muslims regularly. With that being said, and acknowledge it is automatic that I am not as accustomed to the Arab Muslims. Although that it true, it doesn’t necessarily mean that an individual cannot put themselves in their shoes. Another crucial reason for this gap is our media. This slanted media only cares about making money, which is totally understandable, but nonetheless very biased because of it. They are not going to show certain videos, like the ones we saw in class, but that is with good reason. I myself was aware of things like this happening and to my peers that were not, that is their own fault. Maybe they simply don’t watch the news or what ever their reason is they must break out of their shell and look around. Those soldiers who did those things should be reprimanded for their actions, period. With that being said I also want to say that Sam’s question of if would join the Taliban was the most idiotic question I have ever heard and everyone that raised their hand is a dumbass. Why, I’ll tell you why. Because by raising your hand you would be saying that you would be a dumb unintelligent person who only follows lunatics, who base their claims on a small number of issues. Because of this question alone I lost faith in the soc 119 class as a whole.

A reasonable solution to the issue of immigration to me would have to include multiple points, because there isn’t a single, stop the entire problem, solution. Immigrants come to the United States for multiple reasons. Some are set to find political or religious freedom, while others are forced here as refuges. Many immigrants come to the United States legally. By obtaining visas or green cards does not simply mean that your family is automatically allowed to join you, and not only that it is just a long process that is dragged out by typical government bull crap. This is why other people take the quick, but risky route, by coming to the US illegally.

One reasonable solution would be to make it easier to obtain citizenship, this would make the people coming here illegally think twice about the risk versus the reward. Although, like I stated earlier, this will not include all individuals seeking to eventually claim the United States as their country that they reside in.

We could on the other hand, hire a lot more people to crack down on illegal immigrants. This would be done by hiring more immigration police and allowing them to search places and gather more Intel then ever before. Again this is not a fix all solution.

Some people want to build a wall, like were an ancient Chinese culture or something. I don’t only think this would be a huge monetary loss but it would also make a country founded on the principles of freedom look hypocritical to an all time high.

My person opinion would be to grant amnesty to the people already living within the United States that have been working, and paid taxes etc. After this occurs you can apply for your family to come over, but with limitations. Limitations that I have not decided upon yet, but there must be some in place.

After doing that I would go to the Mexican government and get them to help aid us in defending our boarders, and if they didn’t I would tell them to have fun gathering all the money that we give them from other countries because we won’t help them anymore. We need a backbone in America, something that I believe we have lost. Lost because the only thing politician’s care about is getting reelected.

Although the past two things would help, that only is looking at the illegal immigrants coming over to the United States that do not have the intention of causing harm. The drug cartel is the most significant issue that plagues our boarders, and to solve this I would say that we decriminalize marijuana. By doing this then they would be smuggling in drugs that truly cause harm (i.e. cocaine, heroin, etc.) it would not only help our government when concerned with taxes but it would also throw fire on a wild fire, the drug cartels that is.

Having contact with other racial, and ethnic groups is obviously important, not even a question if you ask me. If everyone in the world had a Muslim friend then I personally believe that the animosity toward the Middle Eastern world would be less severe. The United States as a whole is considered to be a melting pot because were so diverse. Although this is true, it doesn’t necessarily mean that different races interact with each other on a daily basis. If you look at geographical locations, neighborhoods specifically then you will find that we, as a society, gravitate to people similar to us. Whether it is a language barrier, heritage, or simply the color of our skin, people normally communicate to others that relate to them. This idea of contact shifting our view about how we see others is true to everything that we do. It reminds me of my mother saying you never can “judge a book by its cover.” Our country seems to judge other cultures and in a sense compare it to ours. My personal belief is that this is the wrong way to approach the way of determining your fundamental beliefs about people different when compared to you. Most people see Black or White people on a daily basis, but people of the Middle East are not as common within many areas of America. This makes it hard to socialize/get to know them, but it should be a step of becoming a more rounded individual that everyone should seek. I find it comical, and sad that people of my peers, supposedly educated people, on this blog are so amazed with this idea. Basically stating that interacting with other people will help us understand them better. It is amazing how much people live in their own little boxes to me and I think that those people that are so unfamiliar with this elementary idea are not going to make it in life. I have friends from many different places. Making it an inactivate to try to get as many sides to the story that I can, creates a drive in me to try to understand different religions, cultures, etc. Professor Sam seems to have this same drive/ determination. This is why I have so much respect for him, because how could you really teach a race relations class if you are unfamiliar with other races to the extent that you know the histories of each better than most people within those actual races. In summary I agree with Professor Sam that contact with people other than the ones you are familiar with is the key to getting the best understanding possible. Therefore everyone should take an extra step out of their box.

Based on their appearances I would say that these people come from different backgrounds. I would also say that there is a difference based on age, for example Professor Sam’s wife has a different type of peer than the students shown, this could be a possible explanation for her different attire. I was always taught by my parents to never judge a person, whether its race, their attire, no matter what. I know that many people judge people not only by race but their attire. Those people are not going to write a blog on here, or if they do then they are going to lie to not be considered deviant. There are many people in society, like Professor Sam said, that have preconceptions about other races internally within each other. This has been shown through various studies, and even seen personally by myself by various individuals. The two females smiled, which I thought was interesting because no males did this, I’m not sure if this was planned or not. Even if it was it still made things more interesting, and probably led to better conversation in this blog on world in conversation. To me this question is not relevant because I do not look at a person’s attire and come to any conclusions about who they are. I think that society looks at the attire of people and comes to a conclusion about who they are a lot. This sometimes is allowable; say within a business setting like an interview. If you go to a big time interview and show up in shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt then that is unacceptable and should be considered. However when you look at this video shown one should not come to a determination about the individual’s inner self strictly by looking at their clothing. It is a sad thing to do and people in society do it a lot, but I hate how this video makes it seem like white people are the only people doing this. All races do and this is needed to be addressed. When people base their determinations merely on appearance then they are unintelligent and non-cultured. Some people it is their fault, and others it stemmed from their parents/ their environment in which they were raised. It is sad to see that, however it happens more than we think. Racial identity is not important to me, however I believe that society has placed stigmas upon different races, which vary culture to culture. When I look at people I am not concerned with race. This allows me to remain free from judgment, which in my mind is the key to being a well-rounded individual. As a crime law and justice major I am very familiar with the different statistical criminological data that varies by race. African American’s and Native American’s are disproportionately represented compared to their percentage within the general population in various crimes; this is why I believe many people associate these races with criminal behaviors being a norm. Like I previously stated, I am not concerned with the race of another individual. Never having been concerned with race was instilled in me at a young age. My parents both taught me to treat every single person the same and this is a teaching that has been practiced by myself ever since. Many people, even friends of mine, of all races, preconceptions have stemmed from society. Who is to blame? That question is too hard to answer, because it boils down to people at an individual level. Although I do believe that mass media plays a role, our education system, and first and foremost our parents are all critical in how we view different races, even our own. An example of this is the lack of attention shown toward not only African American neighborhoods, but to the Native American reservations, when weighed against the amount of stories of White individuals. There are many examples in which I believe that our media shows a bias toward

There was a video shown in class today that featured three people, two males, one Black one White, and a White female. Being watched by a television crew secretively, each individual was put in an almost identical scenario. The scenario consisted of them all separately trying to break a bike lock in what seemed to be a park. The White individual for the most part was ignored; the good-looking white girl was actually assisted in stealing the bike, while the Black male was almost immediately stopped for questioning. This behavior although seemed racist, is not as clear as it may have looked. After a group of Black women walked by the White male stealing the bike, without questioning him at all, were pulled aside an interviewed about their action, or lack there of. These women all seemed to unanimously say that they didn’t think twice, simply because the person was White. Was this an act of racism on their own race, most likely not. However it does lead me to believe that there are not only stereotypes associated with different races, but also there are also subconscious decisions based upon these stereotypes. We may or may not be aware of our actions that are directly affected by preconceived notions, which I believe is the case here. These individuals did not seem to be members of the local KKK, but instead they most likely gave the benefit of the doubt to the white male. Maybe based on previous experiences and or stereotypes. I would like to note that the Black male did make it more obvious that he was stealing the bike as opposed to the White male, although this cannot be attributed in totality to the actions observed. Many of the people that were quick to stop the Black male were interviewed afterwards. They were all asked if they would have done the same for the White male, they said they would, which some may have, but the majority probably would not. This goes to show that they do not view themselves as racist, which helps highlight the possibility of our subconscious controlling our actions more than we would like to believe, and admit. People often jump to conclusions about something being racist; however there are many times that this is unfair. Unfair in the sense that until we know most if not all factors then we are essentially unable to make a proper determination of if racism was truly at play. People in the class said this was racist, I however do not believe it was. Was it wrong, yes. But wrong and unfair are not automatically synonymous with racism. What we should take away from this video is the knowledge that us as a society should try to be aware of how we treat others, and most importantly treat everyone the same, no matter what color their skin is.

My answer to what events in my life have not actually been a result of free will would be my decision to where I would go to college. My whole family went to Penn State University, which helped guide me into selecting their alma mater as my future one. This is a prime example not because my whole family went there, but instead because my father currently works there. With his seventy-five percent discount it was a no-brainer to select Penn State. Free will was there but it would have come with restrictions if I had not chosen Penn State as my university. I would have had to pay at least fifty percent of my tuition, as well as a portion of housing. This limited my free will to an extent because who honestly wants to take loans out when being loan free is an option? Monetary gain was an extremely important part in my decision for college however it was not the only reason for which I had chosen this university. Another factor was that my family is from the area and that transition from high school to college would be easier if I could go home for a home cooked meal every now and again. I have a younger brother that is active in sports and without being close to home I would not be able to see him play. Sometimes it is easier to stay at home than to go somewhere else, this was true with my selection to college. Another factor, a small one at that, is that many of my friends were already at Penn State. Like I already stated, it was a small factor, although it was nice knowing that you would have friends before even starting. Many people have it way worse when it comes to selecting college. Free will was still possible with my decision, but like I said, it came with restrictions. Other people don’t have an option of taking a loan or being loan free. Many people are limited to one school because that is the only place in which they were accepted. These events of determinism verse free will were intertwined so much so that I cannot decide which one, if any, was more of the cause in me being here at Penn State University. Although we like to believe most of our decisions are free will, I think, as we get older we start to understand that they aren’t. After college people will start to have families of their own, this is when society shackles free will, because you are forced to care for not only yourself, but your family as well. My example of my decision choose Penn State was just a small example of many to come.

When presented with the statistical data of the differences in household income controlling for race is was not surprised. Whites, and Asians not only have a higher household income than Blacks, Hispanics, and Native American’s, but their gap is so large that some people believe that until things change from a sociological perspective that it is impossible to close the gap between races. From my personal experiences I am very fortunate, fortunate not only because of the financial benefits that I am associated with in my middle class family but also because my family is not broken. I decided to say not broken because I believed this was all encompassing to saying that I have both parents, no one is in jail, and everyone is well educated. With that being said and with the knowledge that this is not necessarily a norm within our society, I feel lucky. People that are more likely to have parents with low levels of education are far more likely to not college as opposed to if they had educated parents. Therefore education is important for not only ourselves but for others as well. The reason for me stating this is that Whites and Asians within the United States are more likely to get college degrees than Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Not only is there a problem because there are differences in people’s family structure but also because there is a major difference in urban v suburban schools. The way you are taught should not depend upon where you live, disregarding private schools, public schools should not vary like they do. If education were thought about more than the gap for household incomes would shrink, however it would not go away in totality. There are many reasons for the wide gap in household incomes, and I do not think I even know the half of them. However, as a person that has grown up in a suburban area my whole life I have branched out and became friends with all races. After living in my friend’s home for a few weeks in the projects in Albany, my world completely changed. You can get good grades in high school there, but then you need a scholarship, or you have to pay your way entirely through college. After you graduate you won’t have as good of connections as your Asian, and or White peers, which also sets Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans back. I only talked about education, but things like only being raised by one parent, how much money your parents make, even micro things can affect macro problems. What I am trying to say is that the gap between races is not surprising, and that it is not going to be easily shortened.