I found those videos in Sam’s lecture to be very informative. I think it’s interesting how we always hear about radical terrorist groups from other countries and other religions, but never really focus on the corruption that goes on right here in America. Those types of groups are not talked about nearly as much as radical Muslims are. I think that there are always going to be extremists for every aspect of life. These people are a small portion of a larger group, yet unfortunately in a lot of instances they serve as the only representation of the group. We spent a long time discussing the idea of religion and extremists in my discussion group and I really enjoyed the conversation. It was nice and eye-opening to hear what people really thought about certain beliefs. Personally, I guess I would consider myself to be an atheist. I have my beliefs and my faith but none that I would align with any particular religion. I also tend to disagree with organized religion as a whole, because I believe that many people think they can pick and choose what to believe in. The bible, for example, has such harsh judgments and radical rules, such as not being allowed to eat meat on Fridays. A large problem I have with things like this is that people say they are of a certain religion, but pick and choose what they want to believe in. A lot of times this enables them to be hypocritical. I think that if you want to associate with an organized religion then you should have faith in all aspects of it. However, I think that the only people who actually believe this strongly are those extremists. I really liked when Sam talked about this two weeks ago dealing with people who believe that homosexuality is a sin and they base their reasoning for hating gay people off of the fact that the Bible says it’s wrong. I then liked how he made a list of all of the sins ranging from pre-marital sex to drunkenness and stated that he was totally fine with people telling homosexuals that they will be damned to hell for being gay, as long as those same people were standing outside the bars at 2 in the morning damning people who had drank to hell also. People think that they have the rights to pick and choose which parts of religion they want to believe in. I think that if you are going to say you associate with Christianity then you should associate with every aspect of it. Going back to the question dealing with radical groups, I think that it’s amazing how little I have heard about them. I didn’t even realize that they could be this prominent in the United States, yet we focus on radical groups from so far away and associate every civilian with them. I do not blame others for associating Americans with radical Christians, but I wish that that was not the case.

I really liked that Sam brought up the perspective of thinking about your daughter, mother, sister, or wife being raped. I think that it’s something that people do not even consider before they begin to speak. Personally, I am pro-choice and believe that every person should have the right to abortion. The government should not be able to tell people what they can and cannot do with their own bodies, especially when the case is rape. Rape is an extremely horrific and personal experience and therefore the decision to have an abortion or not shouldn’t be negotiated and determined by anybody but the victim of the rape. I cannot definitively say what I would do if I got raped because I do not know what my decision would be and nobody can know until they are unfortunately put in that situation. However, I can fully state that I would want to be able to make the decision myself. I have heard many stories of terrible instances where mothers cant even look at their children because they remind them of the trauma that they had to go through. Each circumstance is unique and therefore I do not understand how the government could try to make a universal law for something that is on such a case by case basis. While I do believe that everyone should have the right to have an abortion if they want to, I can understand why people disagree unless it is rape. I do not agree with the argument that if you choose to have sex and get pregnant then you shouldn’t be allowed to have an abortion, but I can understand why some people do feel that way. I cannot understand why people think this applies with rape victims. They did not choose to be raped. They should have the option to do whatever is in their best interest, and the best interest of the child.
I think that I have a stronger opinion on this because I am a female. While males can feel empathy and sympathy, they can never truly understand what a raped woman has gone through. It really bothers me that men think that they should be able to have a say in this scenario. It is not your body experiencing pain and changes and no matter how hard they try, males will never be able to relate on the same level as females. Ultimately, I believe every person should be entitled to do whatever they wish to their bodies. Like I said earlier, rape is a traumatic and personal experience. The decision to have an abortion should be personal as well, and the option should be there no matter what.

I would love to be able to say that prejudiced thoughts don’t immediately enter my mind when I look at someone, but that is completely unrealistic. I am not saying that I am prejudiced in a mean way, just that to say that I was not influenced by their looks would be a lie. Unfortunately, stereotypes are so common in our society that I think it is impossible to completely ignore them, especially when you don’t really know the person but are just gaining a first impression. That being said, there is an obvious difference between the two females and the males. I would think that either of them is much more approachable because they look friendlier and less intimidating. Furthermore, both of the females in the video have blonde hair and are dressed nicely. They are wearing more business casual clothing as opposed to sweatpants. Thus, they give of a more professional look whereas the boys wearing sweats do not. The next thing that I notice is that three of the guys were wearing hats. I feel like I would be more likely to approach one of the guys not wearing the hats. This is not to say that wearing a hat makes people unapproachable, but it is the way that they are wearing one in this video. It is not a mere baseball hat that indicates an athlete, but they look like snapbacks. Also, the combination of the hat plus the baggy clothes gives off a less approachable impression. This is not to say that I think that the people in this video are scary, I am just merely expressing who I would approach first if I was given an option to pick the order. Finally, the third aspect that I first think of when looking at them is that I would be the least likely to approach the two boys with headphones on. The hat and headphones together makes them seem like they do not want to be bothered and in return makes them unapproachable. I am fully aware that all of the reasons I just listed are purely stereotypes, but they still hold true. Everybody makes an impression immediately based on the way that we look and how we dress and present ourselves as a whole. I am sure that people judge me immediately when I walk into the room because it is human nature. People who look stereotypically scary become unavoidable and intimidating. I do not think by any means that people who have prejudice thoughts like this are racist. To me, everyone is somewhat prejudiced because of the stereotypes that have been planted in our heads our whole lives. I think that being prejudice is something that people can’t help no matter how much we try. It is being a racist and acting on these stereotypes with cruel intent that is unforgivable.

After class on Tuesday I had to think a lot more about owning the land that has been taken away from the Native Americans. I have never really personalized it to think that I could possibly be living on land that was once taken unjustly from them. With this mindset I try to reevaluate what I think is right and who the land should now belong to. It’s extremely difficult to believe that giving back the land is the fair thing to do because I am not the person who kicked them off. I am many generations removed from that situation and therefore shouldn’t be punished for something that my ancestors did. However, it is nearly impossible to sit in class and listen to the poverty stories, as well as watch the videos and not feel like you somehow are responsible. Even though this happened generations ago, it is still happening in some places today. I personally would never be able to knowingly own land where I knew that it had been taken away from the Native Americans in order for me to live there. It becomes complex because by giving back the land that was rightfully the Native Americans, it is taking that land away form me who has done nothing wrong by living there. I think that it was easier to think about both sides of this when Sam mentioned the example of owning a car. He said that your parents gave you a car and someone stole it, so now who has the right to own that car. When it was the first generation, myself versus the thief it was very easy to say that I should be the one to have rights to ownership of the car because it is mine. I also think that my kids should have the right to that car because they are only a second generation. I believe that I would want my future relatives to still have rights to the car indefinitely because it was originally mine and should stay in the family or who I choose to give it to. This is exactly how it is with the Native American Reservations. I’m sure that they feel that they indefinitely and eternally have the rights to that land. I don’t know how to ever solve this problem because both sides are going to always be conflicting.
On a different note, I found it interesting that someone in class took the perspective of saying that it didn’t belong to the Native Americans because of social Darwinism and because survival of the fittest. They said that the Native Americans shouldn’t have let the land be taken from them. I strongly disagree with this statement. They were massacred and had the land pried from them. The Native Americans were brutally killed and had no choice but to leave because of the White Man. They are not to share any blame for the fact that people killed them and forced them violently off their own property.

When I began to apply to college as a senior in high school, I had no idea where I wanted to go. The only factors that I really knew were that I wanted to go to a big “ra-ra” school, and that my parents said that if I went to a school that required a plane ride, I would only be coming home twice a year. I never really thought about this before, but that alone helped to shape my decision which caused me to end up at Penn State. I am from New Jersey, and I never even imagined applying to any colleges in the Midwest or extreme south. If I had been from a different part of the country, I may have ended up studying at a University in Kentucky or California. As senior year progressed and I got my acceptance letters back I began to tour more schools. I had also applied to NewHouse at Syracuse, and I was waitlisted. I did not want to wait until May or possibly even June to find out where I would be going to college, so I decided to make my decision after I toured Penn State. I do not know that I would have necessarily ended up here if I had gotten into Syracuse. Another factor is my GPA and SAT scores. I believe that my GPA had more to do with free will than determinism, but determinism definitely plays a role. I worked hard during high school and motivated myself to do well on tests and take school seriously so that I would have every opportunity to go to a college that I wanted to. However, I do understand that I was lucky enough to grow up in a wealthy town with parents who have money. We are by no means rich, but my parents have enough money to support both me and my brother and help us where we may need. For example, junior year I struggled with physics and my parents were able to afford to hire a tutor. If they had not had the money to do this, my grades would have suffered and in return my GPA would not have been as good. On the other hand, I believe that my SAT scores mostly have to do with determinism. My parents were able to afford to buy me the practice books and prep materials, as well as send me to classes once a week where I was taught how to pass the test to the best of my ability. Those whose parents are not able to do this have no chance of getting as high of a score as I did. Without my GPA and SAT scores, I would not have gotten into Penn State, which would have changed my entire future and college experience.

I was not really shocked when nobody responded to Sam’s question after he asked who in the class was rich. In general I have found that most people who have money are taught not to flaunt it in other people’s faces. In my home, my parents taught me to appreciate what we have and not take anything for granted, but to be modest. I am not by any means rich, but I am well off. For example, my parents bought me a new car for my seventeenth birthday when I got my license. Many of my friends got used cars. I was taught by my parents not to openly tell people that it was new because I didn’t want to sound spoiled or sound like I was bragging. Furthermore, I think that people in this class are shy to speak up about being really rich because there are so many people in the class who openly talk about being poor. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I had to pay my own way through college, let alone grasping the reality of the poverty of people in other countries like Haiti. I think that some students might be embarrassed to raise their hands and stand up and say that they have an extreme surplus of money while they could be sitting next to people who have so much less than them.

I think that people are taught not to talk about being rich or having a lot of money because it comes off as snobbish and rude. Society has determined that people who are considered to have class don’t openly talk about how much money they have. People don’t want to be around other people who act like that. One of my friends is extremely wealthy and has more money than her family knows what to do with. There are four daughters in that family and each of them has their own car and goes to college with out of state tuition. However, if you were ever to mention to Marissa that she’s rich she’ll always shake her head. I think that the main reason people don’t like to openly say yes, I have money is because of the guilt, especially after hearing stories of how some students in our class are paying their tuition on their own, some working 20 hours a week and in need of government funding. It would be intimidating to stand up and tell a fellow student who just told the entire class that they are pretty poor that I have more money than I know what to do with while they are struggling just to get an education and try to better themselves.

I do not believe that anybody should have the right to tell anyone else how to be themselves. By this I mean that in an ideal world people should not pass judgement and force others to feel like they have to conform to the social norm, whatever that may be. However, we do not live in an ideal world, and society has created trends and images of what is acceptable and what is not. In class, one female student said that it was her choice to shave her legs and armpits, and Sam responded that it was in no way her choice. This really made me think about how I dress and act and if that was my choice or not. I would love to believe that it is and that every decision I make is because I want to, but that is not true. Although I do want to shave my legs, it is not my choice to want to do that. Because of the way that I was raised and the American societal norms I think I want to shave my legs. However, I do not know how true this would be if I grew up in another culture. Regardless of how happy or confident I may be with a decision, it does not mean that I came to that conclusion by myself. Society has such a cruel and forceful way of shaping us to be similar. I find it disgusting that people thought it would be funny to take a picture of the Sikh woman merely to post rude comments. I find it amazing that she has that much faith and devotion in her religion and her culture to stay that true to it and not conform to American customs. I know that if I were in her position, I probably would not be able to be so devout. The aspect of this conversation that I find the most upsetting is that the opposite sex is the one driving our actions. One example that crossed my mind was the way that girls dress when they go out at night. Getting ready to go out can be like a competition between girls because they need to outdress each other in order to impress the boys. Guys are more inclined to want to talk to girls who are wearing tighter or sluttier dresses with their hair down, makeup done, and heels on, as opposed to a girl wearing jeans and a tee shirt. For the most part, I would rather lounge around in sweat pants and feel comfortable than have to put on heels and a dress in the middle of the winter, but I do it anyway, as do so many other girls, because society has said that if we want to go out and impress guys then we have to dress and act a certain way. I do not think that other people should hold so much influence over what we do, but the sad fact of the matter is that the world will probably never change. People are too insecure to be their true selves.

I think that hip-hop and music in general are a way of artistically getting out thoughts and emotions that we’re unable to just say. Therefore I think that using rap and hip-hop and talent to bring awareness to the world is smart and innovative. I think it is a way of making the issues hit home for people who relate better through music and artistic senses, and it is a way to broaden the scope of who understands and here’s about these issues. Through hip-hop, Omar Offendum can reach a broader spectrum of people who wouldn’t normally be paying close attention to these issues. For example, a student who is not involved or aware of the severity of the problems between the east and the west wouldn’t be paying particular attention to the many news articles and reportings surrounding the incidents, but they may become more attentive when they stumble upon lyrics that mean something to them. I think that using hip-hop is a great way to spread awareness. I also found it very interesting when Omar Offendum talked about how he got stuck in a difficult situation once his music got so big and got all the way back to Iran. He spoke about how he needed to be careful of what he said because his mother and sister still live there, and now his words and music can have a direct impact on their lives. This really resided with me and made me think about how easy we have it with free speech and the ability to bring up these crucial issues and express ourselves without fear that our words could harm a loved one. It’s crazy that Omar has to be so picky and careful with the exact words that he chooses to use because he doesn’t want to cause harm all the way over in Iran. However, I think it is amazing that his music has traveled so far, and that it has the capability of reaching so many people. I think that the way that Omar is using both of his cultures and backgrounds to reach so many people is extremely creative and effective. I think that it hits home on the conflict he has between being Iranian and American, especially the way that he incorporates Arabic into his songs. Although I don’t know what he is saying, I know that listening to the beats and emotions of another language shows a representation of someone who is torn between two very different and very conflicted ways of life. It was awesome that he was able to come to class and perform in front of us, talking a little bit about his music and how he uses it to express himself and bring about awareness. I think that in order to get the most awareness out about this issue, people need to use as many different forums as possible to relate to all different types of people who wouldn’t normally be in tune to the stories the news covers. I also think that hearing from people who have direct experience and relations is a much better source than the news, who only show clips that are skewed and in favor of the war.

I agree with Sam’s statement by saying that we need to stop ignoring our differences and pretending they don’t exist. People need to be proud of who they are and the history surrounding their culture. Instead of trying to pretend that there aren’t differences people should be more interested to learning more about the differences. If you know more and become familiar with other cultures then eventually these differences wont matter and people will just be people, regardless of the fact that they may be a different race, or have a physical disability. Furthermore, these differences in race or religion or culture are what make people who they are. By ignoring something because its different than what you are used to you will never truly get to know anybody who is not of the same exact background as you. For example, my cousin is a diabetic. She constantly has to check to make sure that she is eating the right types of food at the right times to make sure her blood sugar does not get too high or too low. When she was diagnosed years ago the first things we all had to do were learn about diabetes and understand what she was going through. We don’t treat Steph any differently aside from the medical part of it. It is such a natural part of her life now that it doesn’t phase me to hear her on the phone with her mom saying things like “I’m really high right now what should I do”. We have all become immune to the fact that before eating she has to prick her finger. However, we only got that way because my family spent so much time learning about diabetics and how to deal with it when Steph was diagnosed. Her having diabetes is not something that we could ignore. It is a medical concern and it is something that has really affected her life and shaped her into the person she is today. By not acknowledging the fact that she has a medical condition we wouldn’t fully understand her or anything she has to go through with her diabetes, not to mention the fact that since it is a medical issue we need to be educated incase anything goes wrong and she needs immediate care. To ignore the fact that Steph is a diabetic would be jeopardizing her life. That being said, it doesn’t need to consume her life either. We know she needs to test her blood sugar and we make it part of our routine. If everybody were to do this with race and religion and culture, I think there would be a chance that people could finally start treating everyone equally based on who they are, not what they look like or where they’ve come from.

I thought that class on Thursday was really effective in showing how hard it is in today’s age to be politically correct. So many different people from different backgrounds stood up and talked about how the term “colored people” really offended them, whereas other black students were not bothered by the comment. I also think that this discussion tied in really well to the fact that as a white person it is so easily to offend people. I don’t think that white people say things such as “colored people” because they are ignorant or don’t care about how this word might affect people of color, I think that it just happens because everybody prefers a different term. There is no way to please everybody of every background because so many people have different preferences. Furthermore, I think that there are so many awful things that have happened between races in history that go unconsidered. For example, the fact that Americans choose not to talk about what was done to the Native Americans, or the Japanese Containment camps. All of these issues involving political correctness are because of the horrible history and people are simply uneducated. I don’t think that this is because people are ignorant to other races, but merely because so much has happened that just does not get talked about at all in today’s society. As generations pass more and more becomes acceptable to openly discuss. For example, when Sam was talking about the word “queer” and how some gay people are not offended by it nowadays but they were in the past it reminded me of one of my uncles. He passed away before I was born because he had AIDS. However, up until I was 15 my cousins and I were told that Stephen died of Leukemia. We still to this day do not openly talk about the fact that he was gay with his mother, who is now in her late 70’s. My mom explained to me that the reason that we were lied to was because it was too hard on my aunt to continuously talk about Stephen being gay and contracting AIDS in the 80s. This is just one example of how issues constantly get swept under the rug because they are uncomfortable to talk about. I do not think that when the white girl responded and said “colored people” instead of “people of color” that she was trying in any way to be derogatory or offend anyone. I also don’t think she said it because she is ignorant, I think that people are just uneducated because so much of our history does not get openly talked about and people pretend certain things did not happen because they don’t want to face the reality. One thing I wondered though was if the Mary and Miriam would have reacted the same way if a person of color had used the term “colored people” instead of a white person.