I am not gay, but I can only imagine how much of a life changing experience that coming out would be. I feel like it is a talk that people would play over and over in their heads. Those kinds of talks that are perfectly planned out, with each little detail and gesture envisioned. The amount of pressure to get that talk just right is probably enormous. I can only imagine how much extra weight there would be if I knew my parents wouldn’t approve at all. To what extent do you have to sacrifice being yourself, your true self, and being happy for your parent’s approval? In an extreme measure, perhaps the parents would kick their child out for being gay. I’m sure that these possibilities are weighted out and carefully thought of by anyone in that situation. Family is such an important and essential part of life. you never want to displease or disappoint someone in your family. You cant change yourself, you cant change that youre gay. In the case of disproving parents, I think that the timing of coming out and the manner of coming out is so much different than with accepting parents. Accepting parents are going to be a lot more comfortable and willing to learn about it. so to answer the question, of course it is going to be easier to come out if your parents are gay or ok with being gay. Maybe it would be different if the question was: if your parents smoke weed, would they be ok with you smoking weed? Perhaps even if they did, they would not want you to pick up on it because of negative side effects. When it comes to being gay, if your parents are gay then they will probably be the most accepting and understanding. In fact, if your parent is gay then of course they will be the most supportive, because they know that it is something you cant change, it is something you were born with. They can lend advice, tell stories and be there through difficult times. If your parents are straight, it is going to be more difficult because they cant relate or understand it. i could be I feel like I say this on every blog, but with each generation the acceptance level is only going to keep increasing. Socially, there have been a lot of improvements with people’s tolerance and understanding of homosexuality. Among young people, it is definitely more normal and not really a big deal. With older generations, like our parents and grandparents, it isn’t as normal and will be seen as a bigger deal. I plan on being a parent someday and if my child ends up being gay, I really hope that they will be able to be honest with me and that they will see me as their biggest supporter rather than anyone who would reject them.

Fear is a really powerful emotion. It blew my mind to see how kidnappings people in our class thought happened in the United States each year. The number is only around 100 but the majority of people thought it was thousands more than that. What a skeptical view of the world! I think Sam is right. I don’t believe that the world is all that bad. For the most part, I think people have a good heart and have good intentions. I was brought up to do the right thing, and I think most of my peers were too. When it comes down to it, I think that most people try to do the right thing and live their lives in a morally correct way. So why does everyone perceive the world as such a bad place? There are several factors that could go into that explanation, and I’m sure that for each individual, the reasoning is different. However, I think a large portion of anyone’s reason can be explained by the influence of the media. We live in a technology driven world and we have access to the media everywhere we go. Whether it is through the computer, cell phone, or television, we always know what is going on. With that being said, the stories on the news tend to make us think that murders and kidnappings happen much more frequently then they actually do. Because of the constant access to the media, that’s all we hear about. There was a question asked during class about whether or not you would allow your eight year old child to walk to school alone if it was half a mile away. Many people would not be comfortable with that. However the reality of your child getting kidnapped is so unlikely. It is more likely that he or she would get struck by lightning. There is so much cynicism, but how do we get people to change their mindset? It seems like one bad event causes any prior optimistic attitude to significantly diminish.
Something else Sam talked about was the minorities tend to be portrayed on the media. This is a huge problem that encourages racism. If all we’re used to seeing is minorities being talked about as criminals, we will eventually regard every minority as a criminal. With this mindset, people are going to fear all minorities. This is a big step backwards from where we want to go. Fear is a factor that stops a lot of people from doing things that they want to. There is a quote my mom always says to me: “what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” What kind of place could this world be if there wasn’t fear holding us back?

I think this statement is absolutely correct. Say the victim had been white and shooter was black. In that case, I think the shooter would have gone to jail without a question. It really upsets me to think about how drastically different outcomes of situations can be simply based on race. That is a thought that I have never had until this class. Being white or black, in theory, should not matter at all. A murder is an extreme circumstance, but when you white or black, skin color plays a huge factor in what the outcome is going to be. It trickles down from there. Big things like being granted a loan, getting a job, getting an interview based on if your name sounds black or white make big differences in peoples’ lives. As a white person, I never stopped to realize how advantageous my skin color was. When you hear about such a big story that deals with race, and what people have to encounter because of their race it is mind blowing. This story has gotten so much attention, and I think it should. It puts into perspective the injustices that occur regularly. Crimes and situations such as these, I think for me at least, tend to stem white guilt. I feel pretty upset and angry. I really can’t imagine the frustration and anger I would feel if I were black. People worry about a lot of things, many of which are legitimate things to be worried about. I think it is awful that people have the additional burden of their skin color to worry about during situations. I could commit the same crime as someone of a different race, and chances are my sentence would not be as bad as theirs simply because of my color. In 1981, Mauitania was the last country to abolish slavery. 1981! That is crazy. It is really interesting to investigate racial issues within the United States but to step out and try to look at it on a world level is nuts. How do we fix this? I feel discouraged when I hear news stories such as this one. I want to be able to make a change but I don’t really know how to go about doing so. I think some things within the justice system have to change. There is a big difference between technicalities of the law and the morality of people. The loopholes allow us to get away with things, but it doesn’t make them ok. These flaws deserve the attention to be fixed. I have said this in many blog posts, but I do want to reiterate the fact that this country has made huge strides in race issues, but it is clear that we have more to go.

A picture is worth a thousand words. However, to me, the one word that this photograph represents the most is progress. This photograph is an excellent depiction of the progress the United States has made in accepting homosexuality. I think this country has come a very long way and people are much more open and understanding towards the idea of homosexuality and homosexuals. This photo has gotten so much attention because of the military aspect. The traditional slogan has always been, “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” It is clear that we have deviated from this, which I think is great. Even ten years ago, many people wouldn’t have been comfortable with seeing this image. Although there is going to be some negativity, I think that the general acceptance is there. It is only going to keep getting better as time goes on. It is so important for people to feel comfortable within their own skin and be able to show who they are. If two people are in love then there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to show their affection. To me, this photo is a common reaction to finally seeing a loved one after a long duration of time. I don’t think it makes a difference whether it is a man and a woman, a woman and another woman, or a man and another man. I hate the argument that homosexuality has increased due to the fact that it’s a “fad” or a popular “choice”. I don’t think that this is the case at all. There were still many gay people fifty years ago; they just hid it because it wasn’t socially acceptable. Now that it is becoming increasingly more acceptable, people are coming out. I really don’t understand the people who refuse to accept homosexuality. It is a biological trait that people were born with. It is not a trend that will fade with time or go away. My mom hates how society is becoming more and more dependent on technology. In my eyes, there is no point in resisting it because regardless of how she feels, technology will always keep advancing. Rather than avoiding it, she needs to learn how to use it and embrace it. The world isn’t going to wait for her, so she is the one who needs to change her attitude. I feel like this is the same idea regarding people who don’t accept homosexuality. The sooner that these people can grasp the fact that it is their mindset has to change, rather than homosexuals, the world will be a better place. Fortunately, we are only going to continue to make positive strides. One day, this photo will be regarded as completely normal and it deserves to be.

Discrimination based on race is a huge issue. This has been an issue for an ongoing amount of time, probably as long as different races have existed. It is not fair or acceptable in any way. It makes me sad to think that someone of color could be equal in every single aspect to a white person, and will still be discriminated against based on his or her race. Sam demonstrated this in class when he compared two girls, one with a “white” name and one with a “black” name. When Sam confronted her about how this made her feel, she said “I guess I’ll just have to work harder”. It makes me wonder how other races will ever get ahead. Will there be a day when white supremacy doesn’t exist? The problem with prejudice is that it can’t be specifically targeted based on one aspect. It exists everywhere, in all locations, within all different races, and under many circumstances. We can judge races based on their speech, their clothes, their intellect, their physical features etc. When trying to combat discrimination, there are an overwhelming amount of factors to consider. I think a lot of judging comes from instinctual, impulsive thinking. When you actually take the time to sit down with someone and get to know who he or she is, race matters less and less. Harsh judgment, I think many times, seems to stem from a spontaneous train of though that we react to rather than cognitively think about. It is so crucial to be open- minded, but that isn’t something that people can necessarily change about themselves immediately. It takes a lot of practice and time to be able to change your own mindset. Furthermore, there has to be motivation to change one’s mindset. I think that when my generation starts to have kids, it is essential to preach equality and to not judge others based on physical features. It is clear that the United States has made huge strides in trying to combat discrimination. Laws can only do so much though. It has to be attitudes that change, and laws can’t do that. It is up to individuals to make this change and strive for this nation to be one of total equality. As a white female, I am lucky that I don’t have to encounter problems based on my name and skin color. I will never have to go into an interview wondering if being white will cause me not to get the job or the internship. This is not something I had really ever taken into consideration before. I get super nervous talking to employers as it is, I really can’t imagine additionally having to worry about my race. I hope that my generation will help alleviate these problems by passing down proper values to our kids.

I not quite sure what the life energy behind all of this is, but it is a question that I think about often. In my head, I always wrestle with the idea why am I here. Why is everyone else here? What is my purpose in life? I am not religious, but I don’t necessarily think that people exist just because. I’m not really sure what I think. People always talk about what a big place this world is. There are seven billion of us on Earth. That is overwhelming. When we watched the videos in class, that show Earth as just a tiny fraction of a tiny galaxy, it makes the world a LOT bigger. It puts things in perspective. We can’t just be here simply for the sake of existing, life is too wonderful and too much of a blessing for that to possibly be true, at least in my head. I like the idea of a God, and I find comfort in the idea of one. I think most people could agree that comfort is something we all want to have and is something that we need at certain points in our life. I am just a young person, and I have the love and support of my family and friends but I’m not guided. Sometimes I get extremely overwhelmed about what lies ahead. The future is a pretty nerve racking thing to think about when you don’t have a specific plan about you want to do in life. I’m here in college, getting a degree because that’s what society says to do. In times when this is too much to handle, I resort back to having faith that things will work out. I hope that there is some spirit that is going to guide me into what I am meant to do. This is what I mean when I talk about the comfort of religion. I think what steers me away from going to church and reading the Bible is the formality of it. I don’t like the “rules” of religion. Something else that instills doubt in me is the science behind it all. I believe that evolution is the reason that we have come to be what we are now. There’s more proof and validity in science. It is easier to believe in something that is more practical. Sam spoke about how the Bible is just a copy of a copy of a copy (many times repeated). I have to agree with that. It doesn’t make sense, and I don’t want to abide by the writings that probably were written down and edited by people who wanted power and control. At the end of the day, I have two opposing views of what this life energy is and what exactly its all about.

In class, Sam mentioned the idea that white people avoid conversations about race. I think the main reason white people tend to shy away from the topic of race is due to feeling uncomfortable and guilty. Throughout my schooling, from a young age up until senior year of high school we learned about history and slavery in our country. Every year, it was reinforced how mistreated slaves were. Even after slavery was abolished, African Americans still had to fight for rights that white automatically had. Learning about this struggle and how wrong this was has instilled a lot of guilt in white people. Not only is the feeling of guilt present, but also uncertainty. What I mean by this is that, when in the presence of a black person, there is an unsure feeling of what is or isn’t acceptable to say. We tend to refrain from saying anything in fear of saying something politically incorrect or offensive. I think there is a huge lack of communication between races in general and instead of confronting that, we choose to avoid it instead. This problem is not going to be fixed anytime soon unless there is a place for races to come together and be able to have open, honest conversations. At this point in time, I think that races would be open to this idea, and want to understand each other. One of the reasons I took this class was to learn more about what other people had to say. Everyone has a different perspective on issues, and it is important for us to hear them. I grew up in a prevalently white community and I was never exposed to different races. Personally, I look forward to meeting people of different backgrounds, and I am curious to hear what they have to say about things. I don’t feel uncomfortable. However, not everyone feels this way, and it is harder for them to embrace race. It is clear that compared to thirty years ago, we have come a very long way. White supremacy was not something that I thought about before that lecture, but clearly it has a huge place in our society. Sam mentioned products that make dark skin lighter, called “White Power”. This ties into another blog question Sam posted about natural features and what characteristics make us who we are. People each have unique physical features because of their ancestors. As a girl, I look in the mirror and am sometimes not happy with certain things. I never stop to think that the way I look and the physical traits I have are passed down from generations before me. If more people thought about it this way, maybe we would embrace ourselves more.

Sam constantly reiterates that racism in the United States has drastically improved throughout the years. With that in mind, I think the concept of interracial dating is much more accepted in today’s society than it used to be. However, it still amazes me how much race continues to impact people’s decisions and impressions. I am a white female and I would have no problem adopting a child outside of my race. I have nothing against interracial dating either. I come from a family of very open minded people and my parents are much more concerned with the personality and character of any guy I were to bring home rather than what his skin color would be. I thought it was really interesting to see the amount of people who were open to adopting a child of a different race. I think it would be great to raise a child with two different cultures in his or her life. The more open to different perspectives and ideas, the better. When the question was posed however, to physically choosing to have a baby of a different race through sperm injection, I hesitated to whether I would do that or not. I think I would want my child to have similar features to my husband if we were choosing a donor. The reason for this would be because of other people’s judgments. Walking around with a child who looked so much different from my husband would be difficult. The majority of people are going to assume that I had an affair, or think something other than what the actual circumstance was. I don’t understand why that is an issue. If my child was adopted, it would be much easier to explain that situation. For the sake of awkwardness for myself and my child, it would just be easier for physical characteristics to be similar. I wish that this wasn’t the case in society. I wonder about the origin of where these ideas come from. It’s sad that our society makes us feel this way and I hope that in the near future we can break through these stereotypes and misperceptions. This situation makes me want to find a solution to all of these problems and free the mothers of these innocent children from this pain. Personally, my best friend is dating a black person from New York, while here parents are okay with this her grandparents have major issues with this. I know it causes a lot of internal stress for her. Hopefully each generation will become more open to the idea of having a partner from a different culture. I truly hope that I can make a difference in helping this happen.

We came back to Penn State in August, anticipating another normal school year. I don’t think anyone could have imagined the roller coaster it turned out to be. Throughout the past few months, I’ve experienced a plethora of different emotions. The events that took place have certainly given me a lot to think about. I have learned a lot about judgment and about loyalty. I’ve heard a lot of people say, “if you don’t go here, then you don’t understand.” To outsiders, we are crazy students who seem to have a blind allegiance to Joe Paterno. That’s not really the case. In class, Sam asked if someone you loved committed a crime, would you sit behind them in court? The overwhelming response was yes. Even through the toughest time that this school has ever faced, we came together to defend the university we all love. It was at the candlelight vigil that I felt the strongest sense of family. I think it’s pretty incredible that there are over 40,000 students here from different places, backgrounds and cultures yet we can still find common ground in being loyal to our school. The media tore us apart, which would normally divide people. The mindset that the students had was to prove the public wrong and remind them about the great things that still exist at Penn State. There are always going to be ignorant people who judge this school because of one man. There isn’t much that one could do to change that. At the end of the day, we know what this school is all about and we will stay loyal to it. The media encouraged some of this ignorance. It’s so much easier to write a story about a fallen legend and focus on JoePa than to focus on Sandusky and the victims. I think the amount of news coverage overwhelmed us and opened up our eyes to the media’s flaws. Countless stations left out important details and were blatantly biased. The media can sway even the most objective of observers. It made me wonder about the other stories that get twisted. This is a huge part of our history, our university’s history the victims’ history. The recognition of that has helped us stick together. I have one year left of school. I am anticipating what the changes will be like for the rest of the semester and the upcoming school year. No matter what happens, I’ll always be proud of this university. However, I hope that our student body can keep rallying together to better this school. In doing so, we will prove that our student body is not worthy of being judged by one man. I have faith that we will be able to better the awareness of a sad issue that happens every day.

I think it is basic human nature to feel the need to belong and fit in with others. We are born and raised to be social beings. One way that people immediately bond with others is through finding commonalities, and an obvious trait that can be identified with one glance is race. It is definitely a comfort thing. Most people find reassurance in similarities. I grew up in a prominently white town and went to a small high school where there were only a handful of black people, and even less brown and Asian. Race wasn’t something that I really gave much thought to, because I was never forced to be fully aware of it. On my SAT’s or any other standardized test, I checked the “white” box without thinking. Now I wonder how different my life would have been had I grown up as a minority in my same town and high school. I constantly think about who I am and what makes me who I am, but never have I taken into account how my racial identity has affected me. One of my best friends here at Penn State is half Indian and half Sri Lankan. Growing up in a mostly white town, racial identity had a huge impact on her life. That is something I never had to really struggle with or figure out.
The biggest con to ethnic racial grouping is missing out on learning about other cultures and backgrounds and being exposed to true diversity. It is easy to get trapped in a bubble that you’re comfortable with and stay in that bubble rather than exploring other people that you’re completely different from. Nobody wants to be rejected, and sometimes its easier to stay within your own group that you know you fit in with, rather than taking the risk of completely standing out. I think it is so important to get out of the bubble and experience the world from other people’s perspectives and cultures. To me, that is the only way you can grow as a person. If you live your life only doing what you’re used to and comfortable with, you’ll never know what other things you could be missing. This kind of goes along the lines with a remark Sam made in class. He was talking about how liberals tend to only talk politics with other liberals and vice versa for conservatives. The only way to completely understand a certain issue is by looking at it through all perspectives. Even if, at the end of the day, you still believe what you had originally thought, it makes you that much more knowledgeable to see where other people are coming from and what their points are.