I found it interesting that the countries that are most oppressed sexually, as in terms of homosexuality and sexual exploration, have the most homosexual porn searches. It’s really obvious to me why this is like this. People always say when you’re raising kids not to be too strict or they will rebel and that’s what the people in these countries are clearly doing. In America, homosexuality is very accepted in comparison to other countries so it wasn’t surprising that we America’s porn searches were more about what we would consider “normal” porn searches. America is very open to the “freakier” things, experimenting in different kinds of ways, and of course homosexuality. Sometimes I even feel like being pro-gay is like a new and trendy thing. Not sure if that’s a good thing that we are making people’s sexuality into a trend, but it’s great that people can freely express themselves and be more open to more sexual topics and activities.
In countries where homosexuality is typically oppressed, people are most likely more curious about it – like why is homosexuality so bad? What is it like? So they search it and find out. I’m sure many of these people search it and are intrigued by it and know that they could never openly be gay, however, they can sit behind their computers and feel free to be who they are. I feel like even though the majority of searches for porn in these countries were homosexual, that does not mean that the majority of people in those countries are homosexual. I think a lot of it has to do with pure rebellion, curiosity, and just a change of pace.
For example, my mom hates tattoos, so next year I am getting a tattoo. I also spend about two hours every month looking at tattoo ideas…Not because I hate my mom or because I LOVE tattoos, because I don’t, but just because not being able to have something makes me want it more and makes me want to understand why I cannot have it. I just like the feeling of rebellion and I’m curious as to why some people are really into tattoos and their placement, while others think tattoos are unprofessional and trashy. I’m curious, just like the people in repressed countries.
In addition, I feel like porn is one of those things that is very objective and individualized. Some people are more open about porn than others; I’d imagine whatever country a person is in, if they are watching porn that would not be considered the “norm of porn” they probably would not publicize that they’re watching it to people. Basically, I think the major reason as to why the most sexually repressed countries have the most homosexual porn searches is simply because people are curious as to why they shouldn’t be gay or shouldn’t be watching it. People are naturally curious.

Although I won’t answer the question directly, I do feel that the statistics Sam talked about are true. Many girls do not experience orgasm because they are shy about it and it’s not as commonly talked about as the male orgasm. I’m guessing this is just because of our sexist history where it’s a “man’s world.” I think that one of the main reasons that women do not orgasm as much as men is because sex is usually more linked with an emotional connection for women, whereas men don’t really focus on that. With one might stands, there is no real emotional connection, so a woman probably won’t orgasm. In addition, being emotionally connected with another person also ties into being comfortable with them in general. If a girl just meets a guy and they hook up, she is going to be self-conscious and worrying about him judging her, so she won’t be able to really focus on pleasure at all. This worrying is like a mental-block. When a girl and a guy are in a relationship, it is a mutual understanding of acceptance, therefor they are more comfortable and not worrying or being self-conscious. Usually in relationships, women can stay more focused on enjoying sex without other externalities distracting them and hindering them from orgasm.
Guys don’t really worry as much about being judged when they’re having sex, because they just usually don’t – so they don’t have as much on their mind. The only thing on their mind is sex and just enjoying the sex, so obviously orgasm will be a lot easier. Women overthink things and also tie sex into other things, so it’s just not as simple. I personally think sex is always better in a relationship because you know that you are being respected and there is a mutual sense of wanting to be together – it’s just more comfortable and puts a woman’s mind at ease.
Think about it – you’re in bed with someone you just met and you like him, but you don’t really know how he feels. He could either: a) Like you and want to see you again b) want to have sex with you again or c) just want to have sex and never see you again. I can see these options running through a woman’s mind when it comes to one night stands. So how can she really focus on just enjoying the sex? She is wondering if the sex is connected to anything else. In addition, she’s wondering if this new person will like her body and her “techniques” and if he’ll be satisfied with what they do. She’s also probably worrying if she does something not “up to par,” it increases the chances that he won’t want to see her again. For a guy, the situation is more like “I want sex. And then I’ll think about the rest later, maybe.”

I need to start off by saying that I agree with the view that most countries and most peoples obtained land through conquering and although what our ancestors did to Native Americans is very wrong and nowhere near moral, it happens and it’s just part of life unfortunately. I would not be more inclined to feel bad for Tammy if she were Native America. I do feel bad for Tammy because of her situation though, to an extent. When people are born into a lower-income family and grow up in a trailer, it is definitely harder to make something of themselves than if they were brought up in a regular home.
Where I live, there are some areas where poverty is evident. A lot of people live in trailers and have very low-income jobs or no job at all. However, even so, I see some of the kids take control of their own lives by working hard and getting into college. It’s really admirable to see kids who live in trailers decide to say no to drugs and say yes to becoming something.
I feel like free will and determinism are huge factors in every situation. Tammy’s kids probably won’t be geniuses, but the fact that her older son has the realistic goal of community college is really admirable to me. My high school had a lot of poorer people and minorities that thought they would become rappers or basketball players and now they work at McDonalds and hang out at their parent’s home. They were not realistic. Tammy on the other hand is older and has some far-fetched goals, like becoming a school teacher. However, I still admire Tammy’s efforts for her family. Not many people would walk ten miles to work every single day while also being made fun of on the way. The fact that she is doing her best is what makes me have sympathy for her.
If Tammy were Native American, I would feel the same amount of sympathy for her because it doesn’t really matter if a person is black, white, Latino, or Native American – people always have a choice. It is just more difficult for some people, but there is always a choice.
I feel like some Native American may even have an advantage sometimes because everyone has a sense of sympathy for them because of history. I’ll never forget my half Native American friend who got a full ride to Penn State. I thought that was bullshit at first. But after listening in class I’m not so sure if it really is bullshit – maybe that’s the right thing to do. I really don’t know anymore. Regardless, my friend was also intelligent and a hard worker. So she used her free will to apply herself in high school and send an application to Penn State. She chose to make something of herself, and then Penn State helped her out because she initially helped herself.

In my eyes, there was definitely a difference between what “JasiriX” presented to us on Tuesday and what Sam presented to us on Thursday. I was completely uncomfortable on Tuesday and on Thursday I was not. Even though I do not feel "guilty" per se, I did get to thinking and questioning.
Sam Richards dedicates his time to learning statistics and facts and presenting them to people in a powerful way. When he spoke about the Native Americans, he presented what happened in history in a non-attacking way; he basically just told it like it is the way he normally does – he spoke to us in his normal tone and he wanted to hear what we thought, how we felt, and our ideas on why things are the way that they are.
I feel like I was much more likely to stop and think about what Sam was saying and reflect on the topic because of the way he presented the information.
When “JasiriX” began talking I was already disgusted because of the way he presented himself. He spoke extremely loudly and just shouted at us the entire time. I could not even understand what he was saying through the yelling and slang. I thought the entire way that he presented himself and the information was completely inappropriate. He was a guest in our class and he had the opportunity to really present what he needed to and he had half the class listening because they were into him as a rapper and half the class staring blankly at him like, “what the hell are you even saying?”
I don’t care if a person if white, black, brown, yellow, or purple – if he comes into a class screaming and acting that way there is no way that I can respect him or anything that he’s saying. I really wish he spoke in a way that I could comprehend because I’m sure some of his points were accurate. At one point he said the word, “blowed.” I feel like people will probably think I'm being racist, OF COURSE, but honestly I just personally don’t care what a person has to say if my first impression of them is that they are illiterate, whether they are or not. It has nothing to do with race.
I don’t know anything about “JasiriX” and I’m sure he is educated and knows some facts, but that does not matter – the way a person presents themselves and information to a room of 700 people in a college classroom matters.
I feel bad but I just couldn’t get myself to take him seriously even though I made an effort to. So that being said, the difference between Tuesday and Thursday was how the information was being presented. Both topics are similar – white people keeping down or hindering the progression of other races, and yet I took a lot more out of Sam’s lecture because of the way he presented himself and the material.

I feel like when a person is offered a job through a connection – whether it is a family/ friend connection or a network connection that a person obtained through college, it is not really a handout. Some things in life just aren’t really fair to everyone and that is just something we have to accept. The world will never have complete equal opportunity, even though it should.
I’m personally not really for affirmative action, but if I have a connection for a job or internship and I am offered a spot, I would definitely take it and I would not feel bad about it. At least that was my initial thought.
Then I put myself on the other side. If I know that I am qualified for a position and someone else gets chosen just because their uncle works there, not because they are qualified – I think I would be pretty upset. I guess I do not think it’s fair after all. Every situation like this, one needs to put themselves on the losing side, not the winning side. The winning side is easy.
Playing devil’s advocate with myself, I really do not know what I agree with anymore. Part of me think it’s about God’s Will and luck. And part of me thinks it’s unfair. Sometimes I feel like the opportunities people are given have to partially due to “luck” or just what God wants to happen. Taking this stance, if I or someone else takes a job that we are not qualified for, we would most likely get fired, replaced, or just quit. Right?
It’s definitely true what Sam said in one of his lectures; when we do something good or get something good, we say it is because of something in our own control, but when something bad happens or we do not get something we want, we blame it on outside factors. I feel like this definitely ties into affirmative action.
Another thing for me is when I think of affirmative action, I think of jobs and schools being forced to accept a certain number of black and brown people whether they are qualified or not – and this I do not agree with. I keep thinking of that girl who sued the University of Texas because she did not get into the school JUST because she was white and they needed to fill their black and brown quota. How is that fair?
Why do we even have to fill out our race on applications for schools and jobs? I don’t think we should because our skin color does not determine if we are qualified or if we are hard workers. That really just needs to be taken off of everything. That would be a good first step to equality.

Based on what we learned in class, I feel that America should stop giving Haiti aid. The aid that the United States is giving Haiti is less than the subsidies that we are in turn opposing on them. So how are we REALLY helping them? We are just tying them to the United States and hindering their progress. I feel that the United States government should stop giving aid, however, charity organizations should continue to help in other ways. It is great that organizations are dedicated to helping Haiti get on their feet and make Haitian peoples’ lives better by making them food, helping in hospitals, building homes and etc. That is the kind of aid that Haiti needs.
In addition, I feel like some kind of charity group should be dedicated to helping Haiti develop on a more political level as well; this way, they do not have to rely so much on other countries and can start having more control.
By the United States not giving Haiti Aid anymore, Haiti will be forced to provide for themselves and flourish as a nation. Those rice farmers that are suffering because the rice from the U.S. is cheaper and forced on them, will now have people buying their rice instead. If Haiti cannot have debts to the U.S. and not rely on the U.S., they will be off to a good start.
I was really shocked that the United States FORCES Haiti to take aid and to buy American rice, among other things I’m sure. By making them buy our rice, is benefitting US and I guess the people who are eating the rice. However, the Haitian rice farmers are not making any money. Perhaps the most eye opening part about the video segment was when the Haitians said that they want to get rid of the road so the Americans cannot get in. Maybe the Haitians just want to be independent from the United States’ “help.”
Of course millions of dollars is nothing to scoff at, but at the same time, we are charging them more millions than we are giving to them in aid – so in the end, are we helping ourselves more? I wonder what would happen if we found another country to sell our excess rice to (preferably a more developed one) and then just did not give any aid to Haiti. Then Haiti would technically be better off right? They won’t be charged millions of dollars by the United States anymore.
Like I said before, the charity groups helping Haiti and the not-for-profit type groups are fine – they are not hindering Haiti’s development and making them worse-off than they already are, they’re just helping them. More groups intervening with underdeveloped countries like Haiti would be so much more beneficial than our government aid for them.

In class, when I heard that skin whitening cream was the most popular beauty product, I was pretty shocked. The first thing I thought of was how I am always tanning in the summer and getting different tanning lotions to make my skin a little darker. Even though these methods of skin darkening are not permanent, I wish that they were. If I could tan in the summer and have my skin stay that tan forever, I would be happy about it. I would like to have tanner skin purely for aesthetics – not because I wish I was a different race or ethnicity. I am German, Irish, Czech, and Italian, so when I tan I do not get as dark as I’d like to. However, I do not sit there wishing that I was Spanish. I just like having a tan.
That being said, I feel like even though a lot of black people and darker skinned people use whitening cream, it is not because they want to be white – they simply like how whiter skin looks and they want that look. For example, black people who use this whitening cream are only changing their skin color. There are many other characteristics specific to black people that they are not getting plastic surgery to change (like the freaky Michael Jackson). They do not change their culture, the way they speak, the food they eat, or who they associate with – they are just lightening their skin. So wouldn’t one think that maybe that’s all they’re really doing, just lightening their skin because they like the appearance.
I feel like people are making a huge deal about skin whitening when it really is not that big of a deal. Playing devil’s advocate, I know in some Arab cultures, the lighter the skin a person has, the more respected they are in their culture – so I guess that could also be a reason for skin lightening but it does not necessarily have to be the only reason or the main reason for everyone. Who cares if people want their skin darker or lighter? It’s like when people have curly hair they are always straightening it with an iron and people who have straight hair are always wishing they could have curls; people just want to have what they do not have. Almost all pale white girls (and some guys) want to have tan skin. Look at it this way – we know how bad tanning beds are for us and how much it increases the possibility of cancer, and yet those tanning beds downtown are still always filled with pale white girls trying to get darker to “look good.” Why? Because they want to “look good” and that’s what they think looks good. To black people or darker people, whiter skin appears to be more appealing, even though I’m sure there are some health risks with bleach on skin.

I believe in God, so waking up and finding out that He does not exist would really crush me. I would honestly be devastated because God is such a huge part of my life – it is the center of almost everything. The belief that God is real is always helping me through life and all the obstacles that comes with it; it is what keeps me going day to day. Without God I would have to 100% believe in myself only and I don't think I could do that without feeling like God put me here for a reason. It's really depressing to say but I would feel like my life is completely worthless without God.

Every time I am in a bad or scary situation, I turn to the thought that God will keep me safe. Every time a person is taken away from me or comes into my life, my first thought is that God wanted them there or took them away for a reason. Literally every single aspect of everything in my life involves my belief in God in some way.

I feel like humans without God may just feel lost all the time. He gives humanity purpose. Without God I know that I personally would feel like nothing. I probably would not last for very long if something bad happened and I found out God was not real; there would be nothing to explain why things are happening and nothing to let me know everything will be okay/

God is the basis of a lot of people's lives because He gives them purpose. For example, a lot of older people who have lost everything - all their family, their friends, and their health - rely on religion and their belief in God to want to live. Churches usually have a high number of older people attending for this reason. They need to believe that even though their life on Earth is ending, they know that they will be happy in Heaven after they pass.

I feel like a lot of people who do not believe in God are just taking the easy way out. People who do not believe in God do not need to worry about going to Heaven or not and they don't need to worry about trying to be a good person as much as people who do believe in God. When I do good things, I am proud of myself but I am also happy because I know that I am making God proud and making Him see that I appreciate the amazing life He gave me.

Without God, a lot of people would lose hope and start acting out on themselves and on others. There would be more wars, more crime, more anger and just less peace in general.

I can understand how someone may say that a student at Pennsylvania State University would be considered “elite” and rich, however, I do not feel rich all the time. If someone asked me if I am rich right now, I would say no.
I would say that I am rich as a person. For example, I care about people, try hard in school, I’m a good sister and good friend, I’m a good daughter, and I feel like I have a bright future ahead of me for the most part. However, I am not rich in the general way of being considered rich. My parents are not paying my way for college – my mom and I are handling it together. I have a simple job downtown and only make $18 every two weeks – that’s not “rich.” I still have struggles paying for things like textbooks, which I mostly pay for on my own. Also, I do not have a car or MacBook – just a simple HP. I love my laptop but I can’t help but feel inferior sometimes when I know the majority of people around me have MacBooks and nice cars.
Money is a constant worry in the back of my mind. I worry about my tuition…What if something ever goes wrong with my loans? I won’t be coming back to Penn State. That’s probably my biggest fear. I look around at the majority of students here and I feel like they do not have to worry as much. They all seem to have rich parents who are paying for their tuition and textbooks and fancy clothes and cars and etc. It’s not that I want what they have, but I want the peace of mind that they have.
I’ll never forget last year, I visited my friends’ boyfriend’s house in Altoona, PA. His house was AMAZING - big, beautiful, and in a great neighborhood. Yet something about his personality made me not like him. He was not rich as a person. I was in awe of everything that he had and the fact that he would never have to worry about paying for anything. I consider him rich in a general sense and then poor as a person because I felt like he did not truly appreciate all that he has. He seemed to take things for granted like having peace of mind about money and a rich family was just how it is – but what he does not realize is that Penn State students just like him are not really JUST like him.
I guess one could say that from a poorer person’s perspective then I would be considered rich and I agree. I feel that being rich has both a double meaning as well as being relative to the person. To me, my friend’s boyfriend is rich and to a starving child in an impoverished country, I am rich. From my own perspective? I am very grateful for all that I have, but the day I never have to worry about money is the day that I will see myself as rich and be at peace about money. Until then, I'll always have that bit of stress on my mind.

I was really shocked at the amount of people who said that they would not join the army when asked in class. Are you kidding me? You reside in this country so you better be willing to defend it. Personally, I question if I should have joined the military at least twice a week. I feel very strongly that if a person lives somewhere they should without a doubt respect their military and what they do. If the military really needed me or whatever the case, I would be fine with joining and I would be very proud of it. I personally respect someone who served in the military their whole life even more than someone with a PhD.
Whether a person agrees with violence or not, joining the military is not about that – it is about defending America and its people; it is about defending this amazing country that we call home. And the exact same thing applies for other countries; if you live in that country, the military is fighting to protect you and your freedom, so there is not one good reason why you should not step up to the plate if you were needed.
I feel like some people do not think that they are strong enough or witty enough – and that could be an acceptable excuse in my eyes. Basically, saying that you are not worthy or good enough to join the military is okay. But just saying that you do not agree with military actions or that you do not feel like it is not acceptable. Each and every one of us is privileged to be living in America and going to college here. And the same things go for other countries as well; it is a privilege to be able to live where you live and have the freedoms (whatever they may be) that you have.
People should be lucky that their government is even giving them the option to not join the military. In history, there were plenty of drafts where young men HAD to join the military because of wars. Things are a lot better now and I feel like people should be willing to risk their lives for their country. Without the military the country that you live in would not be the way it is today. America in particular would not be this free and opportunistic country that it is today without people fighting for our freedom and for our protection.
I understand that some people are against any kind of fighting or violence, but without that violence, we probably would not have the same freedoms we have today. Unfortunately, not every country is “civil” and will sit down to talk. It has been a violent world ever since people came to be and if America just chooses not to be violent at all, then we will be letting Americans die instead of killing the enemy.