SOC 119 has been such an amazing experience for me this semester. It was actually one of the classes that I enjoyed going to and actually got excited to go to.
I have taken away many different things from this class but I must say that the two classes that were my favorite were the Native American class and the Middle Eastern class. In the Native American class, so many issued facing the Native Americans were brought to my attention that I had had no clue of before. It amazed me how much struggle and hardship these people go through on a daily basis. The number of suicide, drug, and alcohol users in their community astonished me. I could not believe that we as a people had neglected the first people of our land in such a horrible way. We should be ashamed of what we did.
In the Islam/ Middle Eastern class, it really changed my viewpoint on why so many people from that region are not too fond of Americans. It really did make sense to me. They see us as greedy Christians who are trying to convert all of them and take all of their oil while we are over there. The video of all of the killings and how the army men ran over the cab driver’s car was despicable. You really never can tell what other people are thinking or going through unless you make sense of it and put yourself in other people’s shoes.
That is a lesson that resounded in the SOC119 classroom. Don’t be ignorant. Take the time to learn about other people and their culture and their way of life and their entire being. You cannot judge others or seem like you know everything about someone from a foreign land if you do not let go of yourself, take a risk, and immerse yourself in their life. Sam has spread so much knowledge about travelling around the entire world and meeting a great deal of people. As he screamed in class, “You don’t know these people. I know these people. I shared a meal with these people. These people are my friends.” We cannot allow ourselves to become superficial and think that we know everything about everyone. We should be excited that we do not know everything and go out to seek the knowledge we need to better understand each other. Once we do this, society as a whole can advance and become more united.
SOC 119 has been such a learning experience not only in the classroom, but mostly in the fact that you take the ideas thrown out in class and challenge yourself and your thinking outside of the classroom. The knowledge that I have gained will continue to stretch my thinking on these hard-hitting issues and help me evolve into a more cultural, diverse person.

Whenever I think about the possibility of killing someone else, I always think about the times that I myself would be threatened and would kill someone in self-defense or if my family were being threatened and it would be my only way of saving them. However, if these instances do not pertain to this question, I would say that I would be able to kill someone if they were a major threat to the society that I live in. If someone was such a problem to the stability of the place that I was living in, I would have the drive to kill them. An example of this would be Hitler. He was trying to eliminate an entire race of people which seems insane and preposterous. He was trying to create a “perfect world” in his own eyes and alter the society around him. I would feel insecure and unsafe, leading to drive to kill him. I think that when people feel the world around them is changing in such a drastic way like that, you can either cower in fear or take the anger you feel towards that threat and stand up for what you believe. You have to eliminate the problem one way or another.
I thought it was very interesting in class how it was mentioned that it is very easy to kill someone logistically and that most people get caught when disposing the body. This is very true. However, emotionally, killing someone is a whole other story. Taking the life of another human being is so inhuman to me I get sick just thinking about it. However, if someone chooses to act in such a way that is not viewed as human, I believe that you have to look at the situation in a different light. If people choose to kill hundreds of people or mistreat others in a way that is entirely unjust, why should they get to enjoy the opportunity of human life?
And although I say that I would kill someone in these certain circumstances, I cannot imagine what my mind or body would be going through in the moment that I actually had to pull the trigger. As also said in class, very few people have the ability to kill someone without any emotion whatsoever. I would be hysterically crying if I had to look at the dead face of the person that I just shot. I also thought it was interesting that it was even hard for soldiers to kill people while in battle. It is intriguing that they would purposefully shoot over the target so as to not kill them. They then had to put human targets at basic training so people would get used to shooting the human figure.

I know a lot of people have a hard time putting themselves in other people’s situations. I think a lot of this has to do with the type of people we surround ourselves with. If you choose to be around the same exact people all of the time, it will be harder for you to look at life in a different perspective because you will only know if through your lenses and the lenses of your friends and family.
To me, diversity is essential. Diversity is something that must be valued, which in turn means creating an environment that respects and includes differences, that recognizes the unique contributions these individuals can make, and utilizing these differences to maximize everyone’s potential. If everyone on a service trip was exactly the same, everyone would receive an identical experience. How is that beneficial to the group? I always think back to my times on service trips when dealing with a very diverse group. A major point of going on a service trip is to hear other people’s thoughts and understand what others get out of service that differs from your own. Hearing other people’s thoughts provokes ideas that you yourself would never have thought of. This is when reflecting on service comes full circle and when you gain insight which otherwise would be unattainable. Personally, this is my favorite part of service learning trips. Opening up and learning more about the people who are performing acts of service with you is thrilling and exciting. Connecting with a diverse group through one common goal, to serve others, is such a powerful experience. Although it may sound cheesy, I can honestly say that I have become a better person and learned so much about myself through going Urban Service Experience and Alternative Spring Break service trips.
I know at times, I myself find it hard to see the world in a different light because I always think that I am right. And I know that I have misconceptions about other races in the worlds beside my own. In general, I see the world in through the lenses of a white, upper middle class female.
This topic makes me think back to Tammy’s Story and how many people look at here and think she is just a lazy person who irresponsibly had a family who she could not support. But if you take a step back and look at her whole entire situation then you would realize there are many different factors to take into consideration. We should all try and be a little more open to putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes because when we do not, we tend to judge and shoot people down in a negative way. This is unfair and unjust.

In class when we watched the video of Jorge distributing food to the homeless people out on the street, I thought it was amazing how much he truly cared about these people. He was doing these things from the bottom of his heart and without expecting anything in return. I definitely think he was acting in a way of Jesus when completing these tasks. I think a lot of people forget that an act of kindness had not one but two parts that go into it. The first part is the act itself. It must benefit others in a moral and genuine way. The second part is the motive for doing the act. If you are not doing an act of kindness for the right reasons then you are not truly acting the way that Jesus would act. Jesus taught his followers, healed the lepers, blind, and sick, and gave God’s grace to people in a selfless way and simply because he loved all of God’s children. In the same way, Jorge did these acts of food and drink distribution to help out his fellow brothers and sisters simply because he knew what they were going through. He did not do it for attention or to impress anyone. One thing from the video that really stuck out to me was when his mother was talking about when they were struggling to find food and shelter and were going through a lot of hardships similar to the people on the street that they were helping. In the video, she said that we need to help these people because it is such a terrible feeling having to go to bed hungry and that no one else should ever feel that way. It goes to show that understanding where people are coming from or the situations that people are going through can really make a difference in how you view a certain circumstance.
Would Jorge and his family have the heart and vigor to help out these homeless people every single night if they themselves did not go through the same exact struggles? I guess we really do not know but I am sure that because they went through these same situations, it enhanced their motive to care and supply food and drink for them.
It is definitely inspiring and humbling to see a man who is not in a substantially wealthy family to give what he has to these people in need. It Is funny to think that richer people hesitate to give or donate their belongings to people who are in more need than they are when Jorge gives something to these homeless people every day. He does not even think about it, he says. He just does it because it has to be done. It really makes me think about all the times I was selfish and bought things that I did not need or did not give money away that other people needed more than me. I guess we should always think that someone has it worse than us. I hate when I complain about the littlest, most stupid things when other have far more on their plate that they are trying to handle. It really just puts life into perspective for me.

This question could not have fit more perfectly with the program that I did this weekend. This weekend, a group of forty students, including myself went to the Bald Eagle Bed and Breakfast to participate in a program affiliated with the Student Activities office, GELE. GELE stands for the Global Engagement Leadership Experience and it was definitely one of the best experiences I have had while being a student at Penn State. Throughout the weekend, we were immersed with other students from all different walks of life; half of who were from the United States and half of who were international students.
This was the first time I really felt like I could talk about the pressing issues with socializing with people from other parts of the world that I am from. It was so eye opening and amazing. Things that I had no clue were so different than in the United States were brought to my attention and realized.
To start off the weekend, we did an exercise about being comfortable with your own culture then going to a different place with a completely different culture. When I had to go to the place with a culture completely different from mine, I was so confused, a little intimidated, and frustrated that I did not know or could not understand this new culture that was surrounding me. I related it back to how international students at Penn State must feel and it was interesting to take a step back and put myself into their shoes for a change. I realized that I cannot be mad or upset with someone from a different country for not knowing things that I think are obvious about American culture. They simply may not know.
The following day we continued to learn about different leaders from different backgrounds but how they all have commonalities. We can always find commonalities even in our differences. The last day of the weekend, facilitators from World in Conversation actually came in to do a discussion group activity with us all. This by far was my favorite activity of the weekend and definitely had the most impact on me.
In my group, we had a wide array and mix of people from all over. Within the conversation, we hit on a variety of topics including where we had come from, our family traits and traditions, and how that has helped mold who we are now. One thing that stuck out to me was when one girl in my group talked about how it is okay that we define each other based on our differences but it is a problem when these differences are noticed in a negative light. We must all united with one another and not look down upon people who are different from us.

After seeing this man in class, I think that he is approachable but by no means the most inviting person. I am a very social person and rarely have any trouble approaching various types of people. I actually thrive on meeting people from different backgrounds and types of lifestyle. However, it would be a little intimidating to approach this man because we are from very different walks of life and you never know how someone is going to react to you, especially if you are far different from that person. I am a nineteen year old white female with blonde hair and pretty normal interests and beliefs. I have no problem with the fact that he is a black male but what is off-setting is his hair style, baggy clothes, and how he was wearing headphones. The fact that he is wearing headphones is probably the biggest issue for deeming him unapproachable. I just feel like he is conveying the message that he would rather tune out and listen to some of his music than spend time listening to me talk and for us to get to know one another.
His appearance is definitely far different from mine which I guess I just connect with us having different interests and commonalities. He may not be interested in talking to me or approaching me because we do not have anything in common and would not have much to talk about. However, I would not rule out approaching him simply because he is a black man with dreads and I think that he is scary or going to hurt me. I feel like a lot of people nowadays judge people solely on image and make up their minds on whether or not they are going to interact with someone on that first judgment. I think the action of judging someone is sort of inevitable. Even if you do not want to judge someone chances are you are going to do it anyway. It is just human nature to have an opinion on someone. However, we need to do a better job of not acting solely on this first impression, myself included. We should let our actual interaction with someone determine what we truly think of them. Let the people themselves prove your theory on them right or wrong. I feel like a lot of people miss out on the opportunity to make some amazing people by judging them and having that thought be the final thought they will ever have on that person. We should be more open to meeting people and getting to know who they truly are. A simple hello can strike up an amazing conversation. And who knows, maybe that person could be your best friend, future husband, future wife, or just the person you were looking for.

After doing the “Whose land is it” lecture in class, it really opened my eyes to the struggles and hardships brought upon the Native Americans. I had no clue of the staggering numbers of Native Americans who were in poverty, who were addicted to drugs and alcohol, or who had taken their own lives through suicide.
While doing the exercise in class, I realized that it is equally unfair to take away something from someone. I would hate if I owned my house and then one day someone random came up to me and took everything that I own. That would be so unjust and terrible. Even if it was someone’s children or grandchildren, it really did not make a difference to me.
The issue that really hit home for me was the increasing number of suicides happening on the reservations. Just this past year, my cousin took his own life because his mother, who was diagnosed with cervical palsy, had passed away. Distressed with the emotional sorrow of his situation, he turned to drugs to try to ease the pain. Instead of helping with his situation, his use of drugs only made it worse. Causing even more turmoil in his life, he could no longer bear the pain and stress of life. His decision to take his own life brings me back to the way Native Americans are taking their own lives because of the terrible living conditions.
It is disgusting to me to think that the people who started their unique culture and started their families on their homeland are now forced to live on run down reservations and live in shambles. This land which was forcefully taken from there is now called our “homeland.” It is such a shame that we have to have our homeland be a plot of land that we disrespectfully took from the Native Americans. It was not their fault at all. It is rightfully theirs and I wish it could be given back to them with no repercussions.
Although the Native Americans had their homeland taken away from them and were massacred by the army of the United States, they still remain a people rich in spirit, and alive in their way of life. I truly believe that we can learn so much from this indigenous people if only we were given the chance or take all of the present opportunities to do so. When the member of the Leech Lake community came into our class to speak, it had such a big impact on me. His prayer for all of us was so beautiful and gentle; I felt a certain spirit fill the room. I felt his words even though I did not know exactly what he was saying. It was something that I will never forget.

When we were watching the video of Tammy and her family’s financial situation, it really impacted me in a personal way. This past Spring Break, I went on the Alternative Spring Break Trip through Penn State’s Student Activities office. We went to the city of Brenton in the Appalachia region of West Virginia and helped out at an organization called the Appalachia Service Project. Through this trip, we helped with home construction and repairs at various locations. The area that we stayed in was exactly what was shown in the video of Tammy and her family. It transported me back to the mountain region where my team members and I were getting our hands dirty in trying to construct a porch for a family in need. Other teams on our trip were working on fixing someone’s roof, fixing the piping in a bathroom, and tearing down walls to relay the foundation for a home. It was truly a humbling experience to be in such a poverty-stricken area. The culture in Brenton, West Virginia is so much different than what I, and I am sure what a lot of people at Penn State, are used to. Along this trip, I realized that these people are stuck, in a sense, in this type of living. It is really hard to go against the norm if you were never taught anything else.
Tammy said herself that she grew up in a poor family with though living conditions. How is she supposed to know any better than how she was raised? I know I would not be the same person I am today if I grew up in a different household. Tammy is only doing what she knows how to do. Another factor about her being in the financial situation she is in is her lack of education. Education has so much to do with how successful people are. What is someone to do if they really do try in school or really have that itch to learn but the schooling system is subpar? You are not going to get much out of school if the people instructing you do not do their job.
Although these are big factors into Tammy’s situation, I would not leave out the aspects that I feel are parts of her own doing, or not-doing. She mentioned about being on welfare for a while, which could have been avoided and she could have used that time to be working and possibly moving up in a company. She mentioned that she wants to go to college. I wonder how much she is actually doing to make this happen. I am sure there are a lot of scholarships out there for her. She should also be motivating her kids to be successful in life and not bring them down.

In class, as we were discussing the differences in financial standings of different races, Sam asked the class if someone who was rich could raise their hand and com up to the front. As soon as the question was asked, no one seemed to want to come forward and be known as “the rich kid.” Why would someone not feel comfortable being associated with this title? Were they afraid others would judge them or did they not want to be seen as a stuck-up brat who goes around flaunting the fact that they have massive amounts of money.
In today’s society, being identified as rich can have very negative connotations associated with it. In general, everyone wants money. Who would not want that blanket of security or a little taste of carefree living where you do not have to worry about living from pay check to pay check? We envy what we do not have. I think for a lot of people they have a certain jealousy or animosity toward those who are rich because very few people are.
Growing up, I came from a very well-off family. I never had to stress about how my family was going to pay for school, for our food, or for our clothes. I was very fortunate to get pretty much everything that I asked for. I have definitely come to find how much have taken for granted the older I get. It is weird to see videos and pictures of people living in such poverty while I have a nice, comfortable house to live in and go to such an amazing university. As a kid, I never thought that people lived like that. It is such a humbling realization to know about the different financial standing of the world.
Even in high school, people knew that I came from a rather wealthy household and would make comments about it from time to time. It really got annoying to be identified with the amount of money I had rather than just identifying me as by my personality and interests. That is another reason people do not like to be identified as rich. I felt like people were labeling me and thought I was better than them in a sense. No one wants to be an outcast in any sense. We all want to fit in with the people we hang out with.
Money is such an interesting thing. I can turn people into greedy, conniving individuals who forget about others around them. In today’s world, money can do so many good things but it is sad to say that we are aware of the many bad things as well. This emphasis on the bad is what makes people shy away from being known as rich. Money has the potential to rebuild a dying community but it also has the power to disconnect us from each other and cause communities to die. As a people, we must choose how to use our money and not judge each other on the amount that we have. A common misconception about money is that the more you have, the harder you work. As said in class, most of it has to do with the availability of resources.

In class, a very interesting topic came up: Why do most men think it is okay to say that women cannot allow their natural body hair to grow? Before it was brought up, I never really thought about it that much. As a woman, it was just kind of expected and non-negotiable to be cleanly shaven at all times. Where has this mentality come from? I should not have the mindset that I need to look a certain way to be visually appealing to a man. But the sad part is, this is what our world has accepted as the social norm.
If you want to shave your legs because you yourself like the feel of freshly shaved legs or simply feel more comfortable in your body with parts of it shaven, more power to you. Shave wherever you want. But isn’t it funny that there is probably that little voice in the back of your head telling you that if you do not shave, you will not get that guy’s attention or you will not be seen as beautiful. Weird, isn’t it?
Extending from simply just shaving our legs, faces, and anywhere else seen fit on the body, nowadays women are expected to “dress like a lady” and “act like a lady.” Who specifically deemed what it means to live like a lady as opposed to a man? As humans, we should individually conclude how to live our lives. Forget about the social norms, peer pressure, or the concept of popularity. It is not like you are going to die if you break outside of the mold.
Saying all of these words sounds great and all but to be honest, I caught myself thinking about if what I am doing is “cool” or not sometimes. When I first saw the picture of the Ohio State University student who did not look like the typical girl, I judged her and was asking myself why on earth she would not shave her facial hair. However, as Sam read more about her reasoning and how happy she was to stay true to herself, it made sense. This is not to say that I am going to stop shaving because this girl is comfortable with it. But it has taught to not look at things in one perspective because you may not know exactly what is going on.
I find it hard to understand why men have created a certain standard for women in this day and age. And why do we as women fold under the pressure as to uphold this standard. In my eyes, the women who stand up and be the individual they want to be are more of a woman than any of the other girls who cake on makeup and wear tight mini-skirts. It takes strength to go against the norm and as a man, I would seek out these women instead. We should celebrate the strong, independent women who do not need to conform to social norms to be seen as beautiful.