I have taken many life lessons from the class. I think most of the things Sam talked about I subconsciously noticed, but never really took into account how they affected me personally. Things like affirmative action and how people benefit from lucky situations rather than working for things in life really have impacted my outlook on life. It's also very important that everyone gets to take part in talking during the class instead of it being 100% lecture. It really opens up opportunities for people to present their opinion to a large majority and express themselves.

Coming into the class I had a certain bias towards others. Not a racist bias, just a different way of looking at people who were not my race. I guess just like society, I fed into the stereotypes commonly associated with people of other races. Taking the course showed me how damaging these stereotypes can be to developing relationships with people of other races, and how the stereotypes themselves hurt others. The video about the little children selecting which dolls they would play with had a large impact on me in particular.

Despite the negativity brought up by some people about how racism and discrimination still exists in our society,I still believe that this discrimination is constantly vanishing and will soon disappear from our culture completely. With gay equality and rights being passed, and sexuality generally becoming a more open subject in today's culture, hopefully those of the up and coming generation latch onto the movement as well and don't grow up with negative stereotypes surrounding same-sex marriage.

All-in-all, there was too much information that I took from this class to be stated in one blog. There are so many things that can be learned from Sam just by sitting down and listening to him speak. What I really enjoyed is that he brings up things that no one else would openly talk about, and he does it in such a casual manner that everyone else feels a bit more comfortable talking about it as well. Taking this course has really opened up my mind to expressing opinions about material that a lot of people might find to be taboo.

On the subject of race, Sam has opened my eyes on many important topics as well. The experiment we talked about in class about job applications between black and white men with drug charges and without drug charges was particularly eye opening. It's truly amazing how much discrimination still exists in the corporate world, as could be seen with any analysis of employee hiring statistics.

I really enjoyed taking Soc119, and strongly encourage anyone who wants to learn more about the world they live in to take the class. You won't regret it.

Interracial dating/relationships really have a lot to do with the culture surrounding those in the relationship. If the culture is generally very accepting and open, it would be like any other relationship, perfectly normal and happy on both sides. However, in our society, I still think some people view interracial relationships as a bit strange. On the bright side, I believe that this outlook will soon vanish.

A big part of relationships today is introducing one's boyfriend/girlfriend to one's parents and vice versa. Looking at it from an older perspective, when they were growing up, they very rarely saw interracial relationships, if at all. Therefore, the concept that their son/daughter is having a relationship with someone of another race may bother them a bit. And even if it does not bother them, it may make them suddenly aware of what other family members might think. To be perfectly honest, my parents have told me they do not care about who I am friends with, who I date, or in the future, who I choose to marry. However, there are a few people in my family, aunts and uncles especially, who would have something to say if they did not approve of who I chose to date. I really don't take pride in this at all. It puts an unnecessary pressure on me to the point where my outlook on potential partners has been narrowed by a force I cannot control. However, like I said, we are growing up in a far more accepting environment. By the time we reach our parents' ages, society's perspective on this subject will be that any relationship, regardless of race or genders involved, is perfectly acceptable.

Whether we realize it or not, like Sam has said many times in class, who we date is not our free decision. It just isn't. We choose who we date based on how other people will see us and how the relationship will be perceived by others. So yes, we could definitely try and say that we want to date a specific person of a specific race or ethnicity, but it really wouldn't work out in the end because we don't weigh in on the decision as much as we think we do. Consciously, sure, we might think we chose who we decided to date. But subconsciously, we take into account what everyone else would silently think.

In conclusion, this sort of subconscious judging that goes on around us on a subject such as dating is very wrong. People should be able to date or have relationships with who they want and not be judged or looked at differently because of it. There's no reason to have to find someone who you like who also has to meet the societal standards of who you should date.

Stepping into the shoes of another person is something a lot of people think they can do, something a lot of people wish they did more often, but something very few people actually do. It is the ultimate tool for putting a situation into a certain perspective and allows us to understand things we might not usually want or be able to.

When attempting to understand beliefs or culture, it is extremely important to put everything in perspective. If we try to understand something that we do not believe in or disagree with, we are much more likely to disregard the opposing ideas and just go on with our own, without really attempting to gain potential knowledge. Society contributes excessively to this problem unfortunately, feeding the general public ideas and essentially communicating that only one way of thought is acceptable and is correct. This tend to leave people very ignorant and close minded, which is why we see such a lack of perspective in today's world. The United States is absolutely the most closed-minded society in the world. I believe that other cultures and countries are extremely more open to other's ideals and opinions. In the United States, much of the thought is directed towards 'This is my opinion and nothing you say or do can change the way I think, because the way I think is correct."

When we are given perspective, like Sam gave us in class on Thursday, we are able to make much more educated and informed decisions. When we were actually given real facts and real details about Muslim reaction to the 'religious crusade' that the United States was portraying the war as, we are able to start to realize why people reacted as they did. This is incredibly evident as well. Prior to the class, I'm sure plenty of people in the classroom were misinformed about the religious aspects of the war, but acted like they knew all the details because they heard about it through an American medium (media). However, at the end of the class, when Sam asked who would've joined the insurgence movement if we were in the same situation, people instantly emphasized with the Muslims and admitted they would've supported the cause. Such a dramatic example shows just how much putting things in perspective can help us make better decisions, or at least realize where other people's thought process comes from.

To conclude, I honestly think having any sort of class like the one of Thursday is incredibly important. Everyone needs to be given the opportunity to be presented all facts and details in a given situation before they can state they made a truly informed decision.

Latent prejudice unfortunately exists more than we think in our world today. Whether we realize it or not, it affects our daily life and will affect us throughout an entire life.

Consciously, we can say whatever we like, whether we believe ourselves or not. However, sometimes, our subconscious dictates decisions when we don't even realize our own reasoning behind it. This concept is hard to grasp for some people. How can we reason through a decision we are not actively thinking through? I have free will, so I make my own decisions and stand by them! Well, sometimes. Allow me to remind everyone about the job application test that Sam talked about in class. 2 men, one black and one white, with the exact same resume, apply for multiple jobs. In every single case, every trial, every instance, the white man was chosen more consistently than the black man. Now, if one were to approach any of the employees who hired one over the other, they probably wouldn't know what to say. When asked if they are racist/prejudiced, I doubt any of them would admit it or even think that they are. This is because they subconsciously believe that the white man is a better person to hire than the black man. And also, like Sam said, there are many reasons behind this. The employee's prejudice could be derived from misinformation, bad experiences in the past, or any number of things. What matters is that they did not choose to actively be prejudiced. Their subconscious dictated it.

What can we do about this? I honestly do not know the answer to this question. Is there any way to avoid making prejudiced decisions? Even if we do find a way, is there a way to avoid other people thinking a decision is prejudiced? For example, think back to the example i brought up before, in which there is a black man and white man applying for the same job. If the employer truly thinks that the black man is more qualified for the position, does the white man feel like this is a fair decision? He must think to himself that the employee hired the black man for a reason not related to qualifications or experience. So how does the employee explain this? Can he explain it? Does the black man feel he was treated the right way? Or does he think "oh, I got hired because the employee 'didn't want to seem racist". It truly turns into a never-ending cycle where one party feels cheated or judged unfairly. If possible, I really want to hear what Sam feels about this and how we can combat it, or if we can combat it at all.

First I'd like to draw the attention to the setting of the video. The video was shot in what seemed to be an upscale park area, not very close to a city, as the people present in the video were older Caucasian couples, aged around 30-50 years old. So in the first example, where the white teenager was 'stealing' the bike, he was surrounded by those of his own social class and his own race. I believe this alone causes people to make a decision, whether conscious or subconsciously, to avoid getting involved. They have an easier time walking past someone who they could familiarize themselves with and forgetting about what could be the reason behind the teenagers action. Also, a common stereotype in today's society is that black people commit more crime than white people. I'm sure some people blindly accept this as truth whether than realize that crime is committed an equal amount by almost all races.

In the next example, where the black teenager attempted to 'steal' the bike, again the large majority of people that walked by were older white couples. However, I noticed a common trend among the people who stopped to question the individual. Many times, the questioning was initiated by a much older couple, or what most of society would consider to be elderly. I estimate this age to be somewhere in between 50-65. Never once did another teenager come up to question the black teenager. It was always an older group that did. I believe this shows at least a little hope in that silent discrimination is slowly vanishing, or at least dwindling as time goes on and more people grow up in accepting environments.

How are people able to get away with this? Well, for one, there was no instance where the same couple was placed in both situations. What I mean is that there was not a time in which the same couple saw a white teen stealing a bike AND a black teen stealing a bike. Now if they reacted to one more significantly than the other, one could absolutely assume that that person is slightly racist, whether they want to admit it or not. However, when questioned about why a couple approached the black teen, they could escape the corner they were put in by responding "I would have approached anyone who looked like they were trying to steal a bike, regardless of race". Whether or not this is true may vary from person to person, but the data provided by the video certainly suggests that this is false. Some people may secretly discriminate towards those who are not their race, but we can never know for sure if they do it on purpose or not.

There's a lot of different opinions towards the saying 'Support our Troops'. Some people who endorse the war in Iraq like to think that supporting the troops also means supporting the war, which they like to think they do. However, some people see the deeper meaning of the saying. They know the struggles that the soldiers and troops endure in order to serve their country. They go through stress disorders, physical pain, incredible ordeals, literally hell and back to defend people they don't even know.

I truly believe that people don't honestly support our troops. True support doesn't mean sending care packages of material goods to Iraq to help them not be bored or try to occupy their minds with something other than combat. Truly supporting our troops means helping them through their ordeals by any means necessary. I believe those who support our troops the most are those who are in the army with them. I say this strictly because they know what their comrades are going through, and can relate to them and give them the help they need. How are we, people living in comfortable homes in a safe environment able to relate to a soldier risking his life doing ordinary tasks. We have no idea what the people we send to war ave going on in their heads, so how can we even THINK that we know how they felt if they were to commit suicide. Of course we have the right to be devastated and feel sorry for whomever it affected. By in no way do we have the right to say we try our best to keep these things from happening.

Is there anything the army itself can do? Possibly. There should (or maybe already are) be counselling programs available for veterans or current soldiers that have serious trauma problems or depression. There should be a withdraw program for people who have conditions that cannot be turned around overseas. The point is that there is much to be done for the soldiers who throw everything away for a cause they believe in. They don't want praise, or acknowledgement, or ego. They want peace, and they want to go home.

Will there ever be an end to all these violent means? Some people argue yes, some say no. Everyone is pretty sound on the fact that the next war might change the way we live due to the fact that nuclear weapons will probably be involved (that is if major countries are at war). So in that case, it would absolutely be best for everyone to just avoid war. Easier said than done. I truly believe that if everyone agreed to settle their differences in non-violent manners, the world would be a better place. It dumbfounds me why world leaders continue to send people to their deaths to fight for a cause they may or may not believe in. It's cowardly and flat out stupid. It makes you more enemies than friends, and hurts people that have no reason to be involved.

I think that people did not want to identify as being rich for a few reasons. One is definitely the stereotype of being rich. A lot of people have the notion that if someone is rich, they tend to flaunt it quite openly. Since admitting you are rich is kind of frowned upon in our society, no one wanted to come out and openly declare it, for fear of being marked or judged. People who are wealthy try not to talk about their wealth because it can be very insulting to the person they are talking to or might make them feel like they are being talked down to, kind of in an inferior way. People who are conscious of the feelings of those around them will not make them feel uncomfortable or unworthy by talking about how rich they are.

Another reason, however self-absorbed this may sound, is that if someone is identified as being rich, this might make them feel like they owe everyone else who is not as fortunate something, as if an apology for being rich. So if someone wants to avoid the thought that everyone around them expects something from the rich person, they will not declare it. Again, from what I've seen, people do not vocally declare that they are rich. Instead, they tend to show it. This can also be in many ways. The most common ways would be in material things, such as expensive cars, jewelry, clothes, accessories, or their house or houses.

Even though rich people won't talk about their wealth, they will talk about one thing: their job. This strikes me as odd, because almost everyone in the class came to the conclusion that having a very successful job came from knowing people and having the resources to succeed. I guess some rich people like to talk people through how they succeeded, but leaving some parts out, or parts that happened behind the scenes. Perhaps the rich person got lucky, such as a coworker giving them the best refferal instead of someone who worked just as hard. Like we said, there's absolutely some luck involved. Whether it be luck or good fortune, I think rich people definitely indulge and take pride in their path to getting rich.

I think people were generally put on the spot when they were called out to declare themselves as rich. No one wanted to flaunt it or be labeled. Everyone would rather sit back in their seat and let someone else do it for them. In a society that has people envying rich people for their material goods, it surprises me that no one wishes to stand up and be the person everyone says they want to admire.

First off, I'd like to defend the male perspective of this question with a thought about beauty. I personally do not think that men are the ones influencing the female populations image of beauty. Maybe indirectly, but I'll get to that later. I believe that the modelling society and beauty magazines are telling women what is attractive more than men. Anyone can watch the Victoria's Secret fashion show and say that the females on the runway are incredibly attractive. But that isn't men telling women what we want to look at. That's women seeing an image and wanting to replicate it. I personally do not think that many men tell their women how to look. The women dress a certain way that they would like men to perceive them. No single man is going around telling women they need to shave the hair on their body. Women do it because they believe a hairless body improves their image.

On the other hand, it is a two-way argument. Women can do whatever they want to their bodies, but they can't get mad if men don't respond the way they want. Sure they can say they have the right to do what they want, such as not shave, but if men aren't attracted to that then that's all there is to it. In the end, most men are attracted to what they (and most of society) perceive as physical beauty, not an independent woman who doesn't shave her legs because she wants to express herself.

Another thing I want to touch on is what Sam said towards the end of class: how we have the illusion of being free when almost every decision we make is influenced from the outside. Life is essentially everyone else is pulling the strings for us. I personally disagree with us. No matter how small, every single person contributes to society's belief and outlook on life. Even if we are influenced by others, every small decision we make has influence on what other people think as well. Our decisions influence others as well, so we really do have an impact on ourselves and those around us.

To close, one more thing about beauty. Women have free will and their own right to do what they choose with their bodies. Whether it be dye their hair, wear certain clothing, get tattoos, or not shave is up to them. People may or may not look at them differently in a positive or negative light. Is it wrong that society has the largest influence on women's appearance? Maybe. Is it wrong that women choose to follow it regardless? Maybe. Do they have a choice? Not if they want to be viewed as beautiful, as most do. I think this is where the problem lies. There are very specific features of a woman that are viewed as attractive, but sadly, I don't think this image is changing very soon. And as very small contributions to society, there's not much individually that we can do to change this.

I think music in general has an incredible impact on the way society views things, whether it be to raise awareness on a certain subject or just to send a message in general. Take for example the 2 'We are the World' music videos. Of course they were done in different styles and for different reasons, but both send a clear message to the world about issues that the artists felt strongly about. The video for Africa done back in 1985 received 28 million views just on YouTube, while the recent We are the World for Haiti received over 100 million, and both numbers continue to climb. This just shows how many people can react to what people have to say through music and how strong a message it can send to a large population.

The same goes for Hip Hop artists trying to make an impact on what affects them personally or people who are close to them. For example, about a year ago there was a lot of talk in Congress about internet censorship. The site megaupload.com was taken down as an FBI case involving anti-piracy. In order to raise awareness on the subject, JayZ and Kanye West rapped a song about the government extending their reach to the internet, which they technically don't have official power over (yet). This video was uploaded to Youtube, and was quickly taken down due to copyright infringement. The scary thing is that YouTube didn't legally have the rights to do this. No legal action was taken.

So how does this all relate to music bridging the gap between the East and the West? With the right people sending the right message, music has a very big impact on the people that hear and and react. If enough big names got together to rap about conflict in the Middle East, there's no doubt that people would be interested in what they have to say. I think the real problem is finding people who are a big enough name that really want to support a cause that isn't their own. The world needs more people like Mr. Offendum who aren't as concerned with making money and promoting their own image, but rather rap for a greater cause and to support their loved ones back home.

Music, unlike paintings or photographs, has lyrics. The artist can directly convey their point to those listening, unlike people looking at a painting, which have to figure out what the artist is trying to communicate. Through past examples, it is very possible for people to be reached through the right form of music. With the right minds and people behind it, anyone can communicate about the issues rising from the East and the West.

I definitely can relate to what Sam is saying. If something is in your life so long that you can just move past it or become so familiar with it that it won't affect you, you just treat it as reality rather than something you have to deal with. As an example, think of the way your house, apartment, or dorm smells. You essentially live there, so the way it smells just becomes natural to you. When someone else enters your place of living, they might comment on how good or bad it smells, even if you don't even notice. But stay in that particular place for long enough, and you don't even notice.

Still, having an experience like this does not excuse you from discriminating against people with similar problems. I think since people have friends in wheelchairs or other common disabilities, they think they can treat anyone else who is in a wheelchair the same way they treat the person they know. However, this is not the case, and can lead to awkward confrontations. Like we addressed last week, one person's praise may be another's insult. We always have to be considerate of what we are saying, and who might be affected negatively by it.

I believe this trick might be a bit more difficult to pull of when dealing with someone confined to a wheelchair, but still with the same basic premise. First, when meeting someone in a wheelchair (much like entering a different smelling room), you must acknowledge mentally that it is in fact different. You don't say anything about it and carry on as if nothing has changed. Before long, that difference is no longer apparent to you. It becomes a normal and basic part of your reality, and instead of questioning it, you just accept it.

I think the entire problem with accomplishing this goal is stepping out of our comfort zone, which a lot of people are unwilling to do. For example, if someone was sitting next to a handicapped person in class, I can assume that their first instinct is not to make friends with them. Their first instinct is probably to do their best not to offend them. Furthermore, they figure that if they don't talk to them, they can't be offended right? This makes the situation uncomfortable to both parties. Just seeing a person in a wheelchair has caused the person next to them not want to speak, in fear of offending the person in the wheelchair. I think we all just have to expand our horizons and try our best to associate with people we otherwise might not want to, even if we are scared we might indirectly hurt them.