I really liked this class and I am very happy that I took it. It has been very informative and I feel like I learned a lot about race and inequality. One thing in particular that I took away from this class is how much of a head start I have in the world by being a white, male, college student. I never really thought about the advantage I have that I really didn’t earn. This was very interesting to me and made me wonder about the reasons for this inequality. Sam showing the wealth gaps between different races really opened my eyes to how far ahead white people are. I thought Sam’s explanation for affirmative action and why minorities, specifically black people are behind was very interesting. Sam’s outline the history of racism and discrimination toward black people really helped me understand the wealth gap and other inequality between races. Sam explaining how the gap could have been closed or close to closed after WWII with the G-I bills was very interesting. He said that if the black veterans got all the G-I bills they were entitled to, the races would be about equality economically. I never knew about that and it makes sense to me as one of the reasons for the wealth gap. This made me rethink some of my opinions on affirmative action and other programs to help people at a disadvantage. I used to think that people were solely responsible for what happens to them and what they make of their lives, but after taking this class I now realize that isn’t entirely true. I see now that here are forces beyond an individual’s control that cant negatively or positively affect their lives. I understand that it really isn’t fair that I have such an advantage over other people, but I am grateful for the advantage.
Another thing I really liked about this class was getting to hear the experiences and opinions of people that were different from me. I never really had much experience having a real conversation with someone of a different race or ethnicity, so that was really interesting to me. It was good to hear what people thought from a first hand account, rather than someone telling me what a particular group of people thinks. The clicker questions that were broken up into white people responding and then people of color responding were very interesting. I thought the Skype conversation with the guy in Iran was really interesting because his opinion of America and Americans was very different from how the media portrays Iran and Iranians. One thing that I will really take away from this class is that dialogues are important to get past racism and racial inequalities.

The lectures this week were both very interesting. I enjoyed both lectures and they really made me think about things differently. This semester and especially in the last few lectures, I have thought about issues and thing differently. My opinions on a lot of racial inequality issues have definitely changed since taking the class. I didn’t really have a good understanding of the reasons for racial inequality so my perspective was not well informed. Although I don’t always agree with Sam on every issue, I always listen to what he has to say because it is usually very interesting. Before taking the class, I never really understood how much of a head start white people have and specifically white men, over other race. The things Sam has shown in the lectures this semester really showed me how much of an advantage I have over other people as a White, American man. Thursday’s lecture in particular was very interesting to me because I never really saw how much of a male centered world we live in. The lecture on Thursday really opened my eyes to how many things are made for men and how the world really does center around men. It was interesting to see the subconscious things women do for men and how the world is sort of made for men. I thought all the examples Sam and Laurie gave about how women dress for men and do other things for men were very interesting. The examples of high heel shoes and wearing very little clothes when it’s cold out were interesting. I understand what Sam was saying about that it really is for men, as much as some women convince themselves that they want to do those things. I thought the discussion about the male gaze was also very interesting. The most interesting point made was about how every women dresses for the male gaze. Sam and Laurie said that women dress for men, either to attract them or deflect the male gaze. I though that point was very interesting and reaffirmed what Sam said that we live in a male centered world. These points really changed my perspective. I now notice that there are certain things that are made for men in the world. As a white man, I guess it’s good for me that we live in a male centered world although I think it is unfair. I think this is inequality isn’t good, but I’m not sure anything can be done about it. If any changes were to happen in the world they would have to be gradual and over a long period of time. The ideas that we have have been with us for a long time so changing them will take even longer.

I thought the video lecture was very interesting. At first I was a little apprehensive because of the title, “Christian Invaders.” I thought Sam was going to tear apart Christianity and America so I was a little worried at first. After he got going in the conversation, I realized that he wasn’t going to tear apart Christianity or America though. Sam’s explanation of the way we see Iraq vs. how Iraqis see Iraq was very eye opening. It really made me see things from another perspective. The way that he explained the Iraq conflict from the Iraqi perspective really made me think about things differently. I supported the Iraq War in the beginning of the war and America’s mission there. I didn’t really understand why the insurgency was happening and thought they were terrorists. After Sam’s explanation, I see that I was wrong. Putting myself in the shoes of the Iraqis while the war was happening. I could understand why some Iraqis would join the insurgency, based on their view of the conflict and how it affected them. I could see how a lot of Iraqis viewed the American Military as violent Christians the same way a lot of Americans view all Muslims as violent. From the media portrayals of Americans and the videos about the American Christians “crusade” to the Middle East, I could see why there was anti-American sentiment in Iraq. The metaphor Sam used comparing what America did in Iraq to China coming to America was very interesting. That really made me think about what I would do if I were in a similar situation to the Iraqis. Although this situation is not completely alike because America isn’t ruled by a evil dictator like Iraq was under Saddam, I can see the similarities. I could definitely see myself joining an insurgency if a similar situation happening in America. The video lecture we watched really affected the way I think about the Iraq conflict and now I think I have a better understanding of how the Iraqis see the war. Although I don’t support the insurgency in Iraq by any means, I can see part of the thought process behind why it is happening. I definitely have more empathy for Iraqis after Sam’s video lecture.

I thought the video lecture was very interesting. At first I was a little apprehensive because of the title, “Christian Invaders.” I thought Sam was going to tear apart Christianity and America so I was a little worried at first. After he got going in the conversation, I realized that he wasn’t going to tear apart Christianity or America though. Sam’s explanation of the way we see Iraq vs. how Iraqis see Iraq was very eye opening. It really made me see things from another perspective. The way that he explained the Iraq conflict from the Iraqi perspective really made me think about things differently. I supported the Iraq War in the beginning of the war and America’s mission there. I didn’t really understand why the insurgency was happening and thought they were terrorists. After Sam’s explanation, I see that I was wrong. Putting myself in the shoes of the Iraqis while the war was happening. I could understand why some Iraqis would join the insurgency, based on their view of the conflict and how it affected them. I could see how a lot of Iraqis viewed the American Military as violent Christians the same way a lot of Americans view all Muslims as violent. From the media portrayals of Americans and the videos about the American Christians “crusade” to the Middle East, I could see why there was anti-American sentiment in Iraq. The metaphor Sam used comparing what America did in Iraq to China coming to America was very interesting. That really made me think about what I would do if I were in a similar situation to the Iraqis. Although this situation is not completely alike because America isn’t ruled by a evil dictator like Iraq was under Saddam, I can see the similarities. I could definitely see myself joining an insurgency if a similar situation happening in America. The video lecture we watched really affected the way I think about the Iraq conflict and now I think I have a better understanding of how the Iraqis see the war. Although I don’t support the insurgency in Iraq by any means, I can see part of the thought process behind why it is happening. I definitely have more empathy for Iraqis after Sam’s video lecture.

The topic of immigration is a major issue in the United States. Many people support immigration and letting illegal immigrants stay in this country. Others are opposed to allowing illegal immigrants to stay here and consider them criminals. Both sides of this issue have different reasons for supporting or opposing immigration and illegal immigration. I think that the best solution to the illegal immigration problem would be to reform the legal process to enter the country and make it easier for people to come here legally. I think this would decrease the amount of illegal immigrants because it would be better to go through the legal immigration process. This would also help the economy because the workers would be documented and their income would be taxed. Personally I am not against illegal immigration because I think that the people that come here are hard workers. A lot of people say that they come to America and try to leech of the system, but there are plenty of Americans that do the same thing. I think that illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in this country because they work very hard and do a lot of the jobs that Americans don’t want. I thought the points raised in class were very interesting such as thinking about illegal immigration from the Native Americans’ perspective, and that hiring an illegal immigrant is similar to harboring a fugitive. Thinking about illegal immigration from the perspective of the Native Americans’ is something I had never really thought about. A lot of what people say against illegal immigration and what they are going to do to America is similar to what the first Europeans that came to America did to the Native Americans. What Sam said about every new race of people that get through the door of the America try shut the door behind them was really interesting. I was surprised that people that immigrated here would try to limit access to the country for other immigrants. The video showed in class about the guy yelling and calling illegal immigrants criminals was also interesting to me. Although I disagree with most of what he said, I thought the comparison of having an illegal immigrant work for you and having an escaped convict work for you was interesting. Although the government considers both illegal immigrants and escaped convicts criminals, you don’t get in trouble for having an illegal immigrant work for you. I thought this was interesting and I think that for the people that are against illegal immigration it is a topic worth examining. A lot of the people that say we should try to deport all the illegal immigrants don’t realize how many jobs they do for us.

I thought what we talking about in class about Asians being the model minority was very interesting. I never really realized that they are considered a model minority became they arent group into the problems that other minorities have. Although Asians are a minority, I feel like the majority of people dont see them or think about them the same way they do other minorities. I think that Black people and Hispanic people are lumped together a lot when talking about minorities and Asians arent, even though they are a minority. The stereotype that Asians are smart can be both a good and bad thing. It can be good because a lot of people would assume someone is smart just because they are Asian and that can benefit them. Its not necessarily a bad thing to have people assume your smart. I think a lot of people would prefer to be stereotyped as smart as opposed to stereotyped as dumb. This stereotype can also be bad because Asians might be held to a higher standard than most people because of the stereotype. Because Asians are widely believed to be very smart or mathematically gifted, when an Asian is just average it looks bad for them. An Asian of average intelligence might seem dumb because of the stereotype that they are all smart. This is unfair and is caused by the stereotype that all Asians are smart. Some Asians might feel like they have to meet he unreasonable expectation of being really smart if they are just average. I think there is unfair pressure on Asians to be smart because of the widely held stereotype. Another way the stereotype of Asians being smart can affect them negatively is the example Sam used in class about Jeremy Lin. Instead of attributing his basketball skills and athleticism to talent or practice, a lot of people said it was because he was smart and intellectually gifted. This was most likely because he is Asian and assumed to be smarter than most people. Its not fair for people to say the reason for his ability as a basketball player is his intelligence. For non Asians in the NBA, people give credit to their natural athletic ability or their hard work and determination, and for Jeremy Lin it was because he was smart. A lot of Asians only get credit for their smartness and arent expected to be good at sports or other non-academic things, which isnt fair or true. This is holding Asians to a higher standard than other people and expecting them to be smarter than most people, which isnt always true. Although the stereotype of a particular race being smart isnt necessarily negative, it can be because of the unfair expectations put upon them.

I though the class on misinformation was very interesting. Sam’s explanation that a lot of out beliefs are based off misinformation was very eye opening to me. It showed that a lot of people’s beliefs aren’t necessarily based in fact or are based on facts that aren’t true. I never really realized how much I though I knew but really didn’t know. I especially liked Sam’s example of parents fearing their child getting kidnapped going to school. I was really surprised to learn that there are very few kidnappings from the strangers every year. Most people’s fears that their child would be kidnapped walking to school weren’t really practical, because of the low number of stranger kidnappings. I thought this example was especially interesting because I have seen and heard of parents not wanting their kids to walk to school because they are scared of kidnappings. After learning these fears are based on misinformation and not fact, I would be more open to letting my kids walk to school. I think that these irrational fears and beliefs based on misinformation are becoming more and more prevalent in our society. This was shown when Sam said a lot more kids in the past got to school on their own as opposed to now, when a lot more parents are driving them. I think that the media plays a big part in misinformation and contributing to people’s beliefs that aren’t necessarily based in fact. The news makes it seem like a lot more violent major crimes are being committed that there actually are because these stories receive a lot of attention. I think a lot of people watch the news and get scarred because of the shocking news stories. When the news and the public focus on the really shocking crimes that aren’t very prevalent, it can seem like these crimes are happening all the time and people get scarred for their safety. Another statistic from class that I thought was interesting was when Sam said the best thing for a lost child to do was ask a stranger for help. This goes against almost every parents teaching of “don’t talk to strangers.” The belief that every stranger could hurt your child and teaching them to not talk to strangers every is another popular belief rooted in misinformation. Sam showed that is it safer for children to ask a stranger for help if they are lost than to not do anything. I also thought it was interesting that he said more children are hurt in accidents when they are lost, than by strangers. This just shows another example of a widely held belief that is rooted in misinformation instead of fact. After the classes learning about misinformation, I will try to base more of my beliefs on facts rather than the news or conventional wisdom.

Sam’s discussion on affirmative action was very interesting to me. I thought his explanation of the reasons for affirmative was good and it made me think about the issue from a different viewpoint. When Sam talked about the head start white people have over minorities reminded me of what we talked about in previous classes. Although I though what Sam had to say was interesting, I still disagree with affirmative action. I understand what Sam was talking about when he said that white people mostly control the resources and are on top; however, I don’t think affirmative action is the right way to fix this. I personally don’t think its fair for someone to be hired based on race or ethnicity rather than ability or experience. It’s not fair for a black person to get a job because they are black just like it’s not fair for a white person to get a job just because they are white. I don’t think hiring should have anything to do with race because race doesn’t determine someone’s qualifications for a job. I disagree with people that say that affirmative action is some kind of payback or reparations for slavery and oppression of black people in the past because I was not responsible for slavery nor were my ancestors. Not all white people in America have been here since the time of slavery nor were they all responsible for slavery, so I don’t think it’s fair that all white people should have to pay for slavery. I think that the majority of people in the United States agree that slavery was a terrible thing and I don’t think its right that all white people are blamed for it. I disagree with the idea that even though black people and other minorities try really hard and work hard, they can’t get out of poverty. I think this idea is an excuse and promotes a negative mindset of “it doesn’t matter what I do because I will always be poor.” I think that the right mindset and determination is very important for anyone that wants to get out of poverty in America. I think that if you work hard enough and make good life decisions, you will be able to get a good job and achieve your goals. I think that if affirmative action was to be eliminated, the hiring process would be more fair and equal. People would be hired based on ability and because they are the best person for the job. No one could say that someone was hired just because they are a minority because they would be no affirmative action. I don’t think affirmative action is fair and that everyone, regardless of race, should have to work for the job they have.

I thought that the previous two lectures on race and wealth were very interesting. I never really saw how big the divide is between different races and their average income. I thought how Sam had the people from each racial group come up to demonstrate the divide between races was very interesting. I never really saw it as White people and Asians having such a head start over Black people and Hispanics. I always though with hard work anyone can be rich, but know I see that a Black or Hispanic person will probably never be as rich as a White or Asian, regardless of hard work, because of the head start that the White and Asian people have.

I think that no one in the class indentified themselves as rich for two main reasons. The first reason I believe no one identified as rich is that people’s definitions of rich are different. Personally I know that my family isn’t poor, but I don’t consider myself rich. I know there are a lot of people with a lot more money than me so I don’t see myself as being rich. I think very few people consider themselves rich because there are so many people that have more money than them. Without a clear definition of what rich is, it is hard to say who is rich and who isn’t. Compared to people in third world countries, I am rich, but compared to multi-billionaires in America I am definitely not rich. This is like what Sam said in class about looking down rather than looking up. Compared to really poor parts of the world with extreme poverty, everyone in class is rich. Depending on your personal definition of rich, you could either be really rich (compared to people in extreme poverty) or really poor (compared to the super rich).
Another reason that people may not have identified themselves as rich is because they could be self-conscious about it. Even if there were someone in class that considers themselves rich, they probably wouldn’t stand up and admit it because people in the class might judge them. A lot of people tend to judge the rich and are jealous of them. This is unfair because just because someone is rich doesn’t make them a bad person. I think a lot of people think just because someone is rich or considers themselves rich, they are spoiled. This is not always the case and is an unfair assumption. I think a lot of rich people would think it is bad taste to announce yourself as rich because it is saying that you have more than someone else and people may take offense to that. To say who is rich and who isn’t mostly depends on the definition of rich being used or what each individual considers rich.

The guessing game exercise that was demonstrated in class was very interesting to me. It showed me that you can’t accurately tell someone’s race just by looking at them. It showed that race can’t be guess based on appearances. The exercise was very interesting and showed that you can’t judge a book by its cover. I was actually very surprised that people guessed the races of the participants so inaccurately. I thought that most of the races would be able to be guessing, but I was wrong. The exercise really showed me that there isn’t a way to tell where someone is from just by looking at them. I tried to guess the races of the people to myself the first time the exercise was done and I guessed the races mostly incorrectly as well. It showed me making assumptions about someone’s ethnicity or race just based on their appearance is not only wrong, but also not correct. There isn’t one “Chinese look” for example. The exercise showed me that not all Asian looking people are from China or all Hispanic looking people are from Mexico for example. The exercise was a good demonstration that people could be from the same country and not necessarily look a like. For example there were several students that were Chinese. They didn’t look exactly a like to me and I would not have guessed that they were both Chinese. Another interesting thing the exercise showed was that people could have different racial backgrounds mixed and it’s hard to distinguish the mix based on appearance. The exercise was definitely an eye opening experience and showed me to not make racial assumptions based on appearance.