Both of these videos were really touching, I'd elaborate more, but I think I would just be repeating the words of previous posts in slightly different language. So instead I'll leave the forum with a poem that speaks to me just as deeply as these two videos just did. I was introduced to this my Dr. Christopher Uhl. I was a TA last semester for his Bi Sci 003 course, which is a type of Environmental Science course that teaches far more than "textbook science." As I understand, Sam and Chris are good friends, and I have to say that I see a lot of similarities between the two -- yet a world of differences. I want to leave you all with this, and sincerely encourage you to take Dr. Uhl's class in the Fall. If you appreciate this class at all, I'm confident that you can find something beautiful about Oriah's words:

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

I’m usually wary if this money issue, as well. You know why? Because of our government and the way that our society works. Ponzi schemes and stuff like that: how do we know what’s REALLY going on? And I agree that the best way to help is by physically lending your body, ambition, time and heart to worthwhile causes. While I do believe that donating money is helping in various important ways, I’m a selfish person and would much rather have the first-hand experience of helping people and making a difference than conveniently tossing money into a bag and assuming that it’s going to help a suffering person. That’s placing a little too much value on money, if you ask me. Money can’t buy everything – there are some things that can only be paid for with actions.

I agree that South Park is bound to provoke feelings of disgust with society, the media, etc. How can it not? With all of the people in the world and the diversity that they bring to the human race, it’s almost impossible to air something on television without it offending somebody – that’s just the way our society is today. Sad? Maybe, but nonetheless true. And I remember Sam saying something in a much earlier class that there is nothing that you can say that offends him. I completely respect this about him – it’s the whole “sticks and stones” thing. Things that other people say or do shouldn’t get to you because they clearly don’t understand your point of view.
That being said, I’m not saying that I support the political or religious provocation in South Park and similar shows, but there are some things in life that you just have to laugh about. I’m a full believer in the philosophy “You can’t take life too seriously.” However, some people may disagree…and that’s fine because that’s part of the mental capacity of human beings.

This is the kind of stuff that I find absolutely fascinating and intriguing about the human race – our sense of compassion and solidarity. The only thing unfortunate about it is that it takes a disaster or life-altering even to realize how to properly use it and discover its true power. Take Haiti, for instance. It seemed like the entire world was at war with one race/country/class or another, but when disaster struck in a country that has been of little value to anyone before, the entire world came together to help them. While the entire thing has been inspiring and empowering, you have to consider that it took a catastrophe to bring about this camaraderie in the first place. Why is this? I mean, there are a THOUSAND reasons why this is the case today, but when we step back and think about it – does it really have to be that way?

Reading this man’s letter brought back some memories that I have from my senior year of high school: some inmates from Rockview came to speak at an English class of mine about their experiences in prison – especially the emotional and mental transformations that they had gone through. These prisoners spoke about their maturity since their sentencing and how it has skyrocketed since committing their crimes (I vaguely remember armed robbery being mentioned). While their stories are undoubtedly different than this lifer’s experiences, I saw the same thing happening back in high school as I did reading this today. And I have to say that it has changed my perspective about inmates – and I guess you could say the entire human race in general. Now, I’m not saying that I would completely forgive these criminals for their actions or that they will all go through these same transformative experiences. But it’s unbelievably comforting to know that even these “scum of the Earth” citizens (not my opinion personally, just addressing a general stereotype) have the potential for compassion and generosity. And we're all human, aren't we? We make mistakes and have regrets. And just because some of us get caught and some don't, that doesn't negate our abilities to grow from them.

After hearing about these lifers from Laurie and Sam in a previous class, and reading this monologue today, I have to say that I would be honored to meet some of these intellectuals. I would feel accurate in saying that, in many ways, this formally uneducated man is smarter than I in many ways – many significant ways. This man has learned secrets to life that I could probably only hope to uncover in my lifetime. I can understand why Laurie and Sam would be so dedicated to exposing the citizens of the “outside world” to these men behind societal bars – they clearly have a lot to offer the world. I’m not sure if this is out of guilt for their less-than-respectful pasts, or if it is out of sheer desire to contribute positively to society…but they have undoubtedly touched my life in merely a few words and stories over a period of several weeks. And this thought just boggles my mind, because I never expected it.

I had to read over SEVERAL times the part where you said that you've met far too many girls who say that want someone who is "kind of a jerk". I was like -- what?? That's the reason that I've never dated anyone at Penn State before (in all of my 7 semester here)....all of the guys I've ever been attracted to turn out to be "kind of a jerk". I would NEVER want that. My boyfriend will show ME respect, have respect for my FAMILY, and be respectful towards all of the important people in my life. He should never expect anything less from me.

However, I do agree that this lack of sensitivity is very much a social standard that men feel the need to live up to. I think it's a problem. Men can get away with acting like jerks because, you know, "he's a guy, don't take anything too personally" kinds of excuses. But when women do the same thing, they're bitches. Just not fair. I think that for every female standard, there seems to be an equal and opposite male standard. It's sick...

I was actually REALLY shocked when people started commenting about the play saying things like "It was really interesting to see what the world would be like if the physical ideal was to be flat-chested." I was like...umm, the world IS like that. My reality has always been that being smaller-chested is better, mainly because the world of dance has always been such a big part of my life. As a well-endowed woman who has always wanted to be a dancer, I can't even IMAGINE why someone with a flat chest would go get implants or want bigger boobs. With every single magazine telling you that you need exercise and throwing around workout moves that make everything smaller, why would want to go and intentionally make something bigger? It’s just very counterintuitive to me. I've been holding a bit of a grudge against my chest since I started developing in 8th or 9th grade:

I've loved to dance since I was 6 years old...dance was my life growing up -- you couldn't stop me from dancing around the living room when I was little! But when I got older, it became more of a pain in the butt (or chest, rather) for me to dance because I always had to wear a really supportive bra underneath my leotard. And when my chest kept getting larger and I kept dancing, I noticed that I was the only one still taking ballet that actually had a chest. YOU try finding a professional ballerina larger than a small B cup! Seriously, try! It just doesn't happen. And to this day, I still truly believe that my dancing career never got off the ground because I had to quit under the pressure of the dance industry's strict body image standards. And I regret quitting every single day of my life now that I’m older, because I SHOULD have just said “screw the cultural norms” and continued to dance anyway. But when there’s so much working against you, it’s really hard not to throw up your hands and say “Okay, America. You win.”

That being said, I’ve gone through some really transforming experiences my last 3 years at Penn State, and I’m starting to become more comfortable with myself and my own skin. I can’t change it. My body is the way it is and it’s beautiful (at least, I feel like that MOST days.) And I’m accepting others as the way they are, too. I’ve been under a lot less stress since I’ve stopped obsessing over the fact that the tops of my thighs brush together sometimes when I walk, and that I can’t wear the cute pink polka-dotted bras because their straps are made out of dental floss.

QUESTION FOR ALL OF THE GUYS POSTING: I've read some posts that I assume to be written by males, and they seem very understanding and heartfelt -- like they agree that all women are beautiful and they don't think it's fair that females are subject to so much ridicule. This seems to go against the attitudes I see at Penn State. PLEASE TELL ME: what is the TRUTH about what you think about girls and their bodies?

I definitely understand where you're coming from -- it's really easy to go get something tailored to fit your body and have no problems. Getting the next size up in a prom dress to fit your chest and having it taken in everywhere else IS a great solution. But it's the whole idea that girls even have to DO that. I understand that there are SO many women in the world that it's impossible to create a line of jeans or dresses or tops that come in a handful of sizes that will fit EVERY single one of them. But when girls go shopping and the stuff on the racks don't fit them, it's a HUGE downer (I speak from experience...my chest is larger than average). It's like everything's getting smaller. The average cup size in America is now a 36C (compared to a 34B just 20 years ago) , and the fashion industry doesn't seem to get that -- sizes are still too small!

So while I commend you for being comfortable with your body and doing what you need to do to dress it properly, the fact is that this problem still exists, and it's really sad.

I agree. While I think that his heart is in the right place with this, giving them away isn’t the answer. The t-shirts are still out there somewhere. And it’s not even that fact that now someone else has t-shirt made by slaves. It’s the fact that he just gave them away and – I’m going to assume – didn’t say WHY he was giving them away. I doubt he said “Hey, do you want these t-shirts? I’m not going to use them anymore because I’ve decided that I am against clothes made in sweatshops and refuse to wear them anymore.” It was probably just like a normal cleaning-out-your-closet ritual. I’ll give him props on not buying any more slave-produced t-shirts, but I think he could have done a great thing by speaking up about it. And he just did now, so that’s a good start!!

A lot of people are saying that the next step is to do something about it – to help stop slavery, to support fair-trade business, etc. But I don’t think that this is feasible for a second step. EVENTUALLY, yes. It is absolutely a vital, and probably the most important step. But I think that the true second step is to gain knowledge. Many people just went through the first step yesterday – FEELING something. But before you can go out and conquer slavery, you need to know more about it. It doesn't end with chocolate -- you can't just assume that you know everything about slavery that goes on in the world just by watching this one video. Research everything. Where it happens, what causes it, what its goals are, what has the potential to end it, what it produces, and on and on. Only then, when you know the root of it, can you really and truly put a STOP to it. Knowledge without action may be dangerous, but action without knowledge is just plain stupid.

Okay, so you didn’t eat the second piece of chocolate. That’s great – I respect you for that. I appreciate the fact that you’re one of the human beings on this planet that has a heart and can feel compassion for others. But what about everything ELSE you ate in the past 24 hours? Did you check to make sure that none of it was produced by slaves? If you didn’t, then I would feel justified in calling you a hypocrite. It’s not just chocolate…It’s EVERYTHING. What about the clothes on your back? Do you know how the cotton was produced? I’m sorry, but I just think it’s insane that you’re so ashamed of the people who did eat the second piece of chocolate when – I’m just going to go out on a limb, here – you probably have eaten or worn or used or bought something that contained a product that was produced by slaves in the past 24 hours.

I’m not trying to brush off the fact that you did not, in fact, eat the second piece of chocolate. Like I said, it shows that your eyes are now open and you have some knowledge of these injustices. But you’re no better than the people who DID eat the second piece of chocolate if you haven’t been concerned with all of the other slave-produced products in your life.

Now you need to run with this knowledge. And I realize that this is harder than it seems. I’m not going to lie: I haven’t been paying particular attention to these things in my daily life, either. But I know that it’s not something that can’t be changed. For example, I only buy products that are certified animal cruelty-free. And I know that animals are animals and humans are humans, but I kind of think of it as the same thing. As a Sociologist, I’m almost certain that Sam would argue that animal rights are way different than human rights, for obvious reasons. But the anti-cruelty thing is something that I feel passionately about. It took a lot of research over the past year or so, but I’ve turned my life into a cruelty-free one (or as cruelty-free as it can be) fairly easily by learning about products that are made with animal byproducts, tested on animals, etc. I don’t buy cosmetics or personal hygiene products or cleaning products or clothing or anything like that that have inflicted any sort of pain on an animal. And my life isn’t drastically harder just because I have to shop around for these items – it’s no big deal to me anymore. And I SINCERELY believe that the same principles and the same concepts can be applied to this issue of slavery and forced labor in our society. All people have to do is muster up the courage and initiative to look into it. I can guarantee that I will be looking more into this fair-trade thing a lot more in the future and trying to correct it on my part.