I don’t think that there is anything wrong with thinking that you have a better chance at changing things than the people in these developing countries have because of the simple fact that you as an American have more opportunities to do so. The resources that you have the ability to use are not available for people of these other countries. I don’t think that that is racist in any way, I simply feel that that is one of the advantages of living in the United States. Why do you think so many people from other countries want to come to America? It is the land of opportunity. So there ya go. Don’t worry about being racist.

Ok, let me start by saying that the video that was made about this lecture was amazing. Whoever is responsible for putting all of that together and cutting and editing to make it as controversial as possible did a great job and really encompassed what was going on in every student’s head throughout the lecture. Great job. Now, as for what needs to be discussed in regards to this video and the lecture itself, I was amazed in the way that Sam was able to flip my perspective and really make me feel that I was in their shoes. By doing so, I was forced to examine what we as Americans are doing and how others see us. While sitting in the Muslims’ shoes, I was able to understand exactly what Sam was talking about and I guess I understood the feelings toward us that the Muslims have. Pretty crazy stuff.
Out of all the different aspects of that lecture, I thought that the videos were the most mind blowing. The Jihad video that was shown was something that sent chills down my spine and made me see the carnage that is going on because of both of our feelings toward each other. Although that video was probably the most powerful of all the videos shown during the lecture, I believe that it was shown before Sam asked us to put ourselves in their shoes so it did not hit me personally as hard as the videos like Sarah Palin at church did. Those videos were the videos that really made me quiver when looking at things in the other party’s perspective. It was scary to think about the things that are going through their minds when they see Americans speaking publicly at church about how we are on a mission from god. Many people say that the Muslims are sent on a mission similar to the one that is falsely expressed in that video and I don’t personally feel that that is legitimate in any way. I don’t think that I would ever be able to kill someone unless they are physically trying to kill me or any member of my family. God could not force me to do something of that nature in any other circumstance. So seeing that video and thinking of how others perceive what is going on scares me unbelievably.
Finally, to answer the question that was asked in the beginning of the question, did that lecture open my eyes and give me the ability to understand what others think of us, absolutely. In fact, I think that if you weren’t touched in any way after that lecture you didn’t pay attention or care enough about learning about what is going on. That lecture was the most powerful lecture of the entire semester and I am extremely glad I was there for it.

I think that you bring up a number of good points in your question to the class. I personally was shocked at the way that Sam made me feel about our actions and how others see us. It was amazing to me that when you sit in someone else’s, perspective is flipped completely and you can be viewed as the bad guy even if you didn’t initially feel that way. When thinking about whether or not we can co exit, I think that it is possible, but I also feel that as you said, it is a dog eat dog world out there and only the strong survive. If we are going to be looked at as evil and countries are going to want to kill us, I think that we have the right to protect ourselves and our families.

To be as general and generic as possible, I think that when looking at the grand scheme of things, I think that the overall goal is to just stimulate thought and hopefully some of it sticks causing people to understand slightly. This class is a perfect example of that. Sam continues to say throughout the semester that he doesn’t want to hurt feelings, he just wants to make you think. Videos like the ones we’ve been watching such as the chocolate harvesting are put in place to open people’s eyes and evaluate what we do every day. We as Americans can do pretty much what we want, it is up to you personally to decide what is right and wrong and what you want to stand for in life.

Well, to start my blog I want to say that there is not nearly the same amount of pressure to conform to society and culture for men as there is for woman. Thinking about what these stereotypes are, the only things I can think of is athlete, bro, or male model (e.g Brad Pitt, Ashton Kutcher). Now this does not mean that there aren’t men that try to conform, there just isn’t the same amount of pressure and therefore the ratio from men to women have women way ahead. Something like 100,000:1. And that’s a fact. I read it in a book. Haha

As I evaluate myself and the fact that I ate the second piece of chocolate, I don’t really know what to say or think, so Im going to blog about it all. Here we go…
To start, I think that eating the second piece of chocolate is just what Sam said, logical. I feel this way for a number of reasons. One, nobody knows where the chocolate was from or which brand produced the kisses. I feel that the entire exercise was meant to make people evaluate their everyday activities and possessions. As Sam has said many many times before, he doesn’t buy that shit. He is a firm believer in slaveless products like food, clothing, and anything else you can think of. He has been saying that he will not buy meat from the grocery store because he knows the conditions of the farms and how the animals are treated. Two, what are you going to do with this uneaten piece of chocolate? Throw it away and leave it to be burned or buried in a landfill? No way. Not unless you really aren’t hungry for that extremely small piece of chocolate. How does that make people feel about what they just did? Is it more respectable to throw away the hard work that these men and women have done, or should we be able to enjoy it for a short while? I would say that if you asked the same man that said he would be angry if he met the person that eats the chocolate if he would rather that man throw it away, the man would be even more outraged. That to me would be a much bigger slap in the face. Ok, so those are my points for eating the chocolate. Lets take a look at the against eating the chocolate feelings.
Although I feel strongly about what I said about, the fact that I am ignorant enough to eat the chocolate makes me angry. I was not one of the students that ate the piece immediately, I felt extremely bad about how those people were treated and I don’t support that at all. Slavery is something that is completely despicable to me and I, although not a human rights activist, feel that all men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. To add, people should not be treated like animals. The scars that were shown on the backs and sides of those people made me sick to my stomach, literally. I don’t know how a person can put someone through that sort of punishment. Its just wrong.
In conclusion, I think that the exercise was a very well developed one and really forced people to think about the world and what happens in places that we have never been. However, not eating the already purchased piece of chocolate does not make you a saint. It is such a small piece to an extremely large puzzle that continues to grow every day. I totally understand how people question the motives of students that ate both pieces because I did at first, however what do you think about eating all the chocolate from your Easter baskets the week before? Pretty shitty huh?

So, what do I feel about this guy? I think that when determining which of the adjectives best describes the man speaking into the camera I would have to say that he is just another brother with an opinion. He brings up points that are valid and that may raise concern for many families and friends, but I think that his method of standing in front of a neon sign wearing a T-shirt says that he just wants to speak his mind. The issues that were brought up were things that have been being said and complained about for years now. There was nothing there that was new and urgent for me at this particular time. I personally would like to get our soldiers out of the desserts because I feel that nothing is being accomplished overseas. This is all my opinion though, Im not claiming to be a anything other than some dude that thinks about stuff and I think that this guy is the same way. Nothing to get worked up over.

I think that Sam and all his lectures have not necessarily change my opinion, but he has most definitely made me question things and analyze things being able to see both sides of the race or sex teams. Sam says it all the time, he does not want to make you take his side or get people to get mad at the ways he things, he wants to stir up questioning and thought in every topic that is brought up in lecture.
To answer your question personally, I feel that I have changed the ways that I feel about nearly every topic discussed throughout the year thus far. Now this does not mean that I have completely jumped ship and took an entirely different side, but I feel that I can now understand things more and have a bit more sympathy and less anger because I get it. My ideals and morals have not changed at all, I still believe in equal rights and being polite and things like that, but hearing the examples like the one regarding people picking things up for people of different color make me examine what is actually happening and determine what I truly believe is right and wrong. I think that Sam does a great job of playing on both teams and if people are not able to do the same, then people are being selfish and unsympathetic.

Thinking about this question, I don’t know how exactly to respond. There are good points on both sides of the argument, but I think that I am more on the side that thinks that nepotism and affirmative action are not a solution to any problem. Lets talk about nepotism first. I think have a problem with the fact that no matter how well a person does in school, personal experiences, and extracurricular activities, that person will not have a fair chance at a company if he is competing for the same position as the nephew of the CEO. I personally feel that the more qualified individual should get the job based on that alone. Now, if someone has better grades but poor people skills and the other has a little above average grades and great interpersonal skills, then I think that the second of the two would be more qualified, assuming that the job entails having to speak with clients and any other outside parties. But for a doctor as in the example given by this student, I think that it should come down to who will save a person’s life in times of an emergency. I think that many people would agree with all of these opinions, although there are people that have been skating through life in this way and think that there I nothing wrong with it. I would just hate to see something bad happen to someone or something because the son of the boss doesn’t know what the hell he is doing when the other guy that you passed up can handle the problem with ease.
Now for affirmative action. This is also a subject that needs a bit of time to examine. Many people think that it is unfair that white people get jobs over black people strictly because they are white. I can agree with this completely. However, does anyone think it is unfair to white people that a black or brown person can cut off the low man on the totem pole even if they are still more qualified than they are. How bout the fact that in many cases there are black and brown people that get into universities first because they are of a certain ethical background, like native american or something. I don’t think this is fair at all. I don’t think that there is any reason now a days for people to be segregated the way there are. I think that getting a job should be based on the resume and personal skills alone, not on the color of their skin.
In a closing note, I think that nepotism is bull shit in many cases and that affirmative action can fall in the same boat. I agree with what affirmative action is trying to accomplish, but I think that there should be better ways to do it. There doesn’t seem to be a win win situation, people need to learn how to cope with what happens in life, on all sides of the race card.

Ok. So here is what I have to say about this whole black people wanting to be white because they’re more beautiful thing. I understand that in society today there is a better chance to be in power if you are white than there us if you are black, but when it comes to being beautiful I think that all those theories of power need to be thrown out the window. Comparing two women of different race, one white and one black, their beauty should not come down to which of the two has the lighter skin. This is ridiculous. Who is judging the two girls? Is it a man or woman? Are they black, white, asian, African, Dominican, etc? If you, whoever you are, don’t think your beautiful because you’re a dark skinned woman, than I don’t think your beautiful either. I think that you need to be able to think highly of yourself without the reassurance of others and society. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and others find you beautiful too. Trust me. Im a hairy kid that I thought nobody would find attractive and I have been in a relationship with a girl that many others envy for 4 years now. How bout that one!