I understand what he’s saying and to be honest I never thought of it this way. I know that if I were to go to developing countries I would probably come back thinking that same thing or that I am extremely lucky to be living how I am. I think that you have to think of it a certain way however. Not really that you are better than them but that you have more advantages then some on those people in these countries. I don’t think it has to do with being racist because you don’t think that your race is superior to theirs, just simply that you were lucky enough to have more resources.

I think this is a very good question. I think in order to be successful you need determination, good work ethic but you also need some money to be able to migrate to a new country and do it. I know this because I am an immigrant and I know that if my parents wouldn’t of had these three things, we wouldn’t have gotten very far. My dad has been in the US since he has 15 and has worked try hard to get to where he is. He lived with a group of men who also came to the US to work and when my mom, little brother, and I arrived he was able to get a place for us to finally live like a family again. It was still very hard for us to settle down in this new country because we had spent a lot of money on the trip but my mom was able to find a good paying job and we worked our way up from there. We first lived in a trailer then we were able to live in an apartment and now we have our own house. I appreciate everything that my parents have done because if it wasn’t for them I would not be here right now. So therefore I think that yea you need hard work but you also need money and most importantly determination.

This question really hits home for me because I am an immigrant and the reason that my family came to this country was because my little brother was sick. My little brother was born with hydrocephalus, which is a condition where liquid is stored in the brain and if not treated can be fatal. In Mexico there is no healthcare and to be able to save my little brother it was going to cost us a lot of money, which we did not have. Therefore, since my dad was already working in the US, we decided to come live with him so my brother could the proper healthcare that he needed. We had heard that the US had a wonderful healthcare. My brother underwent two surgeries and thankfully he is alright now. I am thankful everyday that my parents made this decision to come to the US. I know that there are many immigrant kids that wouldn’t have been so lucky to receive care like my brother did. So yes why can’t healthcare be equal for everyone? Don’t we all deserve the right to live? Would the doctors just let kids in need sick and have in their conscious that they could’ve done something about it? I feel very strongly about this issue not only because of my little brother, but for all the kids that are in need of healthcare but can’t because their immigrants. There need to be something done about this because I don’t think that denying a child health is morally right. Therefore, I am here at Penn State looking to major in the health field to maybe one day help all these kids in need. I am not saying that only kids should get healthcare, I think we all should have healthcare, but especially kids. The US is known to give people equal opportunities so why should healthcare be any different? People need to understand the seriousness of denying people healthcare. I am grateful for Obama’s health care reform because now many people will be able to afford quality healthcare. I am especially grateful for the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act because millions of kids will be provided with health insurance they didn’t; preciously have. Immigrants that come to this country to work and better their lives have the same rights to have these privileges as anyone else. As far as illegal immigrants and legal ones, I do agree that people should pay taxes to go towards healthcare, so equal rights should be towards legal immigrants because its only fair.

I am wondering this same question. Yea we learn so many things about the hypocrisy that there is in the word, but what are we suppose to do with all this information he’s giving us? I remember clearly that he stated that as a teacher he is just trying to make us think an open up our minds a little bit. I think nobody can say that they haven’t been provoked to think by his lectures unless you haven’t been to class. I think that thinking outside the box and looking at things from other people’s perspectives has been the major purpose of this class. So maybe we just have to think about things differently as we continue life and really open our eyes to everything.

I agree with this reply for the most part. I remember Sam saying that if we were willing to give up chocolate we could not eat the second piece, but even though I would like to do that I know that I can’t and I also know that chocolate is not the only thing that is made by slaves, there’s cell phone pieces like Sam said and clothes. So if you want to do something about it the thing to do would be to find out where everything you purchase has been made and if they’ve had a fiar pay for it. For the people that can’t do that, they are better off eating the second piece of chocolate even after seeing that disturbing video.

I think his proposal is not really realistic. I mean yea sweatshops would eventually run out of business but so would regular clothing stores and that would of course lead to many unemployed people. It is true that people dress to impress and personally I think that it is impossible to tell people to stop all of a sudden. I think that the best thing to do would be to increase sweatshop awareness and eventually make it a nationwide, or worldwide, issue and have the government involved to pass laws about stores being prohibited to purchase clothes from sweatshops. I think that this movement would increase over the years and permanently ban sweatshops. I know I would feel better as a person of I shopped at stores where they prohibited sweatshops. Everyone would get a fair pay for their work in undeveloped countries. Clothes remind me of my hometown back in Mexico. The town where I live it as mostly known for making clothes. My aunt actually has her factory of making clothes and she works very hard to make them. I wonder what she would think knowing that many people do the things she does for very little pay that is not enough to survive. I feel like she would be angry and probably appreciate how lucky she is to be her own boss and not work under anyone like many people in this town do, which could be sweatshops as well. So increasing awareness across the globe would be a good idea and I’m there’s people here at Penn State that are trying to increase awareness because we’re a large university and we could potentially make a difference in this country. I still however, repect this guys suggestion and I understand where he’s coming from, but in reality people are never going to stop buying clothes. It’s too popular to go shopping and then to simply just say “ok I’m going to stop.” I feel guilty for all the clothes I buy that I know I don’t need, I have many clothes and still go buy more. I never thought of sweatshops before and now that I do I don’t mind limitating my shopping and not just buying stuff to buy. I can’t stop myself from shopping completely but I can limit myself to buying things when I really need them instead of just doing it for a hobby. I think if everyone started doing this, especially us girls, we could make a difference. Another suggestion would be to find out where your favorite brands of clothes are made and see if they are made in sweatshops and limit yourself from purchasing from them.

I was offended as a woman seeing this news report about this disturbing game. Who could think of such a game? Those people have some serious issues to work out if they think that such a game is fun or that it has a purpose at all. People that enjoy the games also have some problems. I understand that it’s just a game and that there’s many other games that maybe shouldn’t be played, many with violence and killings, but this one to me just crosses the line. Raping shouldn’t be seen as a game. This is also very disturbing because many video games are played by kids, and I just don’t like to think that kids could get a hold of these “games.” The Japanese government should do more to try and stop the making of these games. Getting rid of them online would be a good place to start because everyone could get a hold of these so called game because in countries where women are inferior to men, these games could backup this stenotype on women and put them in danger. These games are teaching people that rape is fun and that sexual assault is ok. I am scared to think that people I may know might like to play these games because I could not look at that person as a normal human being, not to mention the uncomfortable feeling and fright that I would have around a person like this. I think that men should be disturbed by this as well and they should think about the many females that surround their lives like their mothers, wives, sisters, and kids. Banning these games is the only way to decrease their spread. And hopefully supporters of these games won’t come up with ideas of creating their own games and having more sick video games around the world. I don’t see how Japanese women could tolerate these games being sold like any other normal video game, and if they’re not why haven’t these women tried to stop their manufacturing? And for those who support them, why haven’t they stopped to think about all those rape and sexual assault victims around the world and how these “games” could make them feel. And for the government why haven’t they banned these games or why is so difficult. I am not familiar with any Japanese laws but the government members also have mothers, wives, and children they need to think about when it comes down to this sick minded game.

I think that this class opened up my mind some. I think I came into the class already expecting how it was going to be since I had attended some of Sam’s lectures last semester, so not everything was completely new to me. And Sam was never trying to change our opinion he was just making us think and I think that he did make us all think. And even though I don’t agree with some of his views, I respect his opinion and see why he might think differently than me. Something that did stuck out to me in this class was the whole genocide of Native Americans, because I never really thought that I could be partially blamed from taking their land but I could be.

I have never thought of this question before but I think it’s very interesting. Tampons I think would be free if men had a period. I mean why wouldn’t they be? And everything would be normal and there would be any awkwardness when talking about it. I personally would like guys to have a menstrual period for at least a month one day to see how it feels like to have one. I think they would be babies and complain all the time about their cramps, but that would be a good thing , they would give us more credit because we have to put up with it every month. I t would also make them be less judgmental and look at it for what it is, nature.

I too think this topic is very intriguing. I believe that women should be able to talk about their period without hesitation. I don’t know if I would raise my hand in front of 900 students to announce that I am bleeding but I sure won’t hesitate to let friends know that I am not feeling too well because of it. Guys should get comfortable with this topic they could be husbands or dads one day, so this topic will never disappear. It will be beneficial if they understand this monthly cycle to ease the awkwardness of any conversation brought up about it.