Canceling State Patty’s Day would never work and it wouldn’t benefit anyone at all. There is no good in canceling it because it’ll just give the student body another reason to express their anger in an ignorant fashion. State Patty’s Day has nothing to do with the scandals going on within our school. Every year there are constant threats of increased authorities on and patrolling the streets. Number one, bars and businesses would never allow it. They would lose so many businesses, not that there is anyway to officially shut down state patty’s day because it is a student ran event. The bars and other convenient stores would lose loads of business and in the end they won’t be happy. There isn’t any win win scenario in shutting down the student ran event. Number two, it would be absolutely impossible to accomplish to shut down and would be seen as a joke if students were told of an anti- state patty’s day event on any of the social media networks. The media and entire U.S. know that we’re a big party school and that this has been a annual tradition, so “extra” media attention probably wouldn’t be a cause for concern. Yes, it may seem like a good idea to a small minority of the school, but in the end it won’t accomplish anything. Yes, some students make take extra caution when entering the streets, but shutting down a known tradition such as this would be close to impossible. Too many people look forward to this day, as do visitors from all over the country. It simply would just never work. Although, the tradition doesn’t have the greatest intentions to the public eye and probably isn’t in our schools best interest to display on the news, in the end it’s been going on for years, when our school was considered “the most respected”. All in all, taking away tradition from students will do absolutely no good, the university will be roaring if it were the case and judging by the destruction caused from the riots it probably isn’t the best idea to cancel something that is harmless. The tradition has absolutely nothing to do with what’s gone on here. This is for students.

I feel all the negativity attention being brought to the university right now is extremely bad for the school, but in the long run we will overcome this newfound bad reputation. I believe the situation at hand needs to be looked as a human being and that is it. It’s extremely negative and heartbreaking hearing what these victims went through and it makes you cringe. But we have to remember this, as far as reputation concerned for graduating students and students earning their degrees future employers understand that this has nothing to do with student body or lack of hard work. From a view point as a whole though, this makes us look terrible. The top has now fallen, pride as been dismantled. As of the last few days we as Penn State students, alumni, family, fans, etc. have dealt with a traumatizing and difficult circumstance. This is something the media and outsiders who don’t thoroughly support this university have zero understanding of. They all believe the anger is for the wrong reasons, they all believe the frustration is for the wrong reason, and lastly they do not realize that as a whole us as students strongly and deeply feel for these victims and families who have had to deal with this. Last night’s riot that was made up about a 1/8th of the supporters, it shouldn’t be used to deface this university further. Many of the students and community members were there in a non violent protest. These men who were victimized as children are in all of our hearts and the media needs to understand that. If they find this to be a “morals” issue then they need to stop trying to make money off of this. Joe Paterno plays a minute role in this from my point of view. The grad student is eligible to coach this weekend and he was too much of a coward to stop what he saw, Joe Paterno told who he had to tell. Sandusky, The Grad Student, the AD, Schultz, President Spanier, and any other eye witnesses are the ones who should be held accountable for their coward like acts. Sandusky’s name hasn’t been on sports center or any other news station in the past 24 hours for more than a second. The nation needs to read the grand jury report and start holding the real people accountable for their criminal actions. It disgusts me in every aspect to have this become a burden on the school I came too. The future can always hold brighter things everyone and everything, let the investigation run its course. I know that time heals most things, time will never heal these victims, but as a Penn State community we will be at the top again, with the right people in control and with good faith. Prayers go out to all the families affected by this horrific tragedy, may justice be served to those who deserve it.

A lot of misinformed people don’t realize that there are legal immigrants who come here for a better life and provide our country with cultural diversity. If we didn’t have immigrants come over from other countries, our society wouldn’t have an open mind to different cultures, religions, etc. The harassment that legal immigrants receive is extremely unfortunate because they have every right to be in this country. It’s extremely unfortunate that people refuse to see past what problems illegal immigrants cause rather then the good that the legal immigrants bring.
Illegal immigrants create this unfortunate appearance of all immigrants to Americans because of the fact that they are here illegally and that is looked at more by the people of the United States as a very bad thing. Illegal immigrants don’t pay taxes, they send their kids to school for free, and they don’t have to worry about traffic tickets because they don’t have licenses, these examples are among the many things that bother the United States citizens about illegal immigrants, and thus creating the hatred Americans have for them. Once again, last year in my hometown a drunk driver who was an illegal immigrant, struck an innocent girl and her mother leaving gymnastics on a regular Wednesday night. The driver, who lived, killed two people who clearly did not deserve to die. Stories such as this create this very narrow minded view that Americans have, that all immigrants are like this. Now that could’ve been any drunk driver, but the fact that he was here in this country illegally caused uproar in the community. Circumstances like this not only effect Americans perceptions, but it also effects the view other immigrants have on their own people, especially the ones who are here legally.
The biggest thing that goes along with illegal immigrants is the fact that they’ll work for absolute minimum pay, now in times like this the people who deserve those jobs aren’t getting them. It also does create a double-edged sword because yes most illegal will work the dirty, terrible jobs that most people would never want to do, but in tough economic times like this recession anyone is trying to do whatever they can to put food on the table. Therefore, when were economically stable illegal immigrants are very willing to take an hard labor jobs, but in times like this they are also taking jobs from citizens because employers no that they’ll work for the bare minimum. This of course makes Americans very angry.
My overall view on the topic is that legal immigrants should receive the same respect and should have same say as all Americans do, but the illegal immigrants have to go. Do I think illegal immigrants deserve to be treated poorly and spat on by our country absolutely not because they are people, but its not fair that they take away from country. Quite frankly they are cheating the system and taking advantage of their so-called “new found freedoms”. Why should I have taxes taken out, but they don’t. Illegal is illegal, period. In conclusion, I think our society unfortunately creates a bad reputation for legal immigrants because of the fact that illegal immigrants are seen as a complete nuisance in the eyes of Americans. Legal immigrants have all the right in the world to be here and their cultural differences help shape our country as well.

Immigrants shape the country we live in. Legal immigrants obviously have every right to be here in this country and don’t deserve the persecution that they sometimes may receive. People ignorantly talk about immigrants as a whole group and do not realize that being a legal immigrant and illegal immigrant are two totally different things. Legal immigrants who come here for a better life provide our country with cultural diversity and make us all well-rounded citizens. If we didn’t have immigrants come over from other countries, our society wouldn’t have an open mind to different cultures, religions, and foods. The persecution that legal immigrants receive is extremely unfortunate because they have every right to be in this country.
Illegal immigrants create this unfortunate look of all immigrants because of the fact that they are here illegally and that is looked at more by the people of the United States. Not paying taxes, sending their kids to school for free, not paying tickets because they don’t have licenses all are among the many things that bother the United States citizens about illegal immigrants. Last year back in my hometown a drunk driver struck an innocent girl and her mother leaving gymnastics on a regular Wednesday night. The driver who lived killed two people who clearly did not deserve to go like that. This man was an illegal immigrant, who was driving heavily intoxicated and without a license. Now that could’ve been any drunk driver, but the fact that he was here in this country illegally caused uproar in the community. A circumstance such as this creates this terrible look of all immigrants in the ignorant eyes of the society we live in. It’s one thing if you want to come here to live a better life, but if your not here legally then your setting a terrible example for the people who try to do it correctly.
The biggest thing that goes along with illegal immigrants is the fact that they’ll work for absolute minimum pay. Now this creates a double-edged sword because yes most illegal will work the dirty, terrible jobs that most people would never want to do, but in tough economic times like this recession anyone is trying to do whatever they can to put food on the table. Therefore, when were economically stable illegal immigrants are very willing to take an hard labor jobs, but in times like this they are also taking jobs from citizens because employers no that they’ll work for the bare minimum.
My overall view on the topic is that legal immigrants should receive the same respect and should have same say as all Americans do, but the illegal immigrants have to go. They create an unfair advantage to live here, basically not existing as anyone in the U.S., and the largest issue being that they’re practically exempt from taxes. Why should I have taxes taken out, but they don’t. Illegal is illegal, period. In conclusion, I think our society unfortunately creates a bad rap for the legal immigrants due to the fact that illegal immigrants cause a great deal of frustration for Americans.

Does hanging out with a group of people that is a different race than your own make them a poser? I believe if you view that person as a poser you are very narrow minded, but I do see the opposite view on this as well. Going to NYC often when I am back home I constantly see a white kid with four black kids or sometimes vice versa. I believe; A.) You can think of this person as a product of their environment or B.) Yes, they are a poser because they are trying to be someone they are not. If a white kid dressed with baggy jeans below their waist, crooked hat, and a baggy shirt is hanging out with a group of inner city black kids dressed the same way, some may think he’s posing this urban culture. The problem with accusing someone of posing is you’ll never actually know if they are a true poser because some kids are just a product of their environment and truly are the way they are. The only true way of knowing is getting to know that person, finding out who they are, where they’ve come from, so at the end of the day I think it always comes down to getting to know someone. It’s sad that as a society we create this view on people who are hanging out with people who are “different” then them. I do believe in the philosophy that people are a product of their environment. The way you were brought up and who you associate yourself with plays a major role in the person you are and become. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of posers out there for sure. For example, I went to a suburban public school where inner city black kids constantly moved too annually and created new friends at our public school. Because most of my school was of white majority, most of their new friends in school were white. I’ve seen tons of kids in my school become extremely urbanized over night after creating these new friendships, even though they grew up in the suburbs their entire lives. Now is it wrong that they do this, of course not, but this is definitely a common example of people seeing them as posers. And that is the truth because I know kids would refer to them as posers and would then treat them differently. That can be a prime example of posing because there is no reason to change like that, just because of the new friendship that is made. The biggest thing is just being yourself, posing changes your true identity from who you really are. Lastly, people have all the right to change who they want to be and how they want to act, but doing it for the right reasons is what is important. Don’t change who you are to keep friends, make friends, and to win friends back, stay true to yourself and be who you are.

I can’t say I have ever experienced white guilt before because I have never put myself in the position where I’d have to feel guilty. I have grown up my entire life with friends of different and mixed races than me and I know my comfort zone with them. It’s completely wrong to speak offensively towards other races in their presence or on the computer, etc. No matter who you are, no one likes to be the but of a joke and especially something that is that personal. In that case guilt should be felt by the person who encounters this situation. I think the biggest thing is making sure you have that comfort zone around the person or people you’re around speaking in that manner. Feeling white guilt is major thing in our society, constantly I’ve heard and seen kids speaking disrespectfully towards the black community, and you can just tell they over hear them. It’s extremely uncomfortable, awkward, and sometimes painful to be on the receiving end of such ignorance and disrespect. I have never been judged by my race and I would never want to be in the shoes of someone who has been. It’s a cruel world out there, whether it’s a joke or actually hatred it’s a major problem, especially amongst young teens and college students. The other thing with white guilt is that you’ll obviously know when the wrong time has happened to have made that comment or joke. Immediately you’ll know what you’ve done wrong because it’s known how much it effects people. Lastly, the media of course creates and builds this stereotype for our communities as well through; comedians, television shows, music, etc. Speaking your mind should come from you in the end, say what you want to say just understand who may be overhearing you.

One stereotype I do not believe in is that all Italians are foul mouth mobsters. Italians are constantly looked at as heavy accented foul-mouthed people, when in reality most of the people that are being referred to as loud mouth or overly abusive verbally probably come from a borough of New York. Even though that’s a stereotype in itself, it’s the truth amongst Italians themselves. Being Italian myself, everyone I am a friend too bust my chops that I accent certain things differently or make me say a word because it sounds funny to them, like the word coffee or tomato sauce. It doesn’t bother me; I find it comical in fact. Even though I am from the Bronx and constantly surrounded by Italians in my neighborhood, not everyone speaks the way everyone thinks. The ones who typically have the hard Italian accent are born and raised that way. My grandfather and grandmother are off the boat Italians from Calabria, and they constantly tell me what a disgrace people make of our culture and unfortunately it’s the truth. Shows like “The Jersey Shore” make people depict our culture as extremely arrogant and flashy and that is not the case at all. I don’t blame people for keeping this ongoing stereotype because unfortunately there are Italians who flaunt themselves this way and make an absolute mockery of what our culture really is. The cast of the Jersey Shore is a stereotype in itself as well because more then half of them aren’t even Italian; they just act like “guidos and guidettes”. When in reality to old school Italians, like my grandparents, it’s extremely offensive and a disgrace. Popularity of the that show creates a stronger stereotype of what my culture and background is and unfortunately as long as people keep seeing this as entertainment the longer it will stay around. I choose to talk and act the way I do because I was raised to not be disrespectful and speak with maturity. The stereotype that all Italians speak and act like the cast of the Jersey Shore or speak obnoxiously is a complete falsity from where I come from. People just choose to act and speak the way they do, your not born with it, it’s not a gene.

Research should be done prior to submitting your vote. I understand it was a moving time for all African American, but when it comes to voting for your president it should be a sincere and well educated vote. When the song, “My President is Black” released people began to lose sight of the great meaning of president. He’s not supposed to be considered a celebrity, he’s the leader of our government; it’s not a popularity contest. President Obama is an extremely intelligent man and unfortunately in my eyes he doesn’t get the real credit he deserves because of the ignorance that went on during his campaign. Unfortunately, because of the society we live in if Obama fails, it will be made into a bigger deal then if a white man failed. It’s sad, quite frankly. We’re all human at the end of the day, if he fails as president, his failure should not be overlooked or looked at more than anyone else who’s failed in office before.

When president Obama was elected president in 2008, I had no different reaction then I’ve had with previous presidents coming to office. Yes, it was a historical moment in our nation, but at the end of the day it was just a new president being elected. In my eyes i see a president just like the rest, trying to solve our nation’s problems. At the time of the election I was too young to vote, but had I been able to I definitely would have voted for Obama. Watching the debates for school and at my leisure I believed more in Obama than I did McCain. It’s just a shame that such ignorance went on during the voting process, the fact that people voted for him just because he was so called a “black” male, when in reality he’s biracial. I believe it was Howard Stern who conducted a survey asking people in urban settings if they agreed with Obama’s policies even though they were McCain’s and they said yes just because of the fact that he was black. It’s a shame that our country has come down to that, the voting process of our president should be treated with more care rather than a popularity contest.

I believe that for most, religion gives us a human sense of meaning. People, who choose to be religious, or just believe in some type of creator, are seeking meaning. People want that feeling of a spirit to turn to because it has no direct answer or response. I feel as though it’s something or someone to vent to who will always listen at any time. I personally keep the faith that I have because I know it’s something that can never let me down. If I’m ever stuck in a bad situation or something happens to someone I love or care about I know that I can say a prayer for them. Saying a prayer to me is a way of speaking your mind to something or someone above and beyond who will never turn the issue away. Being catholic, saying the Hail Mary or Our Father before I go to bed at night makes me have that feeling of good spirit. Having faith in something molds your character as well. For a lot of people they simply pick a religion so they don’t have to feel alone. People who have absolutely no one know in their minds that they have their god at all times with them depending on the religion chosen of course. Also, it gives people a sense of what they should expect in an afterlife. Depending on the wide variety of religions each one may have a different afterlife. People want to know, will I go to heaven? Will I go to hell? Will I just decompose in the ground? Will I be reincarnated? I believe that plays the most important role in the decision making of a religion. People simply want to know, what is next for me? From my perspective I don’t know how I’d live my everyday life without having faith in something or knowing that there are the “golden gates”. Praying plays a huge role in my life, constantly I turn to God for an answer. I have seen once or twice, unexplainable paranormal activity before and I know that they were people who passed away at some point. Depending on your faith or religion ghosts may play a different role, but as a catholic I believe that these unexplainable things are people trying to communicate. There are people out there that believe all that they have is there god to thank or apologize too. Celebrities or professional at every speech thank god for the gifts they’ve been given, people who have lost their husband or wife turn to god to keep them in their lives spiritually. Having a religion can get someone through the absolute toughest of times and I am strong believer in that.