This is an interesting question to consider. Affirmative action is meant to help people that usually meet a certain characteristic. In my opinion, affirmative action should not be implemented whatsoever. If people ever really want to be in a society in which everyone is treated equally, affirmative action should not have any role to play. It favors specific types of people, for some reason or another. The example used in class was a good interpretation of how affirmative action is applied in everyday life. Two people, both of which are exactly the same in every aspect (aside from skin color) apply for a home loan. The rates for the white girl are less than the black or colored girl's rates. Why? Because of affirmative action, for no real reason aside from factors of the past, the white girl received a better loan. In any application of any sort, affirmative action should truly be eliminated. This concept only leads to a continuation of racial divide. In no way should the appearance of a person be the deciding factor in whether or not they receive a better outcome in a given situation. The only case in which this is acceptable, to me, would be in an advertisement, tv show, movie, etc. Even though there is still a correlation between race and income, I really think affirmative action should be eliminated. There is one case though, in which there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. Hiring people based on a person relation with a current employee is something I have considered. I think that if someone who is currently working in a company or business refers someone to a job opportunity, it should be taken into account. There is one situation, though, in which I do not think this is acceptable. It is in my opinion that if the person who is in charge of the interviewing process knows the person being interviewed, then this should not be allowed. There is a bias involved, whether it be conscious or subconscious. Overall, I believe affirmative action should be eliminated today in order to make an attempt at a truly equal society.

I think as a victim in this situation everyone would act and react in their own way. For me personally, coming out with the facts as to what happened to me would be difficult. Though I know it would be no fault of my own, I would feel ashamed and almost guilty. So, in order for me to come out and tell my own story, I would need to feel as though I was not going to secluded or alienated as a person. I would not want people looking at me differently or treating me special because of what happened to me. I would still be the same person. This question is hard to answer though, considering that there is no way of knowing how I would feel, granted I have never been in such a situation. A silenced victim, at least if I was a silenced victim, would need a great deal of support. I would have to realize that there are countless others who have been victimized and are in a situation similar to mine. I would need to know that there are many people who are here to support me and whatever action I take. I would need to move at my own pace. By this, I mean that I would have to not feel pressured into saying anything or coming out with my own story and what has happened in my past. To me, I think the most important factor that would lead me to speaking out would be support from my family, friends, peers and even community. I would need to feel that there are people behind me, regardless of what I say or do. One thing I find very troubling though, would be a topic that was brought up in class. What if the victim and the one responsible for the atrocity were part of the same family? This would be the hardest thing for anyone, in my opinion. There are new sets of fears here. You begin to ask yourself questions that make it seem like every outcome would be your fault. What happens if you speak out and the family disintegrates? What happens if you speak out and your at risk of harm? It would be unbelievably difficult for me, because of how close I am with my family. So, I truly could not imagine how others must feel when placed in such a difficult situation. This question is a difficult one to understand. No one will actually be able to answer it unless you yourself have been or are in a situation similar to the one that occurred. All that one can hope is that the community will continue to speak out and support any actions the victims take.

Naturally, any boss or person in charge is not going to save a high level position for someone who might not even make it into the country. So, those coming into the country get the jobs that are hardest (manual labor). I think that Americans stray away from manual labor, regardless of how good the pay is, mainly because we are used to a much easier way of life. What we consider hard labor and what other people from other countries consider hard labor differs dramatically. We are lucky to live in a society that can afford such luxuries. The Mexican people are not offered a minimun wage such as ours. They do not have as many opportunities as we do here. It's not like you see Americans struggling to get into Mexico for work. This is because only the people in the most dire need of work attempt to come into the US. They will take any task, as long as there is a promise of money at the end of the day. They literally need this work to survive. It's best summed up in the phrase "beggars can't be choosers." These are some people begging for work. They can't just turn down jobs because they don't like the hard labor or long hours. They need it.

I was fortunate enough to live in an area where there are many stores and small shops, but there was also the opportunity to do manual labor on the side. I had opportunities to work where I want to, to some extent. Mexicans, especially those who have entered the US illegally, do not have this luxury. First off, the location has a lot to do with it. Mexicans crossing over the US border enter the US in a large agricultural area. So the job opportunity for part time work is already pretty high. Next comes the fact that most Mexicans doing manual labor are here illegally. This means the chances that these immigrants have working papers are slim to none. Another factor to take into account is that many people coming to America are only coming here to work for a short period of time. These jobs are usually jobs that have been obtained for immigrants by family and friends already living in the US.

For me, this was a simple question. Americans do not want to do the hard labor quite simply because it is hard. Why take the hardest opportunity presented to make money when they can take the easier opportunities to make the same, if not more, money. For me personally, I do not mind hard labor. I have had several jobs that involve hard labor, such as landscaping, masonry, etc. They sucked. Why would I subject myself to strenuous labor if I have the opportunity to work in an air conditioned chain of restaurants or grocery stores? It's all about location and opportunity.

I personally found this question thought provoking. Not because I think that I, as a white person, should be afraid of becoming the minority, but because I truly do not know if anything will change. In my personal life I do not see anything changing. If one day the minority and majority statistical figures changed, I think there would be nothing different in my day to day life. I think that in order for an apparent change to take place, many years have to pass. Effects won't be noticeable overnight. Since I myself am white and living in a predominantly white area, I really do not know how it feels to be part of a minority. I also have never been in an area for an extended period of time in which I was the minority. So, I really do not know what it is like to be in a minority group. I truly don't see anything changing drastically if white people were to become the minority. I can't see it changing the way people think or act. Previous minority groups will still think and act the way they did, and the new minority group will still think and act the same way they did. I just do not see people changing in this way. If I am alive during this shift in minority/majority numbers, I see it changing my life very very little, if at all. In our discussion group this week we brought up this question and got into a somewhat heated discussion. The current majority group (white people) did not seem worried or scared about the shift in minority and majority. What they did wonder about for the most part was what exactly would happen. No one really had a hint of what it would be like. The current minority groups made it seem that some people may be bitter about the way they have been treated. What could be agreed on by everyone is that there is no one way of thinking shared by an entire group. The way someone acts is in the individuals mindset. If the majority were to change from a white majority to any other majority, I think society may end up changing a little bit though. In our discussion we also brought up the fact that one reason for a white majority is the fact that the white community has more opportunities. For example, the majority of people in charge of major corporations are part of the majority, which is white. Most people feel more comfortable in groups in which they feel already accepted. Most white people feel more comfortable with white people, asian people with asian people, etc. So, if this is accepted as the truth, more people in the majority will have more opportunities. In saying this, if the majority were to shift, opportunities would be more open to former minority groups. Thus, changing the face of modern society.

In all truth it is hard to tell which stage most of my friends are in. They are all pretty much asses who will say anything to get a laugh. Often times racial remarks sneak out or are implied. I personally would say im in either stage four or five when it comes to stages. Most of my friends I would say are in stage four as well. Could this be one of the reasons I became friends with them? I would not know. But I do know I have reflected on what stage I am in, and I would say most of my friends act a lot like I do. Most of my really good friends are white. I do not think this has to do with what stage they are in or what stage I am in. I think this is probably because of the area in which I grew up. It was almost an entirely white area, which means most people I knew were white. With this, I think it kind of eliminates the stage in which I feel guilty about the oppression of white forefathers. I am not saying that I only choose to be friends with white people. I have many good colored friends. The fact of the matter is simply that I grew up in a mostly white area. When going through my best friends, I can mentally picture times where their stages of racism become apparent. My one friend, for some strange reason, talks differently when around our good friend who just so happens to be black. Now, I would not say that my colored friend is "hood" or "gangster" by any means whatsoever, but I would say his style is somewhat urban influenced. My other friend, fits the basic "suburban white boy" status. Now, these two are great friends, but for some strange reason when they are together my white friend feels the need to talk like he just shot a rap video. Why is this? I do not know. But it does make you sway one way or another when it comes to trying to label what stage he is in. He may not notice when he does this, but I definitely do. It makes me wonder why people do this. Does my white friend feel like he needs to be accepted by my colored friend? Does he act the way he does because of what he sees in the media? I believe he feels that, for some reason, he needs to be accepted or closer to my colored friend. Whatever the case may be, it gives one insight into what stage he is most likely in. At the same time it brings to light, for me at least, subconscious racism actually exists.

A woman-centered adult film industry would be truly different from the industry today. As can be expected, the current industry in play is male-centered. The current industry is, more or less, the fantasy sexual encounters of most male minds. From my own exploration of the industry in play now, I can tell that the minds behind these films are male. Being a male myself, I know what men look for in an adult film. There would be little to no story, little to no foreplay, and a lot of intercourse. Now, a female-centered industry would be very different. I agree with what Sam said from the "Needy Penis" lecture. A female-centered industry would be much more sensual, mainly because most women are much more sensual then men. Now, I am not saying that all women are more sensual than men. I am also not saying that what arouses men and women is always different. I am speaking in generalities. A female run adult film industry would revolve around things that are more than just intercourse. There would have to be elements which evoke and emotional response. Males can become aroused in an instant. Females, on the other hand, take time. Women's arousal has to be triggered by a series of events. So, in a woman's video, there would be basically the opposite of a male's video. There would probably be a build up to the point before the two people involved even met. So, opposite the male view point, there would most likely be a storyline. Women take time to be aroused. So, once again, there would probably be a good deal of foreplay, which is once again, opposite of the male video. As was stated before, women are generally the more sensual sex. With this in mind, the woman-centered adult film industry would almost definitely be more "soft core." There would be more touching, caressing, and kissing. Penetration would certainly not be the majority of any film. I don't actually know what a female oriented adult film industry would be like, but I could almost guarantee that the production quality as a whole would be better and the films would be more official. The more quality a film, the more believable it is. The more believable a film, the more arousal that comes from it. A male film's quality is poor, to say the very least. That is truthfully because men are only interested in seeing sex. Overall the sexual industry if ruled by women would be drastically different. Sex would be cleaner, and so would the people having sex. There would be more sensuality and romance. There would be higher quality and the films would most likely be longer, due to the addition of everything other than just intercourse.

In all truth it is hard to think of a stereotype in which I do not at least partially believe in. In all honesty these stereotypes fit in for certain people of a certain race, but it is unfair and just plain stupid to believe that a stereotype is true of all members of a certain race. Take, for example, the stereotype that all Asians are good at math. Are there Asians that are fantastic at math? Absolutely. Are there Asians that are just plain terrible at math? Absolutely. Stereotypes came about, more or less, because a larger percentage of people of a certain race exhibit the same characteristic. Do all white men really struggle at jumping? No. Are all black people faster than white people? No. But there are a large amount of white people who cannot jump as high black people. There is also a large amount of black people who are faster than white people. So, these stereotypes came about, even though they are not true in all cases. I would be lying if I said I never looked at a person and assumed a stereotype. I have, and as sad as it is to say, I still do from time to time. Stereotyping is only made worse by the media and what we have been accustomed to throughout our life (i.e. our upbringing). For example, I used the stereotype that white men cannot jump as high as black men. I, being a big movie fan, have seen many stereotypical movies, including the movie White Man Can't Jump. Did this movie have an impact on the way I think regarding how good white men and black men are at playing basketball? It probably did whether I realized it or not. This is just one example of how the media and pop culture play a role in shaping a person's mind regarding stereotypes. I believe that where a person grew up and their surroundings also play a role in how much a person believes in stereotypes. Can stereotypes be true? In my opinion, yes. But this is only true within a certain number of people of a group. At the same time, I think it is wrong to assume stereotypes. I do. I can admit to that. But it is something that has to be worked out of a person's systematic way of thinking over time. No stereotype is completely true. There is no single way of acting shared among an entire group of people. That is why stereotypes are dangerous. Stereotypes are not limited to strictly characteristics of people, though. One stereotype that truly makes me mad is that all Muslims think a certain way and are somehow connected to terrorism or hate Americans. This truly demonstrates how ignorant people can be. This stereotype blew up unbelievably after 9/11 and, in my opinion, the news is to blame. Muslims and Al-Qaeda are completely different. One is a religious group and one is a terroristic group.

In all honesty I do not believe in one thing over the other. If anything, I would be swayed more toward free will over determinism, but at the same time I do think that determinism plays a role in it as well. People are born into a situation that they cannot control. Their biological features they cannot control. Their biological capabilities they cannot control. Their socioeconomic situation they cannot control. Determinism has its role and plays a part in the path a person takes, but it is not the main factor in my opinion. Every person can make any decision regarding any situation in their life. The outcomes to these situations may or may not be ideal based upon their own decisions, but regardless they still have the choice to make it. Certain aspects of my own life were predetermined. For example, I had no choice in where I would live when I was a child or where I would go to school. I had no choice in who my family was or what I was to look like as I grew up. But, as I got older, I did have the choice of whom I was to be friends with. I had a choice of how well I wanted to do in school based upon how hard I worked and studied. As I grew even older I began to understand the world around me and the relationships between myself and my environment. I did not have to live with my family if I did not wish to. I could easier walk right out of the front door and start my own life and settle down wherever I so chose. I did not, but that was my decision. People believe that certain decisions cannot be made because something important, such as their life, is at stake. Sam put up the "gun" example in class the other day. By faking a gun at a student's head, he said that if the student raised his left hand he would die. Obviously the student would not raise his hand if he valued his life, but he still has the choice of whether or not to raise his hand. If the student wanted to be shot in the head all he had to do was raise his left hand. Though this example is extreme, it is the truth and I agree with this. Every single thing that happens in a person's life is based on a decision which he or she made. Overall, I believe that determinism does play a role in what happens in a person's life, but it is only a small role. Free will plays the bigger role.