I think not everyone has an equal chance to success and luck has a lot to do with that factor. The question that not all illegal immigrants have the money and opportunity to become legal is very correct. If all these individuals had that opportunity then the United States will be overpopulated. Hard work is only advantageous for those who have some sort of money and has the foundation to gain potential in the future. For those that do not have any money it would be difficult to gain a foot hole to get ahead. Then the question isn’t about why doesn’t everyone just become legal so that we can avoid the issue of illegal immigration. The truth of the matter is that this would be impossible and a little beyond our reach. If people worked hard all there life then money wouldn’t become an issue to those individuals. Hard work will eventually pay off for these individuals and becoming a legal citizen will not be an unascertainable goal. Money has always been and will be a jumping start to most things, but without hard work as the roots, nothing is possible. Dr. Sam mentioned that illegal immigrants shouldn’t be a huge deal because “we” basically crossed onto this soil and claimed it as our own. We robbed the Native Americans and we pushed them to the side and we are questioning whether illegal aliens have the right to step onto this country asking and hoping for the same opportunity. We are insane if we question that to those individuals who seek that right as well. The topic of immigration is dear to my heart because my dad became an American citizen in the 60’s and worked really hard to get my mother to the United States. Fortunately, my father is a legal citizen now and my mom has a permanent citizen’s card or green card. From what my dad tells me, the test were very difficult and imagining that he knew very little English back then, made me realize the challenge he had to overcome. I am proud of his achievements and respect him even more for helping all my uncles or his brothers to the United States when becoming legal citizens were hard. For him, money was an important factor in helping him get through the process and it was also luck that brought him where he is now. So luck, money, and hard work are all important factors when it comes to the issue of immigration. Without it, you might get there eventually, but it will take quite some time and work to achieve the same result, whereas someone with money could attain in a short and brief time.

Raping as a game? That’s absurd to even think about, let alone to actually have a tangible game that incorporates this idea of masculinity, male dominance, and sexual assault on females. It’s belittling and condescending to the female population of society and to allow these games accessible for the global community is just outright disturbing. Why would games make it acceptable or even an alternative to the actual act of raping? The excuse is just dumb and unjustifiable. Having cartoon or Manga characters as replacement to “real” women does not undertone the severity of this type of game. Are we that sexually frustrated as civilians that we have to resort to this kind of sexual behavior and use this kind of gaming as an outlet to that frustration? How do producers and directors of these games even have the nerve and morals to believe in what they are producing is acceptable and right? Whether the money is the incentive to this gaming venue, I just feel it unbearable to even tell my children and family members that I do this for a living. I would feel sick to my stomach that I would be making dirty money.
Even the European couple in the video didn’t seem to be disturbed or surprised by the raping games. They were even curious and complacent about the game and the female even answered that she did not feel inferior or was even bothered by the game. How can you not be? From the sexual noise to the act of groping and teasing these Manga characters, the idea is just unpleasant. However, these couples manage to sit together through this web interview calm, cool, and collected. I’m sure if these couple were willing to take their sexual lives to the next level such as investing in this magnificent game, then perhaps playing this “rape” role within their sexual lives is not such a far stretch from the imagination. This kind of game should not be used as a sex toy for either males or females. They should not be undermined and they should not be so easily accessible to any individuals.
How would any parent feel if they walked into their child’s room and saw her/him watching and actually playing this game? I think the conclusion would be a far different one than—“O, it’s just a game, it’s better than actually raping.” What needs to happen is that these producers needs to apply this kind of experience or game to their lives and to their family’s to truly understand the effect of this kind of behavior. The Japanese government needs to tighten up on the restriction and access to these XXX games and not continue to promote them. They need to understand the global effect of these games and not just on a local scale.

When I saw this clip, I was taken back by how quick and fast these children responded to the question that the individual asked. It was just a spontaneous answer that the children knew automatically. My first concern was if this particular interview was unbiased and objective from any outside sources like preparation for these questions. It was even more alarming when the individual summed up the interview by stating that the out of 21 children, 15 of them responded with the answer that they would pick the white doll over the darker one. I am no psychologist, but I would assume these kids from a very early age, even earlier than the video clip have been exposed to this “negative” effect from just their daily surroundings. Anything from malls, their parents, friends, and toys that they surround themselves with have in some way, shape and form molded their perception of what is clearly a “standard” and normal Barbie doll or toy. They are unfamiliar with the darker toy. They only see what other children or friends have and making the assumption that most children probably grew up playing with white Barbie dolls, they automatically assume that the “white” dolls are right dolls to play with, without understanding the reasoning behind them. Even when the interviewer conductor asked one of the children why she had said the black doll was ugly because she was black, the little girl did not know how to respond. Clearly, these children do not fully comprehend why they answer the way they do, they only know what they want to play with and not, “I’m not going to play with a white doll because I think that’s racist.” Their brains haven’t been exposed to the dangerous and toxic information as “we” have been as individuals. For them, it’s simple—a toy. A student mentioned a very good point during class about a reason for the way these children are answering is from the pressuring and influences of the media, such as Disney, cartoons, movies, and toys sold in stores. These are gradual and subtle things that have direct influences to a children’s psyche. They are taking bits and pieces of information in and seeing that white dolls are more popular than darker dolls, they gradually accept that white dolls are more desirable than darker ones. These are early stages that start to shape an individual to think that having darker skin is a negative quality to beauty and some individuals are even more submerged into this problem later on in life with accepting who they are and what is considered beautiful. This will follow for some individuals to invest in “whitening” cream mentioned earlier on this year to better their appearances. This interview is clearly an indication that children are becoming more aware of their surroundings whether it be in the society or in their nurturing homes. It’s almost a warning sign for parents to better their children’s understanding of these superficial desires.

This was an interesting question that I found myself asking several times in class. I understand that Dr. Sam uses the terms: “white, black, and brown” in class to be more efficient with discussions and aid with the categorization of the lectures, but in some ways I feel excluded from his groupings. I am Asian, specifically Chinese, so therefore, I don’t consider myself as either one of those groups. It’s difficult when he uses such broad terms to define the different race in class. His lectures feel at times to be “more” concentrated and centered on race relations with white and black people rather than all races at large. I’m not sure if this is only done to better understand the majority population make-up of the United States and because it is easier for students to see the inequality that still exists. This leads me to wonder if in fact they are more important or relevant to the discussion than say someone of a different race.
The student proposed a good point that when an individual is considered mixed, how would they identify themselves in Dr. Sam’s questions and lectures? Do you answer to both sides of the question or do you just answer to the side that you are more comfortable with?
Should Dr. Sam clarify his groupings in the future, it would probably be a better decision for the class in general. First, it would allow all students who are not in his groupings of black, brown, and white to understand that they are also contributors to the race relation discussion, but second it would also create a sense of belonging to the discussion. At times, I feel his categorization has left me isolated and almost distant from his lectures and in-class participation. It has almost allowed me to not apply the “white guilt” attitude because the problem isn’t even mine to begin with, or at least this is the way these questions leave me feeling. I know this may seem a bit selfish, but I just feel since he categorizes his lectures based around blacks, browns, and whites, then I shouldn’t be as worried about something that doesn’t include my race. I find it hard to relate in class, when the issues he discusses are generally between the white and black race. It’s almost like it’s not my battle to fight and leaves me with no choice but to just sit back and listen, rather than partake in the conversation. It’s this constant emphasis of the terms black and white that are being renewed in my brain again and again that other races are not as crucial in the dialogue that should happen across the world. It’s only a problem when one thinks it is. How then are multiracial and minorities able to change or converse with one another about issues when they can’t experience the issue at large?

Clothing stores like Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, and even American Eagle have an obvious “certain” look they desire for their company. The look doesn’t include African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, or even Latin Americans, but predominately Caucasians. How many times has one enter the domains of these department stores and have encountered a non-white employee working on the sales floor? The answer is simple—slim to none. My next question is why are these departments’ stores discriminating against non-white applicants? It just doesn’t make any sense. They should realize that Caucasians are not the only customers that shop at their stores.
In the video, corporate from Abercrombie and Fitch provided an explanation in defense to their hiring practices and addressing the specific “look” of their company. Under the sophisticated and sugarcoated words, I felt all that was left in basic words were a bunch of bullshit and meaningless sentences. How are they trying to diversify their staff and better their effectiveness? How is firing someone and being nailed by enumerable amount of complaints and lawsuits an example to diversity? How is hiring the typical skinny, long hair “Californian” style individuals with just those “natural” look exemplary to thousands of teenagers around the world? It’s sending the wrong message and that message is, “Be skinny, have long, blonde hair, wear body hugging clothes, and buy our expensive clothes.”
I am just so tired of all these discrete and indirect discriminations that takes on and happens in almost every aspect of our society. It’s time that these issues be addressed and addressed loud and clear for everyone to hear. What the Muslim individuals did in the video was very brave. They continue to fight for their right for equal employment and to take as far as they already have is just something that I find inspiring. I really hope that the chain department stores like Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, and others will awaken to their practices and realize that it’s unfair and unjustifiable. How can anyone be able to turn another person down for a job just because they don’t look or dress the way they do? I think it’s absurd and downright silly.
What was more chilling from watching the video was that the one individual was receiving death threats from the either company or from other individuals for taking the issue to the news. Obviously, this kind of practice is real and true, otherwise no individuals would take the initiative or even the extreme to threaten someone else’s life. It just goes to show you the passive aggressive role that these companies adopt during these situations and their reaction after a complaint or lawsuit—a cover-up. What these companies need to practice is growing up.

During the college application process and even applying for financial aid, I felt compelled to just “lie” about my race and I felt very tempted to circle White/Caucasian. Under my conceptions, I feel that “white” students have a higher and better chance of being accepted into colleges. I’ve always felt there was a hidden discriminatory behind the college acceptance process even to the point where if you compare two students side by side with the same qualifications, same GPA, SAT, and extracurricular activities, most colleges are bound to select the white student over the foreign one. When I heard that colleges are actually seeking for more “diversity” for their school, it was almost shocking and unbelievable. I always felt it was the other way around, that most colleges would rather seek a “normal” student body.
I think my preconceived notion came about mainly because I was raised in a full blooded Chinese family and being the first generation from immigrated parents, my parents have always preached me that America is full of “racism.” From jobs opportunities to sports; employers and coaches are constantly seeking the “whiteness” in society. Starting from an early age, I feel this statement possessed some underlying truth even though it’s probably corrupted with bogus superstitions.
As Dr. Sam said in class numerous times, individuals with white skin have the immediate advantage in society. Even the comparisons he made using the statistics of individual’s last name can have great effects in job applications and other processes in society. These assumptions are easily made and while colleges may not be able to deter an individual from admittance based on race, I feel many jobs that doesn’t require a college degree are more likely to practice this kind of hidden racism.
This experience truly hits home when I applied about 10 different jobs during the summer and I was never called back for any of them. There are various factors that may influence why the employers never called me back, but I still feel that most of them didn’t return my calls because I wasn’t their stereotypical “look.” The one specific lecture that Dr. Sam held about employers were more likely to return a call to whites with a criminal record than a black person without one. This is applicable in my situation when my friend applied for the same job as I did with the exception that her application had a felony record on it and mine didn’t. The employer gave her a call back, but didn’t give me one. It wasn’t until that she mentioned me to the employer that he called me back and asked me to work for him. So when it comes to answering the question if I would circle Caucasian or white, I think I would.

This video clip about the extremity of the repercussions of same-sex marriages is nerve racking and sad in many ways. To have to see the children suffer and experience these traumatic events is just the last thing any parents would want to witness. What is surprising is that these children have already been exposed and understand that their parents are of the same sex, so the children’s wellbeing shouldn’t matter to the government.

What was also shocking is that these two couples were not illegal immigrants. If they had been then it’s reasonable if the government subjected both or either one to be deported. However, this is not the case, they are lawful, abiding citizens who happened to fall in love and raise a family together, but to their dismay, they are being examined for their marriage. This is just another double standard that we have in the United States. Ff the couples were heterosexual, the tables would be turn and everything would be normal. The problem is that the government either lacks the understanding of homosexuals or avoids the problem of gay marriage.

It is just not plausible that any human would separate children from their parents, but in the video and perhaps many more resources, it shows that the fine boundary is being crossed. Why would a child want to witness their own mother or father being handcuffed and to eventually realize that it was because of their genders? To what degree does the government have to delve into the family life to finally understand the emotional, psychological, and physically tormenting events these children and couples undergo. It is not their parent’s choice to be homosexual and for any individual, this statement is just too vague to understand. It’s almost as if the government or the officials deciding the recognition of gay marriages should take a course on sociology or human development to ascertain this complex system and the reasons why homosexuals are homosexuals. They do not see the trauma, the hurt, the humiliation that gay couples go through and particularly the children of gay couples. They only see the “normal” side and they only answer to the “normal” people. Their audience is the heterosexual group, the group that build the foundation of this country, the group that were raised to resist difference and change.

I am as intrigued and curious to know the final outcome to this mess—if there ever will be one. I am looking forward to finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel if the government ever reaches it, and at last I would want the government to sincerely apologize to homosexual individuals, couples, and the children, family, and friends surrounding this matter. Something should be done.

I think there is a difference when it comes to sexual desires and needs between a woman and a man. I feel as a woman there are certain boundaries when it comes to sexual intimacy and purchasing a life size doll is a limitation to that fine line. It’s almost shocking to see that inventors are creating more technologically advanced sex toys for consumers and it’s even more shocking that these so-called “inventors” carry on a normal and stable relationship with organic women and raise a perfectly fine family.
After watching the real doll documentary projecting several men whom have purchased and depended on life size dolls, it’s almost sad to see that these men depend on toy dolls more than just for sexual satisfaction, but also for use as a replacement and escape to their inability to converse with real human females. Is this what our society has come to? Just because we can’t talk to a girl, we must opt to buy a doll that can take on that social role. The realization is harkening and dramatic to say the least. For guys, the situation and opportunity to purchase these outrageous sex toys are in their favor, but as for girls—a dildo or a vibrator perhaps? The point isn’t that there are more toys for guys than there are for girls or that the toys available for guys are much more technologically advanced and researched, but that differences do exist between sexual desires of a man and a woman. Again, double standards are applicable here, women will find that purchasing these extreme items will be a social and personal embarrassment and humiliation; men will deem this to be another way of personal satisfaction and some will even boast about it to their colleagues in hopes of a congratulatory statement or an approval of purchasing such an expensive luxurious item. If one thinks that the Internet and online dating sites are a stretch to this weird sexual phenomenon, than what do we consider men who purchase sex dolls? It begs even more questions than answers. Are men simply buying these dolls for sexual gain or a more serious downplay because they cannot carry a normal relationship with live women? Whether the answer is sexual gain, relationship, or both it’s just corrupted to see the extremity of the sex entertainment industry. On a more comforting note, it could be an answer to the climbing charts of rape, prostitution, AIDS, or the sex slavery industry. Even with that in mind the propositions and future advances of this sex toy will ever halt, more and more enticing toys will be created and invented so that one day human to human contact will be eliminated.

It’s very unfortunate and sad that 85 year old, Boa Sr passed away carrying the last Bo tribal language with her. I think it’s even more surprising that she didn’t teach anyone else or pass it along to others living around her, so that the language could have survived. When listening to her song or chant, I wondered if the language was seen as crucial in her village and around the world, why weren’t there any measures taken to prevent this disappearance of communication? Was she living in such isolation that no individuals even noticed the old lady until her passing? There are many parts of this story that seem a bit strange, and I just wish I would know the entire process of how this woman could possibly die and be the last person to speak it in her village.
This situation also poses and suggests further questions and much needed examinations of the diverse languages around the world. It’s almost impossible to survey this topic, without a large designated time dedicated to it. For Boa Sr, perhaps it was an unfortunate tragedy that unfolded, but for other languages that are possibly on the brink of disappearance, further preservation should be taken so that it will diminish the chance of these sudden disappearances as well.
The statement that Dr. Sam claimed, with more than half of the approximately 7,000 languages no longer being spoken when our generation passes, is an alarming analogy to make. This statement makes any individual “want” to do something about this shocking statistic, but simultaneously—“what can one do?” Are these the kinds of issues where individuals merely talk or discuss about, and eventually subside into words of submission? Dr. Sam even states that one should set aside one’s phones and remotes to ponder this shocking event, but I don’t think pondering and contemplation will resolve any of these issues. It’s almost inevitable that these further disappearances are going to halt and languages as diverse as Sr’s tribal one are going to be passed along to younger generation. As for the reasoning behind Sr’s passing without leaving behind relatives or family that could speak the language, I feel it is just a mystery in itself. Perhaps she didn’t conceive any children, perhaps she was an only child, or maybe she was the only that was taught the language. It is just surprising and breathtaking to know that maybe one day, other less widely spoken languages and dialects will also vanish.
As for a tangible solution, I don’t think there is one. Even in some countries, the idea of reducing the number of spoken dialects is promoted, as is the case in the People’s Republic of China. This, like many other pieces of urgent news, are categorized as shocking, but are not given much preventative measures in any means. What has become the “standard” communication in many countries, English, may someday force the most culturally rich, sophisticated, and beautiful languages to vanish into thin air.

The religious and personal choice of wearing burkas should not be a court or government decision, let alone the French government’s domain of expertise. The issue of wearing veils or headdresses is based solely upon these female individuals and because these females are not “forced” to wear these garments, in which their husband’s mandate and demand, they like any other individuals should have the freedom to do what they like to their body.
I feel this topic would not have emerged if this was taking place in another part of the country such as their native Muslim country, but due to the fact that this issue is taking place on European grounds, the concept of social norms and standards becomes highlighted. After all, it’s about the group and the country’s identity and these Muslim females are clearly not setting an example that may glorify the country of France. They have crossed the boundary of physical appearance and challenge what is considered the Western mentality of physical appeal. For these individuals, it’s not about self- presentation; it’s about their religious and spiritual commitment. It is here that non-Muslims should come to understand and respect their faith and their decision to dress the way they do. The French government has no obligation to interfere with their religious process and decide what is considered the social standard and the criteria of what’s physically acceptable.
This issue could potentially lead to the infamous religious persecution that resulted in fleeing and settling of Europeans to the Americas during the 15th Century due to faith. Although the situation may not be a direct or dire comparison to that of centuries ago, it suggests the underlining cause of the problem to French’s objection to burkas—the Muslim faith, itself.
Perhaps, these females roaming about the pretty French streets every day may send out a cry of fear to tourists and local citizens that is shaped by current happenings in the Middle East. The idea of someone dressed in fully black attire would not be as welcoming and warming as if seeing someone in pair of jeans and white T-shirt. It is here that challenges or protests will come about arguing from every angle of the headdresses from the severity of the attire to embellishments that these women are physically and mentally abused by their spouses if they did not wear them. The slippery slope in one way or another will paint a true representation of the phenomenon that is already occurring in France. As for the Imam stating that the Quran does not require Muslim females to wear the garment is subjected to many interpretations. Again, it is not a choice that should be dictated by any government, any individual, or any religion, it should be a personal choice.