After attending Sam’s lecture last Thursday, I can definitely say he made me think. Think in a way differently than I would normally. I never thought about the war in the way in which he presented it. I’ve always been against the war because from the start I never understood what it was actually solving. And after Thursday’s class I actually learned more about the situation we are in. Some parts of the lecture I definitely agreed with while other parts I was like, “I can’t believe he said that!” I really enjoyed Sam’s passion and enthusiasm throughout the whole lecture it really helped me remain on task, and pay close attention to the different viewpoints he was presenting.
I definitely think that making the class pretend that we were Middle Eastern students helped me view the war from a different perspective. How would we, as Americans, react if others came to our land and were trying to steal our oil, when it was ours in the first place? After seeing it like that, I definitely thought of how differently we would react if we were in their position. I also enjoyed the part of the lecture where Sam showed us pictures of what Iraq and Afghanistan looked like before the war. The mall was five times the size of the local mall in my community; I didn’t imagine buildings like that to exist there. My eyes were definitely opened to a different view of Afghanistan and Iraq, a view that I never knew existed.
After watching the lecture, I went home and wanted to show my roommates the trailer for the lecture. It just so happened that my roommates boyfriend was coming up to visit for the weekend. He’s a marine and just returned in January from Afghanistan. She then showed the trailer to him because she found it interesting. The guy couldn’t watch past the first thirty seconds, he asked us if we could turn it off before I got seriously mad. Then we started to talk about the situation over there and he said, “The funny thing is we don’t even try to convert them to Christianity, we don’t even bring religion up when we encounter them.” He said in his unit the closest he’s come with the people was when he was handing out cupcakes to young children. But after watching the video for thirty seconds he wasn’t able to fully understand Sam’s point. And at first I didn’t either. Sam’s not against war or Christianity. He said it himself if he saw Taliban in the streets they are the people he would go after, not the innocent civilians who in fact are the ones losing their lives. Overall, I thought the lecture was very effective and interesting. I definitely saw the war in a different view, I didn’t necessarily change my opinion on the topic, but in a way that I can see where they are coming. It was different seeing it from another perspective.

After attending class on Thursday, I definitely think about affirmative action more differently. At times, I think it’s unnecessary and unfair and other times I think it is much needed in order to help those move up in the world. Regarding the above question, my initial reaction was that student was completely correct. Why should someone who is less qualified for a job, especially in the medical field, receive a job based on affirmative action, when there is probably someone more qualified for that job? I don’t think that someone should be chosen for a job based on their sex or race just to assure that a hospital or doctor’s office meets the specific regulations on affirmative action. If I were a patient I would much rather have a doctor care for me who is right for the job, whether that means a person of color, a woman, or a white person. There are many qualifications that are needed to be a professional in the medical field, and I don’t believe race should be one of them? In order to be a qualified individual in the medical field I think one needs experience, a warm personality, knowledge of their practices, patience, sympathy, and intelligence, nowhere in those qualifications would race play a factor, which is why I don’t think affirmative action should be a determining factor while hiring in specific jobs. If I were a director of a hospital I would want to hire those who are highly qualified for a job despite sex and race.
On the contrary, when it comes to college admissions, I think at times affirmative action is necessary. Everything Sam has been saying about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer shows to be true in a situation like college admissions. Those who are at the bottom, who attended a poor schooling system, live in low-income areas, and are unable to afford college, don’t really have the chance to move up in the world. Having affirmative action gives these individuals a chance that they wouldn’t necessarily receive without it. College admissions would take into consideration where the individual grew up, the number of students in their class, and their race to find the best group of students to attend their school.
When it comes to nepotism, I feel as though I’m torn similar to how I feel about affirmative action. Before taking this class I had more of a distinct opinion, or so I thought I did, but Sam actually is making me think, put yourself on the other side of the argument. I’m sure people who are less qualified for jobs are able to get jobs because of the connections they made or the people they know. But who’s to say that’s not fair when they made the connections themselves becusae they knew if would help them get a job and in the end they’re the ones benefitting? On the contrary, as an elementary education major if someone who has a lower GPA, and less experience than me receives a job over me because their Uncle is a principal I would be angry and discouraged. So I guess the question is where do we draw the line? How do you find a balance between the two?

I definitely agree with Sam when he said that his was one of the most disturbing videos we were going to watch in class. And in fact that video was very disturbing. How could children at such a young age know the difference and conclude that the white skinned doll is nicer and the dark skinned doll is bad. These children have to gain this opinion from someone or something that is influencing them. Similar to my peers I feel as though media plays a major role in these children. When it comes to Barbies, in my opinion, I think the children want to play with the light skinned dolls because the manufacturers make them more appealing. When you go to a toy store you can choose from twenty light skinned dolls versus one or two dark skinned doll. Providing several fancy outfits, bathing suits, glitter hair products etc. for theses dolls. But you don’t see toy companies doing the same thing for dark skinned dolls. Why? I don’t know, and I think it’s wrong and dumb that they don’t. If they made dark skinned dolls more available and appealing to young children, I think they would be just as popular and young children wouldn’t choose the white skinned Barbie more often than the dark skinned. Therefore to solve this, toy manufacturers and sales representatives need to make a change, so young children don’t develop these opinions before understanding what they are really doing.
It’s awful to see that these children develop a sense of self-worth without even understanding what they are doing. When the woman asked the girl which one is she thinks is the bad doll the girl picked up the dark skinned doll, then when she immediately asked which doll looks like you the young girl hesitated and began to reach for the white doll. Then, she concluded by reaching for the black doll. How awful is it that the young girl made the connection that she was dark skinned, but she also said that the girl was considered bad? I don’t know what to make of that statement
And lastly, after watching this video it reminded me of my childhood. When I was about four or five years old my mom finally allowed me to get a Cabbage Patch doll, and I was very excited. We went to the store and there was probably six dolls to choose from, five being white and one being dark skinned. Surprisingly to my mother, I chose the dark skinned doll with no hesitation. Me, being a white skinned girl from the suburbs of Pennsylvania, experienced little interaction with dark skinned people. Therefore what made me want that doll my mom will never know, but maybe I didn’t see a difference just because her skin was darker. I still wanted that doll despite the different skin color it had from me.

I really enjoyed reading the previous comments. It took my quite a while to start writing my blog because I was interested in reading the comments from my peers. It seems true to say that most people aren’t afraid to be honest about their opinions on this topic when they aren’t face to face with another individual. I think its great that college students are able to discuss “sensitive” topics such as women’s menstrual cycles and hear other students opinions as well. I agree with the comment that MRM5360 made about, “we really, really don't want to think about our "Mecca" doing things that it does every cycle.” In some ways I can understand where he is coming from. Knowing every detail about what a woman goes through and what it looks like I don’t think is necessary. On the contrary, I do believe a guy should be aware and quite knowledgeable of what females have to go through during their time of the month. I think the more the guy knows the more sympathetic he will be. I don’t think girls only care about the sympathy either. But our bodies do go through a lot more than a males body does throughout our lives and a guy should recognize and respect that of women, and I don’t believe many guys do. They probably don’t because the fact that this isn’t an open topic. If girls just openly spoke of their menstrual cycle I think guys would be more aware of what a women’s body is physically going through, and our complaining isn’t just because we like to whine, but because some women go through a whole lot of pain during this time period. Pain that I male will never have to go through. I found the video of Laurie very interesting when she said, “if I have to pretend that none of this is happening to me, if I have to pretend that I’m not a woman.” Why do we have to pretend this isn’t happening to us when it does happen to everyone? If guys say they don’t need to all the details that’s fine, but as a woman I feel that if we speak up about the situation we shouldn’t be looked down upon. I feel as though we can easily compare this topic to race. This topic wouldn’t be as sensitive and uncomfortable if we talked about it more. As a female, I pretty open about my menstrual cycle to people close to me, my boyfriend, roommates. I don’t go around telling people unless something comes up that it’s necessary. But I wonder if some day women will be able to freely discuss their menstrual cycle with people who aren’t close to them?

After reading several of my peers comments I’m glad to see they all feel the same way I do. It might sound repetitive, but what century are we in? Over break, I began telling my parents and grandparents about the classes I was taking and I brought up the topic about LGBT’s. The conversation didn’t last long, but my grandma’s point was that a marriage is between a man and woman. It just goes to show how much our generations have changed, for the better. I also think the comparison between the north and the south is quite similar to representing the younger and older generations. Seeing how much we’ve progressed in the north compared to those in the south who are so stuck to their ways, and have no intentions of changing it, at least the older generations is somewhat of an accomplishment.
I feel so sorry for Constance and the fact that she is punished because she is in love with someone of the same sex. Like the previous discussions we’ve had in our class, LGBT’s don’t choose to be gay, they don’t choose to be discriminated against, and Constance sure didn’t choose to have her prom cancelled for herself or her peers. I imagine that Ms Mcmillen receives enough criticism from her friends and peers at school already for having a girlfriend and following her heart. The cancellation of prom is only going to make matters worse with the acceptance of LGBT’s in the south. And to tell a student she can or cannot wear a tux to prom is just absurd. Some girls don’t like to wear dresses and they have a more tomboy style therefore if they wore a tux to prom, I don’t think any would question her to choice in clothing. But I think it’s wrong that they would question Ms Mcmillen’s choice.
As an education major and aspiring teacher, I would hate to see something like this occur in a school that I work at. Teachers should be there for emotional support as well as teaching students the required content knowledge. If a student like Ms Mcmillen doesn’t feel safe and accepted in a school, where can someone like her go to feel as if she belongs? I agree with one of the comments my peers made about having the student body create their own prom. Constance should take a stand, as if she didn’t make enough of one already, and have her friends back her up to find someone who would support them to rent out a hall and host their very own prom. The place doesn’t have to be fancy, or expensive just as long the students are able to dress up, dance, and have a memorable night with their friends. At this rate, the students will be able to dress in any manner they choose and be accompanied by the date of their choice!

First off, I also have to admit that I watched this season of The Bachelor religiously. For some reason this type of show is entertaining to me. I don’t think it has anything to do with the color of the contestants skin. I feel as though if the bachelor of the bachelorette were a person of color I would still be glued to the TV every Monday night. In my opinion if the show is entertaining, I’ll watch it regardless of the skin color of the main characters. And I have noticed that majority of the contestants on this show are predominantly white, but I didn’t really think anything of it until reading my peers comments. In my opinion I think the reason for the majority white cast members is a combination of many things. First of all, I agree with the comments that this show is targeted toward an older audience. Younger individuals like myself don’t have to be taken into consideration as much as the older audience when I show is created because we have been exposed to the different races and accepting more so than our parents and grandparents. I agree with your comment when you said, “The younger generation as a whole has been raised to be more racially accepting than our parents, so most of us will watch a show regardless of the race of its cast as long as it is interesting to us.” Another reason I believe the contestants are mainly white is because most people are attracted to those of their same race. I believe the contestant would have to fill out a questionnaire of what his or her previous boyfriends of girlfriends looked like. The producers would then try to find women or men that matched the descriptions and would then become the next contestants. Of the seasons I’ve watched, contestants of color have been present in the first few rose ceremonies, but they are usually eliminated within the first few shows. Probably because the bachelor or bachelorette feel as though they have more in common with the other contestants, as much as they can discover about that person within a ten minute conversation? Or the question I propose, are we attracted to those of our own color because that is all we are exposed to? If we grew up with more of a diverse community would we be physically attracted to those of a different color? And lastly, I feel as though the other reason the contestants are predominantly white because the producers have never chosen a person of color to be the next bachelor or bachelorette. I also agree that the ratings may actually increase if the previous scenario occurs. The show has a great following and would only pick up more followers if they choose a main character of a different race. Overall, America has to be challenged with situations they are not used to, which would require the producers of the show to choose the next bachelor or bachelorette to be a person of color. I’ll be excited to watch the individual find his or her “soulmate” regardless of their color of skin.

Soc Blog 5
I agree with your comments about the video we saw in class on Thursday. I know it really made me think about the situation. I thought it was a great idea especially with the current issues that are occurring today. Having the actor portray a Muslim and then be refused services from the white man working at the bakery was an ideal situation to see how others would react. I agree with your comment about how you were surprised that 13 people sided with the Muslim girl. At first I thought people would be afraid of how the other white people in the store would react so they would just not voice their opinions or advocate for the white worker. When the student in the class said that he was brought to not say anything or state his opinion because it, “was not his place,” I don’t necessarily agree with this statement either. Like the twenty two other customers in the store who didn’t say a word had to have had an opinion. They were either too embarrassed to express it or didn’t want to offend the worker behind the counter. But how about the woman who was blatantly being discriminated because of her attire and her “look.” How embarrassed and awful must have she felt? The people who didn’t speak up or continued to make purchases in the bakery should be the ones who are embarrassed. It’s not right to witness such behavior to an innocent person and not stand up for what you believe. I don’t think you had to physically say something to the man to show how you feel. I’m not the most outgoing person to speak out in public, but there is no doubt in my mind that what ever I was planning on buying before the incident would be back on the shelves and I would walk out the door empty handed and not plan on ever returning. I also found it very interesting that the man provided services for the Muslim girl who was not “dressed Muslim,” and had no idea. He had no problem assisting someone in which he thought was white, but little did he know she was the same religion as the woman actor. It was great to see young girls stick up for a complete stranger. I also agree with your statement, Americans tend not to speak against an injustice until it directly, or sometimes indirectly, affects us is very true and is evident in our society. I believe the previous statement is true and some people are afraid to speak because of how others will react. They don’t follow their gut instincts and do what is necessarily right. I feel in order to give the woman the rights she deserves more people in our society need to speak up for what they believe in.

I agree with this comment on most levels as much as I would want it to be totally acceptable by society I feel as though it isn’t yet. But as time goes on, hopefully much sooner than later, people will be more accepting to others who are truly just being themselves. I really like how you commented, “My stance on this issue is that neither gay nor lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt children...yet.” The yet part is very crucial. Once gay marriage becomes legal in more states, which I believe will happen a lot sooner than we think, people will be more accepting to this issue. I feel as though our generation is already more accepting to gay and lesbian couples because it is more common. When my parents or even grandparents were growing up seeing two men holding hands was not an everyday occurrence to say the least. I also believe that if more gay or lesbian couples adopting children, society would be more accepting and supportive of this issue.
I really enjoyed Sam’s comment in class when he made the point of how much work it is for a gay couple or lesbian couple to go through the adoption process, it could take years to become finalized, which shows how much they want to raise and care for a child. This child will be appreciated so much because of the long wait and time put into this process. On the contrary any straight couple could have six children and not be responsible parents, leave the children home for someone else to care for them. Therefore, I do believe lesbian and gay couples should be able to adopt children. Now when it comes to the question, who is more likely to be able to adopt children a gay couple or a lesbian couple, in my opinion I don’t think there is much of a difference. A part of me thinks that women would be better parents because they are more nurturing, sensitive, and have the motherly characteristics built within them, but not all women. On the other hand, I feel as though children need a stern, aggressive, and physical, but not all men are like this. Therefore, I think it depends on the couple 100%, everyone is different and whether you are a straight couple versus a gay couple you are going to raise your children the way you believe is right.
After talking with my discussion group about this topic on Wednesday I was surprised to see that we were on the same page. Everyone feels that you shouldn’t be judged or discriminated against because of who you are. If you’re a man and want to marry a man then I feel as though that is your choice and I wouldn’t have a problem with that. I brought this discussion home to my roommate and she had somewhat of a different opinion. Her Aunt is a lesbian, got married in Massachusetts ten years ago and has adopted two boys with her partner. My roommate says she is very happy and in love with her partner, but when ever her family goes to visit them, the little boys are so attached to my roommate’s dad. They strive for the male attention and role model. This is the only issue that I have with gay and lesbian marriages, is that they don’t have enough interaction with the opposite sex. So I guess I am in the middle on this topic?

I also agree with the previous comments about Sam’s lecture on Tuesday. Seeing and hearing how passionate he was about this topic made me even more eager to listen to his thoughts. I know it definitely made me think about where I stand as individual. I also thought that I was in the middle when it came to my viewpoints and beliefs in freedom versus determinism. Now it really made me question, am I in the middle? Or did I even know what that truly meant before Tuesday?
According to the other replies on this blog, I also believe that people have the choice to overcome obstacles that they are faced with. Depending on the obstacle it may not be overcome immediately, but I do believe if the individual wants to overcome it to make his or her life better, they have that choice. I really enjoyed Sam’s examples of obstacles people have to face. It made you think how you would feel or react in those specific situations. It gave you a sense of, are you really in the middle or would you just let life pass you by? Some were much more serious than others like a family member getting sick compared to an individual not being able to succeed in school. I believe it has a lot to do with the person you were raised to be or the individual in which you are. Some people have a lot more motivation and determination than others, and I think that has a lot to do with the point that Sam was making. Some people would rather just sit back and give up, while others CHOOSE to overcome the obstacle, by fighting through it and trying to get back on top.
I feel as though your parents have a lot to do with this attitude and motivation that is built within you. I have learned a lot from my father and have become this eager individual with a go-getter attitude. My Dad did not have any money was he was growing up he worked two jobs while attempting to receive a college degree, it wasn’t easy but he managed to do so. His parents didn’t have the money to support him, but he made the choice that he wanted to be successful. He was not the type of person to let the obstacles of not having any support or money get in the way of being the man he wanted to be. He is now a well-known and very successful Insurance Agent and Business owner, and he has no one to thank but himself. Or maybe he has his parents to thank for raising him to have this desire for things he didn’t have as a child and he wanted as an adult. I feel as though my Dad’s situation reminds me of examples of people Sam was talking about in class. Your race doesn’t really play a factor in your determinism, you either have it, or want it, or you don’t. Anyone can start at the bottom and with A LOT of determination, struggle, and inspiration; eventually you can work your way up to the top, if you CHOOSE to. Nothing in life is easy, but it is possible to overcome most obstacles.

After reading your comment, I can agree with you on many levels. I really liked how you made it evident that any movie you want you can twist to fit the, “Messiah Complex,” as well. Your example using Toy Story was perfect, because there are so many movies out there following this similar theme, but I think because it is mainly directed to a younger audience it doesn’t strike up as much controversy. “Avatar,” is definitely geared to a more adult audience therefore, people like Brooks, find a way to intrigue readers by developing a radical claim about a movie, that could potentially win many awards, and somehow make it offend some readers. I agree his article was intriguing because I didn’t want to skim through it or skip over parts, I read through it’s entirety. He made some points that could be valid if you were easily persuaded and read into movies way too much. I think if people have to read into movies that much and analyze every particular part of it, what’s the point of going to the movies, spending all that money, if you aren’t going to let yourself relax and just enjoy the movie?
I also wasn’t dying to see the movie when it first came out. I’m not a big fan of movies with animation, but when I found out that it was a mix of both and the fact that my Dad was eager to see the movie, I thought why not? Unfortunately, I didn’t see the movie in IMAX but I hear it was a great movie to see in that manner. I saw it in 3-D and it still had great affects. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the movie. It was a collection of romance, adventure, discovering a new culture, and finding peace. Therefore I feel as though a variety of people would thoroughly enjoy this movie.
As for the, “White Messiah,” comment, I feel as though you have to have the mindset going into the movie that you are looking to analyze every detail of the movie. He definitely made me think about this issue because it has never been brought to my attention, nor did I ever think in this manner before. Most movies do portray a white person as the “messiah” or the savior. I never thought of it as, “Nonwhites NEED a white person to save them,” in any way. I also believe that colored people could play the same heroic part in any movie and I would think no differently about the movie what so ever. I agree with your comment when you stated, “I feel that maybe some white actors are picked for these "messiah" or "leadership" roles in the movies, maybe just because they were better actors, or the producer thought they were more qualified for the part.” Along with that, I think Brooks could have also taken into consideration look at the number of white actors as compared to the number of nonwhite actors. There’s a big difference. Overall, I think Brooks went into the movie, “Avatar,” ready to criticize, which he did.